Miracle at Moreaux
| Miracle at Moreaux | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Paul Shapiro |
| Produced by | John Danylkiw |
| Written by | Jeffrey Cohen, Paul Shapiro |
| Based on | Twenty and Tenk by Claire Huchet Bishop |
| Starring | Loretta Swit, Geneviève Appleton, Milan Cheylov |
| Music by | Jonathan Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Rene Ohashi |
| Edited by | George Appleby |
|
Release date
|
December 2, 1985 |
|
Running time
|
58 minutes |
| Country | Canada, United States |
Miracle at Moreaux is a 1985 television film based on the novel Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop. The film stars Loretta Swit as the main character of Sister Gabrielle and was directed by Paul Shapiro.
Set in France, the movie was filmed in Quebec and aired on PBS (Public Broadcasting System.) It has been noted for its portrayal of a Jewish children during World War II.
In the film, three Jewish children fleeing the Nazis take refuge in a French convent. The children attend a boarding school run by a Catholic nun, Sister Gabrielle (Loretta Swit). The children arrive while the school is putting on a Nativity pageant, and in a quick act of thinking, Sister Gabrielle pretends the three children are her students. The Jewish children remain in the school for some time while the Nazis that are patrolling the area, led by an SS Major (Robert Joy), hunt for them in the forests surrounding the convent. Sister Gabrielle takes great lengths to keep the children's identities a secret, but the major is suspicious and continues to believe that they are likely hiding in the school.
Meanwhile, the three children have to cope with negative attitudes towards Jews from Catholic students at the boarding school. The Jewish students are able to gradually win over their classmates by teaching them about Judaism. Eventually, the entire school helps in the escape by dressing the Jewish and Catholic children in each other's clothing during a school play. This stunt confuses and distracts the Nazi pursuers, who focus on the wrong children while the real Jewish children flee towards the border and escape into Spain.
The Los Angeles Times gave a negative review for the film, saying that the film didn't contain much drama and failed make the story's setting understandable for the movie's target audience of children. In contrast, the Orlando Sentinel gave a more favorable review, calling the movie a "gem".
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