The Wind Cannot Read
| The Wind Cannot Read | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original British quad poster | |
| Directed by | Ralph Thomas |
| Produced by |
Betty E. Box Earl St. John |
| Written by | Richard Mason (novel) |
| Starring |
Dirk Bogarde Yoko Tani Ronald Lewis John Fraser |
| Music by | Angelo Francesco Lavagnino |
| Cinematography | Ernest Steward |
| Edited by | Frederick Wilson |
Release dates | 1958 |
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Wind Cannot Read is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani, Ronald Lewis and John Fraser.[1] It was based on a novel by Richard Mason.
Songwriter, Peter Hart received the 1958 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for the title song, performed by Vera Lynn.[2]
Cast
- Dirk Bogarde as Flight Lieutenant Michael Quinn
- Yoko Tani as Sabbi
- Ronald Lewis as Fenwick
- John Fraser as Peter Munroe
- Anthony Bushell as Brigadier
- Heihachirô Ôkawa as Lieutenant Nakamura
- Marne Maitland as Bahadur
- Michael Medwin as Officer Lamb
- Richard Leech as Hobson
- Tony Wager as Moss
- Tadashi Ikeda as Itsumi-san
- Yôichi Matsue as Corporal Mori
- Donald Pleasence as Doctor
- Joy Michael as First nurse
- Avice Landone as Second nurse
- Jasdev Singh Soin as Indian soldier
Plot
The film takes place in Burma and India during World War II.
A British officer falls in love with his Japanese instructor at a military language school. They start a romance, but she is regarded as the enemy and is not accepted by his countrymen. Later he is captured by the Japanese army when he is patrolling with a brigadier and an Indian driver in a Japanese-controlled zone. He escapes and returns to his own lines, only to discover that his fiancée is suffering from a brain tumor and dies.
Production
In 1955 David Lean agreed to film Richard Mason's novel The Wind Cannot Read, the story of a romance between a British officer and a self-exiled Japanese woman in India circa 1943, during World World II.[3]
Originally Lean considered making the lead character a Canadian and offered the part to Glenn Ford.[4] Lean also offered the role to Kenneth More, who was unsure about whether or not the public would accept him in the part and turned it down. It was a decision More later regarded as "the greatest mistake I ever made professionally".[5] Lean had completed a script in collaboration with Mason and cast Kishi Keiko as the girl, but disagreed with Alexander Korda, who was to have produced the film and the project fell through.[6]
Lean had already entered into discussions with Sam Spiegel, regarding a film version of Pierre Boulle's novel The Bridge on the River Kwai. After Korda's death in 1956 the rights to Mason's novel were sold to Rank Film Productions, who assigned the project to the team of Betty Box and Ralph Thomas.[7] Filming took place on location in India in early 1958, with Dirk Bogarde in the main role.[8]
References
- ↑ http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/58209
- ↑ Lister, David, Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion, The Independent, 28 May 1994
- ↑ SCANNING THE CURRENT BRITISH SCREEN SCENE: DIRECTOR DAVID LEAN MOVES EASTWARD -- WAR EPIC --COLUMBIA'S AGENDA By STEPHEN WATTSLONDON.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 19 June 1955: X7.
- ↑ Monroe Specifications Named for 'Karamazov,; Lean Offers Ford Film Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 22 Oct 1956: A11.
- ↑ Kenneth More, More or Less, Hodder & Staughton, 1978 p 228
- ↑ http://old.bfi.org.uk/lean/material.php?theme=2&type=Correspondence&title=wind_cannot
- ↑ ON BRITAIN'S VARIED MOVIE FRONTS: AMERICAN STAR PROBLEM --CHAPLIN'S ROCK 'N' ROLL--CRITICISM POSER UP-TO-DATE "KING" GALLIC CRITIQUE HEADED FOR INDIA OUT OF THE PAST By STEPHEN WATTS. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 03 Mar 1957: 113
- ↑ JAPANESE FILM STARS FOR INDIA: SHOOTING OF PICTURE The Times of India (1861-current) [New Delhi, India] 18 Jan 1958: 11