Whistle Down the Wind (1962)

Bryan Forbes made an impressive directorial debut with Whistle Down the Wind, a film that could easily have gone off-track under lesser hands. He shows that he is in control from the beginning, piquing the audience's curiosity with the opening kitten-drowning sequence while simultaneously setting up the relationships between the main characters. Forbes directs with subtlety and assurance, making believable the idea that a group of children could think an escaped convict is the Son of God returned the Earth. Small details, many of them provided by Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse's excellent adaptation of Mary Hayley Bell's novel, flesh out the characters and their situations, giving a nice depth to the film. Hayley Mills gives an exceptional performance, demonstrating that she was capable of much more than her typical Disney roles demanded of her. Of course, she's quite effective in her "big" scenes, but it's the little moments -- the way she treats her younger brother, her curious reverence for the stranger -- that linger in the memory. Alan Bates underplays to good effect, and Diane Holgate makes the little sister memorable. Arthur Ibbetson's lensing is haunting and evocative; he and Forbes make excellent use of shadows to both highlight and disorient. Wind is a lovely, poignant and quietly uplifting film, and one that is not quite like any other. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide