John Chard
Apr 13, 2020
High on a Gallows Tree My Love. A High Wind in Jamaica is directed by Alexander Mackendrick and adapted to screenplay jointly by Stanley Mann, Ronald Harwood & Denis Cannan, from the Richard Hughes novel of the same name. It stars Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, Deborah Baxter, Lila Kedrova, Martin Amis, Dennis Price and Nigel Davenport. Music is by Larry Adler, with the song High on a Gallows Tree song by Mike LeRoy, and cinematography is by Douglas Slocombe. Out of 20th Century Fox it's a DeLuxe Color/CinemaScope production. When a hurricane hits the isle of Jamaica in 1870, the Thornton family seek refuge in the basement. Here they discover the servants and workers performing a voodoo ceremony to ward off evil spirits. Horrified, Mrs Thornton decides to send the children and their two friends back to England to be educated away from what she deems savagery. However, during the voyage the youngsters are mistakenly taken captive by pirates, an event that will change forever the lives of captives and capturers alike. He's afraid: he says that kids bring bad luck... Richard Hughes' source novel was a one time part of the scholastic curriculum at Blighty seats of learning back in the day, the thematics of such a literary work no doubt inducing many a beardy teacher into lecturing over drive. Alexander Mackendrick's film adaptation manages to retain the literary feel whilst also entertaining by way of its intrigue. In many ways it's an odd film, a blend of pirates and children on board a ship screams out as something Disneyesque in make up, but it really isn't in any shape or form a frothy swash buckler movie. The pirates, led by Quinn's (wonderfully full of gusto) Chavez, are more human by motives and mannerisms, around them the children are realistic, they are not afraid, why would they be since they have not been taught that Pirates are bad? The youngsters merely see their stay with the bluff "n" ruff crew as an extended adventure. Their spirit is infectious, and Emily (an impressive Baxter) has a particularly beguiling effect on Chavez, but his right hand man Zac (Coburn effectively mannered) senses trouble and it's not long before the crew begin to fret about the lasting implications of the children being on board. We just know that something bad is going to come out of this unlikely coupling of youth and pirates, and it's then, for the last third of the movie, that Hughes' literary themes start to tumble out of the screen. Emotional and psychological twangs are neatly etched into the narrative by the ever astute Mackendrick, and a quandary surfaces by way of the innocence of youth; it's power, which when confronted by guilt creates a moral void that closes the picture (though not the novel) on an edgy note. Film looks great, with Slocombe's "Scope" photography out of the top draw, and Adler's score carries with it an ethereal quality that befits the haunting like nature of the story. Fox's Region 1 DVD release is double sided, giving a choice of full frame or widescreen, for those with big televisions the only way to see it is in widescreen, but the print is far from pristine. On release the film was met with much indifference, many were not sure what they had just watched, or were simply just upset at not getting a swash buckling adventure yarn. That uneasy reception goes some way to explaining why the film is largely forgotten and since over the years it has hardly ever been shown on television, it's certainly unseen. It deserves more exposure, very well put together all told, and definitely a picture that is strong in narrative as it puts human qualities firmly under the microscope. 8/10
