A High Wind in Jamaica

"Piracy and High Adventure on the High Seas!"

1965 1h 43m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 46

AdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1870, a Jamaican colonial family sends its children to Britain for proper schooling, but their ship is taken over by pirates, who become fond of the kids.

“Piracy and High Adventure on the High Seas!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Anthony Quinn
Chavez
James Coburn
Zac
Deborah Baxter
Emily Thornton
Gert Fröbe
Dutch Captain
Dennis Price
Mathias
Lila Kedrova
Rosa
Nigel Davenport
Mr. Thornton
Isabel Dean
Alice Thornton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexander Mackendrick
Writers: Stanley Mann, Ronald Harwood, Denis Cannan
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

61 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, shot by Douglas Slocombe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Larry Adler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Derek York shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anthony Quinn and James Coburn and Deborah Baxter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Piracy and High Adventure on the High Seas!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0059269 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexander Mackendrick directs. Douglas Slocombe behind the camera. Larry Adler scores. Derek York cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

161 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, shot by Douglas Slocombe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Larry Adler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Derek York shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Anthony Quinn and James Coburn and Deborah Baxter carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Piracy and High Adventure on the High Seas!".
8IMDB entry: tt0059269 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 46 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "jamaica", "hurricane", "stowaway", "child in peril".

The technical file

Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Original score: Larry Adler
Editing: Derek York
Makeup / hair: Daphne Martin
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: A High Wind in Jamaica (1965)

Also by

Alexander Mackendrick

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-04-13
★ 8/10
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
CinemaSerf2022-04-04
★ 6/10
Poor old Anthony Quinn ("Chavez") is going about his harmless pirating when he alights on a ship carrying some British children en route to their schooling in Britain. Immediately the onboard dynamic changes. The captain starts to feel a bit of affection for these weans - even as his crew, and best pal "Zac" (James Coburn) start to think they are little better than Jonahs. This sentiment is only exacerbated as their childish calamities start to impact on the crew's fun and income. Deborah Baxter ("Emily") seems to be the favourite child, and when she becomes injured their pirating days look numbered. The at sea scenarios here are engaging enough and the young actors are not bad at all, but the plot quickly begins to become too contrived - and actually, one could well believe in the biblical theory as just about anything and everything that can go wrong does! I really didn't like the ending at all - somehow it just felt wrong, but it's a nice film to look at with plenty of attention to the production detail. More Mickey than Errol Flynn, but watchable nonetheless.
Wuchak2025-08-23
★ 7/10
A pirate ship in the Caribbean takes on some kids In the mid-1800s, several children are transported from Jamaica to England when a pirate ship inadvertently apprehends them. “A High Wind in Jamaica” (1965) is a cinematic version of the 1929 novel by Richard Hughes. It tackles challenging material that is difficult to pull off in film. However, if you pay attention to the subtle evidence, there are potent things to glean from the story. For instance, it’s clear that the pirate captain (Anthony Quinn) experiences long-buried tender feelings as the kids become his sort of substitute family, especially Emily (Deborah Baxter). You could say they’re kindred spirits despite one being 49 years-old and the other 10. James Coburn is effective as the first mate and best friend of the captain. The King of Cool would go on to star in “Our Man Flint” the next year. One thing that arguably holds the film back is the frequent use of languages besides English, whether Spanish, Dutch or Creole dialects (I’m not sure which ones were used exactly). Yet this offers a sense of realism to the proceedings. Another element that is sort of off-putting is that the pirates come across as dirty, lawless and ignoble, but this can hardly be a criticism since pirate crews were the express opposite of the royal navies of Euro monarchies. Despite the presence of the kids, the tone is similar to Quinn’s “Barabbas” from four years earlier, just with the milieu of the open sea. While not as compelling as “Mutiny on the Bounty” (1962) or “The Bounty” this is nevertheless a worthwhile ship movie from the Age of (Old) Imperialism. It runs 1 hour, 43 minutes, and was shot in Jamaica and the waters nearby with studio work done just west of London. GRADE: B/B-