Amazon.co.uk Review
Tiger Bay and
Whistle Down the Wind are two perfect snapshots of 1950s Britain as seen through the eyes of children. The child tying these films together is of course Hayley Mills, whose extraordinarily natural performance in 1959's
Tiger Bay won her a Most Promising Newcomer BAFTA. As the 10-year-old unruly Gillie she inadvertently witnesses a murder of passion committed by Polish merchant seaman Korchinsky (German actor Horst Bucholz, who went on to ride with
The Magnificent Seven, in his first English-language movie). The two form a touching friendship while Superintendent Graham (played by Hayley's dad, John Mills) heads the manhunt around the portside streets of Cardiff.
The earlier film foreshadows much of the theme and tone of Whistle Down the Wind from two years later, where a visibly blossoming Hayley believes she's literally found Jesus (Alan Bates) in her family farm barn. Based on the novel by the actress' mother, Mary Hayley Bell, the antics of the Lancashire children who start out rescuing a litter of kittens is heart-warming in the extreme. If Kathy (Mills) and her sister Nan (Diane Holgate) weren't cute enough, there's their adorable yet mischievous younger brother Charles (Alan Barnes) as well. Together these films are a superb showcase of the young Hayley Mills, but more than that, they're a depiction of the innocence of children that's long been missing in films of any certificate. --Paul Tonks
Synopsis
'Whistle Down The Wind' is the story of three motherless children who believe that the murderer they find sheltering in a barn is really Christ. A thoughtful study of childhood innocence and simple faith. Based on a novel by Mary Hayley Bell. 'Tiger Bay' is a sensitive and moving portrayal of a 10-year-old girl in Cardiff's Tiger Bay dockland area who is caught up in a murder where she's the only witness...
