War of Children (1972)

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The War of Children is an uncomfortably realistic TV drama of the latter-day "troubles" in Ireland. The tension is magnified by the decision to film many of the key scenes in battle-scarred Belfast, with the crew dodging bullets all down the line. These sequences were seamlessly blended with… More The War of Children is an uncomfortably realistic TV drama of the latter-day "troubles" in Ireland. The tension is magnified by the decision to film many of the key scenes in battle-scarred Belfast, with the crew dodging bullets all down the line. These sequences were seamlessly blended with newsreel footage and with pickup shots filmed in the safer confines of Dublin. Actual Belfasters were used as extras, which explains why their reactions of horror and hatred are so grimly convincing. Given the verisimilitude of the production, and the input of Hallmark Hall of Fame veterans James Costigan (scriptwriter) and George Schafer (director), it's something of a shame that in terms of dramatic conflict, War of Children resorts to the old Montague/Capulet routine. In this instance, the star-crossed romance is between an Irish Catholic girl (Jenny Agutter) and a Protestant British Soldier (John Ronane). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi