During the 1800s, a group of children find themselves unexpectedly taken from Jamaica to England after a pirate ship mistakenly captures them. “A High Wind in Jamaica” (1965) is an adaptation of Richard Hughes’ 1929 novel and attempts to portray complicated themes that are hard to translate to the screen. However, if you look closely at the smaller details, there's a lot to be gained from watching it. For example, it becomes apparent that the pirate captain (Anthony Quinn) develops feelings for the children, seeing them as something like a family, particularly Emily (Deborah Baxter). They seem to connect with each other despite the age difference—he’s 49 and she is only 10. James Coburn does well in his role as the captain's first mate and friend. He would later appear in “Our Man Flint” the following year. One thing that might detract from the film is how often other languages are used, such as Spanish, Dutch, or Creole dialects (I’m not entirely sure which ones were included). Still, this helps create a sense of authenticity. Another aspect that feels a little strange is that the pirates seem unkempt, lawless and dishonorable, but it's hard to fault them for that since pirate crews were intentionally the opposite of royal navies in Europe. Even with the children present, the film’s feel is similar to Quinn’s “Barabbas” from four years before, only set on the ocean. While not as captivating as “Mutiny on the Bounty” (1962) or “The Bounty,” it's still a decent seafaring movie from the time of Imperialism. It has a running time of 1 hour and 43 minutes and was filmed in Jamaica, nearby waters, with some studio work completed just west of London. GRADE: B/B-

Source on TMDB