{"product_id":"9781805750581","title":"Whistle Down the Wind","description":"\u003ch3\u003eBFI Film Classics\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eWhistle Down the Wind\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch3\u003eJosephine Botting\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerforming Arts \/ Film \/ General\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on Mary Hayley Bell's 1958 novella, Bryan Forbes's \u003ci\u003eWhistle Down the Wind\u003c\/i\u003e (1961) is a moving and compelling story of three siblings who find a stranger hiding in their family barn. Mistaking him for Jesus, they keep his presence a secret from the adults around them. Josephine Botting's study places this remarkable film within the landscape of the British industry in the early 1960s and examines the ways Bell's source material is adapted for the screen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBotting assesses the creative contribution of Forbes to this critically acclaimed and much-loved British film. Shot almost entirely on location, its black and white camerawork uses the bleak Lancashire landscape as a haunting backdrop to its tale of innocence and faith. The use of both professional and amateur actors, furnished with humorous dialogue by writers Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, brings a unique authenticity to the depiction of rural life in Northern England.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBotting explores how the screenplay, cinematography, editing, musical score by Malcolm Arnold and use of sound contribute to the creation of an emotionally powerful narrative, yet one which avoids the sentimentality or 'cuteness' that child-centred films can suffer from. Botting traces the film's critical reception and addresses its neglect in recent literature, along with its relationship to works such as \u003ci\u003eKes\u003c\/i\u003e (1969), \u003ci\u003eThe Railway Children\u003c\/i\u003e (1970) and \u003ci\u003eEl Espíritu de la Colmena (\u003c\/i\u003eVíctor Eríce, 1973), which similarly present the adult world through the eyes of children.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eJosephine Botting\u003c\/b\u003e is a Curator at the BFI National Archive. She has programmed numerous seasons at BFI Southbank and oversees the monthly strand \u003ci\u003eProjecting the Archive\u003c\/i\u003e, showcasing 35mm rarities from the BFI collections. A regular contributor to BFI publications, she is the author of \u003ci\u003eAdrian Brunel and British Cinema of the 1920s\u003c\/i\u003e (2023) and has written widely for books and journals.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e12 November 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBritish Film Institute\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781805750581\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePaperback softback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e104\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16.0\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52228079747212,"sku":"9781805750581","price":16.16,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_17d5021d-c12b-4f16-98bc-1ae0c7a5ca8f.jpg?v=1786502798","url":"https:\/\/lateknightbooks.com\/products\/9781805750581","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}