Children In The
Crossfire (Telefilm)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: D Telefilm: B-
Before terrorism was catapulted by 9/11/01’s events into
the forefront, it seemed to be a world away, though it never really was. There was always domestic terrorism and that
does not even include government activity.
George Schaeffer’s 1984 telefilm Children In The Crossfire was
shot in both the U.S. and Ireland, as Irish children of different religions go
to The States a (then) more peaceful world away. Can changes for the better they develop and learn be brought back
to the U.K.?
The telefilm is well acted and their writing is not bad,
but it is the pacing that saves it from some melodrama. Julia Duffy, Charles Haid and Karen
Valentine are among the faces you will recognize. Over twenty years later, as the I.R.A.’s battle with Britain is
on the downturn, the point of trying to change the world through non-violence
and a better world view could apply to many civil war conflicts in the Middle
East, former East Bloc countries and the like.
Now, it is a rare time capsule of a conflict that U.S. media never fully
covered right or became a well-documented conflict in film and TV fiction. Though not a work of greatness, it is one of
intelligence.
The 1.33 X 1 image is soft and the color is slightly off,
while the Dolby Digital 2.0 is a loud mono that almost sounds like stereo
thanks to Brad Fiedel’s score. He had
composed the score for James Cameron’s first Terminator film the same
year, with some of the same punch.
There are no extras, but there should be considering the topic.
- Nicholas Sheffo
