Whistle Down The Wind
(1961)
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Three motherless children believe that the murderer they found sheltering in a barn is really Christ. A thoughtful study of childhood innocence and simple faith. Based on a novel by Mary Hayley Bell. |
In this daring allegory, Alan Bates plays a dishevelled murderer on the run who's confronted by three Lancashire children who think he's the persecuted Jesus Christ deserving of their protection. First-time director Bryan Forbes treats his material with heart-touching gravity and delicacy, and the symbolism only starts to come to pieces when the grown-up need for justice intrudes. Young Hayley Mills — her mother wrote the novel on which this film is based — is wonderfully wide-eyed, while Bates, as the ambiguous stranger, gives one of his most involving performances.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Charming allegorical study of childhood innocence, extremely well made, amusing, and avoiding sentimentality.