jalmberg-1 I must have been 5 years old when my German, sail-maker uncle took me to see this movie. I don't remember too many things from that age, but I remember this movie vividly.As I remember it, it was shown in an enormous theatre... we had to travel some distance to get to where it was shown. I suppose it was similar to an IMAX film, now that I think about it.I don't remember the plot, if there was one, just the breathtaking shots of a full-rigged ship sailing over the open ocean. Spectacular.The film gave me a life long love of sailing (no doubt my uncle's 'hidden' agenda) and I've always wanted to see it again.Oh well! A treasure lost!

donaldgilbert Imagine watching one of those old educational films you saw in grade school, except it's in Cinerama and it lasts 120 minutes (minus the intermission). This is how I felt watching "Windjammer." I'm sure if you want to hear the plot, you'll find it in one of the other reviews. Though it's a true story, there is a certain amount of drama and performance as well. Of the fifty or so teenage boys recruited for the ship, we become somewhat familiar with about five to ten of them; these boys have a few scenes in which they converse in English. We also get acquainted with the crew and the mascot (a dog who steals a scene in the film). But what really makes the movie succeed is that the drama is combined well with what is essentially part travelogue- beautiful cinematic scenes from both land and water- and part musical- really joyful music interspersed throughout. Frankly, it had as much musical motion picture entertainment as "Chicago" in my opinion (it's a compliment, I assure you). So enjoyable drama, interesting documentary, good music and gorgeous cinematography... what's not to like? Alas, there are two negative comments:The first is that in it's 50's innocence, it may be difficult at times to watch this film and not chuckle mockingly as a result of the hardened conditioning of today's popular culture and/or long nostalgically for it's time long gone. The only other problem is that it has not been restored, and the print I saw (part of a Seattle Cinerama fest at one of the few remaining Cinerama theaters) was an original almost 50 years old. Because it's three reels synchronized on the screen, there were moments when the reel from one was noticeably more deteriorated than the others. And that made the illusion hard to manage. Also, "Windjammer," was truly meant to be appreciated in color; though a few scenes had some color in them, for the most part, the deterioration left it in black and white (and pink).It's a 7/10. Overall, very entertaining but needs to be restored.

elumpe-1 I recall having seen this movie in Dortmund/Germany in a big cinema which seemed to have been specially prepared for the occasion. It must have been in 1959 or 1960. I really felt "seasick" at certain passages of this movie, the impact of the stereo pictures and the sound was tremendous for me. It is not just this particular memory which makes this very movie dear to me (even though I never saw it again). This very movie is the reason for my introduction to, and consequently, love for, classical music. Grieg's piano concerto, practised by one of the cadets all the way from Oslo to America for a public performance there (under Arthur Fiedler - I recall his white dinner jacket when conducting) opened up this musical sphere to me forever. Up to this day this music and the Norwegian landscapes shown in the movie are closely connected in my mind. All this a "key event".EL

merrywood The Voyage of the Christian Radich, the Windjammer, across the Atlantic from Norway to New York City, New England and back is brought to three side-by-side Cinerama screens in this production. The impact is stunning. Marred only by the stock differentials in the slight processing temperature variations of exposures in processing which tends to separate the image contrast a bit from screen to screen, this flaw quickly disappears as the sheer adventure unfolds and the stunning musical score by Terry Gilkyson rolls out. As a youth I returned to the theater some half a dozen times to experience this marvelous, 1958 screen adventure. It is matched only decades later with the advent of the Imax Large Format productions, few that have held the wonder of this marvelous film. The extraordinary musical score was often sold on LP vinyl in the theater lobby and my own record was worn out in its repeated playing. A true documentary the film never falls into scenario format and remains ever true, taking the viewer along as a grateful passenger across the wide, foaming seas driven before the wind and under the white sails of the ship and glorious sun over the deep blue Pacific.