The much anticipated DVD release of Raymond Briggs' cartoon, When The Wind Blows, finally gets its release in the UK and Europe on September 26th. The movie, released in 1986, is a chilling tale, given extra momentum with a wonderful, atmospheric soundtrack by Roger Waters.

A darkly satirical and deeply affecting tale, When The Wind Blows concerns the final days of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, an elderly couple living in the remote Sussex countryside. Their almost romantic, rose-tinted memories of World War II are put into sharp relief when they are faced with the threat of a new kind of war and an impending nuclear attack on the British Isles. With unwavering faith in the government, Jim prepares for the assault, relying on advice contained in various local council- and government-issued pamphlets, naively disregarding the errors, inconsistencies and omissions of vital information.

Hilda, meanwhile, goes about her daily housework, convinced that everything will be okay and "it will all be over by Christmas". A three-minute warning announced on the radio forces Jim and Hilda into their makeshift fallout shelter and, more by luck than anything else, they survive the devastating nuclear blast. Blissfully unaware that times have changed and that nuclear war is something completely different from the kind of warfare with which they are familiar, the couple emerge to await the arrival of the help they are sure is on its way. As the nuclear winter and its accompanying fallout arrive, the grim reality of the situation slowly begins to dawn on Jim and Hilda.

What begins as a darkly humorous take on the absurdities of ignorance and misinformation soon becomes a bleak and timeless reminder of the terrifying consequences of nuclear warfare. With 'green' issues very much back on the political agenda and with the threat of nuclear war still hanging over the world despite several positive moves towards disarmament, the message and grim warning contained in When The Wind Blows resonates as much today as it did when the film was first released back in 1986.

The United Nations International Day of Peace, a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, will take place on September 21st 2005. And When The Wind Blows (certificate PG) follows, on September 26th.

Channel 4 DVD are the company behind the release of the Region 2, PAL format title. It features a transfer from a fully restored 35mm print, with Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound. The disc also includes a new, in depth interview with Raymond Briggs, and a "Making Of" documentary.

For many years now, Roger's fans have had to make do with the soundtrack album (which is still available from Amazon) so this new DVD release will be very popular.

Orders for the DVD are currently being taken through our links at Amazon UK, and Amazon Germany. Orders for any item placed with Amazon after entering their site through our links, helps with the running costs of this site, and we appreciate it.

Our thanks to Channel 4 DVD for their help.