Carrie's War 2003
Distributed by WGBH Boston, 125 Western Avenue, Boston, MA 02134; 617-300-2000
Produced by BBC and WGBH Boston
Directed By Coky Giedroyc
DVD, color, 90 min.
Jr. High - Adult
World War II, History, Adolescence, Drama, Literature
Date Entered: 09/20/2006
Reviewed by Nicole Cooke, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJPublic television's Masterpiece Theater has produced an absorbing and charming film adaptation of British author Nina Bawden's 1973 children's book Carrie's War.
During World War II, Carrie and her precocious younger brother Nick are evacuated from London and sent to Wales to live with a surrogate family. This extended and dysfunctional family is headed by austere widower Mr. Evans, whose overbearing beliefs and rules are not especially conducive for young children. Mr. Evans' lives with his spinster sister Louisa, who is also oppressed but knows how to counteract her brother, and showers the children with affection. Mr. Evan's and Louisa have another sister, who is estranged from the family and is cared for Hepzibah, a self-proclaimed witch. As Carrie and Nick get to know Hepzibah, they are regaled with magical stories, humor and love, much to the dismay of Mr. Evans.
The acting is well done and the scenery is magnificent; Carrie's War /possesses all of the attraction and appeal characteristic of BBC productions. The technical components of film match the high quality of the content; the film’s audio and visual editing are also of excellent quality. /Carrie's War /is suitable for all audiences and can be utilized within a variety of different subject areas, most notably history.
Carrie's War is highly recommended, and is best suited for public libraries, school libraries and media centers.