Masterpiece Theatre: Carrie's War (2004)

This touching drama based on the popular book by Nina Bawden follows 14-year old Carrie as she and her younger brother are sent from London to rural Wales in order to escape the Blitz where they must adjust to life with the strict old brother and sister who take them in.System Requirements:Running Time 90 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 783421409392 Manufacturer No: WG40939 Product Description

A Charming Story Of Love And Redemption

Carrie Willow and her younger brother are evacuees from London during World War II. They are taken to a small town in Wales, where a young woman living with her very strict older brother takes them in. Over the next few months Carrie and her brother meet other members of their adoptive family and learn many surprising secrets. Eventually, everyone learns much more about the power of love, acceptance, friendship and forgiveness.

This is a very well done film, accurately depicting life in World War II Britain. The characters are all appealing, and there's enough humor to keep some of the weightier themes from bogging the story down, so even the youngest children should love it and learn from it. The ending, set twenty five years or so in the future, is especially affecting and bound to bring tears to your eyes. June 6, 2008

boring

I was bored to death and almost fell asleep. You might have to be british to enjoy this. I already gave my copy to a friend who might maybe like it better than I did. The DVD-Cover looks nice, though. January 3, 2008

Guaranteed not to offend in 2007!

Nicely made, mostly reflecting the book quite well - the book itself is framed by the mother's adult recollections, so the movie ending is no surprise. Yes, the acting is good, and some of the complexity of the adult relations which Carrie is beginning to understand come through well.

BUT. I was not too surprised to see the few references to Mr. Evans grim religion of endurance and the even fewer references to Hepzibah's mysterious awareness and healing skills expanded into a more extreme caricature of happy harmless pagans vs miserable domineering christians (though paganism as we know it wasn't invented when Bawden wrote her book!), but I was disgusted to see Bawden's reference to the lives of black child slaves in England totally whitewashed out of sight in favor of this anachronistic little wallow in new age sentiment. Not to mention Albert's cool assessment of the skull's more likely origins - more prosaic in Carrie's eyes, but probably much more exciting in his own eyes, and a fine summing-up of their two different characters -pity it was wasted!

I was really surprised to see Carrie superimposed over this invented pagan maiden thing at the end, as if she bolts from adult life completely!

June 24, 2007

need for better information

this dvd cannot be viewed on our machine, ridiculous for a dvd made with the cooperation of european t v companies. better information is required! January 19, 2007

Ending Leaves Damper on Film

Excellent movie, theme, actors, scenery until the incredibly disappointing ending. The author gave up and created a cheesy ending that didn't seem to have anything to do with the first 99% of the movie. We felt like we were watching two completely different movies. If it had been written differently, this would have been one we would have watched over and over. Instead we turned it off and said, "What was that?" It has gone into the Good Will basket. January 12, 2007

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