A freshly struck 35mm print of the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind will be shown at the BFI Southbank on 4 September, followed by a question‑and‑answer session with Hayley Mills, Diane Poole and Alan Barnes, while a new BFI Film Classic book on the title arrives on 3 September.
The story behind the screen
The film adapts a novel by Mary Hayley Bell, which tells of three children living on a farm in Sussex who discover a solitary man in their barn and, convinced he is Jesus, decide to hide him from the adults. Their innocent belief forms the emotional core of the narrative, a theme that resonated with audiences then and continues to captivate viewers today.
The making of a British classic
When the original director, Guy Green, withdrew, Bryan Forbes stepped in at the last minute, despite having never directed before. He was urged by Dickie Attenborough, who recognised the story’s potential and persuaded the producers to bring it to the screen. The screenplay, penned by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, shifted the setting to the remote village of Downham at the foot of Pendle Hill, a location famed for its historic witch‑craft accusations. Local children formed the bulk of the cast, with only Roy Holder and a fourteen‑year‑old Hayley Mills possessing prior acting experience. Mills, who was taller than most of her peers and often wore a coat with sleeves that barely reached her wrists, recalled the mud‑slicked farm and the simple meals of jam butties and fried eggs served in buns. “I’ve no idea. We’ll soon find out!” Forbes reportedly said when asked to take the helm, a line that captures the spontaneous spirit of the production.
Voices from the set
Hayley Mills described the winter shoots on the Lancashire farm, noting the slippery duckboards and the need to tread carefully through the mire, while also expressing a deep affection for filming in England. She recalled the whistling on the theme tune, attributing it to Dickie Attenborough, and shared the anecdote that the hand seen in a close‑up of a playground slap was actually Forbes’s, a gesture that left her in tears once filming stopped. Alan Bates, soft‑spoken and pleasant, surprised the young cast when he suddenly shouted at the “disciples” during a scene, prompting a startled reaction that was captured on film. At the London premiere, Bates appeared without his beard, swinging Mills around in a moment she later described as unrecognisable until he spoke. Diane Poole, who was ten when she was selected, remembered being told she would be in a film without knowing who Hayley Mills was, and recalled the stern warning from her mother to focus on her dinner rather than the excitement of the set.
The film’s enduring impact
Malcolm Arnold’s nostalgic score, especially his arrangement of “We Three Kings,” paired with Arthur Ibbetson’s stark black‑and‑white cinematography, created a haunting atmosphere that still lingers. The iconic line delivered by seven‑year‑old Alan Barnes – “It isn’t Jesus. It’s just a fella.” – has become a memorable quote that epitomises the film’s blend of innocence and realism. The recent 35mm restoration revives the grainy texture and atmospheric depth, allowing new audiences to experience the film as it was originally intended, while the accompanying book offers behind‑the‑scenes insights and rare photographs from the BFI National Archive.
Why it Matters
The revival of Whistle Down the Wind underscores the importance of preserving Britain’s cinematic heritage, offering contemporary viewers a window into post‑war storytelling and the formative experiences of a generation of child actors. Its enduring themes of belief, innocence, and the clash between youthful imagination and adult realities remain relevant, reminding us that the power of film lies not only in its production values but in the timeless human stories it tells.
