Carrie's War

I remember watching the original children's TV serial back in 1974 (on a black and white set!). Thirty years on, the BBC show this version as a complete full-length film.

What can I say? An excellent story set in wartime Britain and revolving around the lives of Carrie and her younger brother, evacuated to a small town in rural Wales. Central to the plot are the strange relationships between members of the Evans family. Mr Evans is a local council member and a strict Methodist. He and his younger sister run the village shop and take in the two evacuee children. His other widowed sister, Mrs Gotobed, also lives near the village, but they have fallen out. Carrie ends up playing 'piggy in the middle' to all the incidents and interludes between the family members. After the death of Mrs Gotobed, Carrie and her brother leave the village to be reunited with their parents.

The film has a twist at the end...which I shall not reveal here!

The story revolves around two children sent way from the WWII bombing in London to be billeted with an unknown family in Wales.

It must have been very distressing to be shipped off like this, whatever the reason.

I didn't know it was a children's story when I started to watch it, but it soon became evident.

It reminded me of The Railway Children.

The story unfolds with the children showing more maturity than some of the adult characters, particularly the prejudice and sanctimonious Mr. Evans.

I thought the ending was a bit odd.

The historical tale is brought forward some 10 years or so to end up happy ever after, but the fact that Carrie had been living under a misconception for those years was not really believable. It may have been handled better in the book.

What a shame that Keeley Fawcett disappeared from screens following this drama.

I'm not sure what a Welsh children's drama (from a novel by Nina Bawden) is doing in a prime Sunday night TV slot but this proved to be watchable. Partly it was because in shows of this kind it is the children who are normal and the adults who are grotesque or just plain odd. What with the severe and slightly potty Mr Evans the grocer, his older sister Mrs Gotobed, Hepzibiah the homely housekeeper, Johnny the handicapped boy and Lou, Evans' younger sister, there's more than enough for an analyst.

Carrie, the centre of this story about two children sent to the country to escape the blitz, is oddly likable. The great thing about her is she does not let the strangers and strangeness intimidate her; she tackles things on her own terms. She also gives her younger brother the support he needs almost automatically. It's a very fine performance from Keeley Fawcett.

A good supporting cast is essential in this sort of tale, and we are treated to some fine performances. Alun Armstrong as Samuel Evans stays just this side of caricature and allows us to see that the fearsome bible-basher has a softer side. As Hepzibiah, Pauline Quirke is everybody's warm-hearted mum and Eddie Cooper as Alfred Sandwich is a wonderfully querilous adolescent. Jamie Beddard was pretty realistic as the disabled Mr Johnny – Beddard himself has cerebral palsy, though that has not stopped him from becoming a successful actor.

I suppose this story is partly autobiographical; it does seem to give from the child's point of view the experience of evacuation. It also makes the point that for a child, the imaginary terrors are as real as the actual dangers; 20 years later it is the imaginary ghosts that haunt the adult.

I really enjoyed this except the jump forward in time. It seemed jarring and unnecessary way to end it. I was pleasantly surprised to see the actor who played Brian on New Tricks. He does play emotional scenes very well.

Its funny how they made the witch plump. It sends the message right away that she has to be a good witch and not to be feared.

A delightful story about two evacuees, has been turned into a nice little film, by the BBC. Most children who like a good story will enjoy this. The characters are played really well by a very good cast. Not sure whether our American friends will appreciate it, but they do get a mention, as Aunty Lou runs off with a gorgeous American soldier.