Alexander Mackendrick's underrated adaptation of Richard Hughes' novel stars Anthony Quinn as the pirate Juan Chavez. When a ship bound for England from Jamaica is captured by Chavez, he and his crew (which includes James Coburn) become the unwitting guardians of several children being sent to England for a "proper education." But a different sort of education - a mutiny, the murder of a Dutch captain, and the pirates' execution - is in store for the children before they enter school. With its emphasis on the children - their strength and adaptability - and on the relationship between the children and the pirates, A High Wind in Jamaica is not your usual pirate fare.
"...(T)his is a film where atmosphere is more important than words, where feelings are not said nor hammered home by style but...delicately felt. It must have taken courage to resist turning it all into a roaring piratical potboiler in the first place and even more courage to leave so much to the director. But Alexander Mackendrick has brought it off superbly, paring the film down to essentials...." --Allen Eyles, Films and Filming