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A touching story told with tenderness: awkward young Jewish girl in WWII America befriends an escaped German POW who is hiding out in her clubhouse. They discuss their lives and beliefs (he's anti-Hitler), she sneaks him food, he becomes her only friend and ally. All this reminded me of the much-better theatrical film "Whistle Down The Wind", where Hayley Mills befriends convict Alan Bates, but you certainly can't fault the direction here, which is smooth, or the performances, which are sterling. Mature in her pre-teen years, Kristy McNichol carries most of the picture and never hits a false note. Suddenly, when the prisoner is discovered (and Kristy is found out as well), the movie gets very tough. Her father, shocked and ashamed that his child would consort with "that Nazi", lays into her with a quiet fury I have seldom seen before (he tells her "You are dead to me," which must be devastating for a little girl to hear). The final scenes don't cop out; there are no big reunions, no hand-holding climaxes. The girl has to face the world, and in doing so learns a bitter lesson about neighbors, friends, and family. A startling film.

"Summer of My German Soldier" was one of the many TV movies that became a staple of the small screen in the 1970s (others were "Brian's Song", "Sybil" and "Someone's Watching Me!"). It portrays a Jewish girl (Kristy McNichol) befriending a German POW (Bruce Davison) in WWII-era Georgia. One of the things that the movie shows is that many of the German soldiers weren't really Nazis, but were just drafted. Watching the movie, I got a real sense of how things must have been in the South back then; I mean, can you imagine being a Jewish person accused of supporting the enemy?

So, I certainly recommend this movie. I believe that it's always important to show the things portrayed here. Occasional overacting keeps the movie from being a full-scale masterpiece, but they usually do quite well. I hope that the movie eventually comes out on DVD. Also starring Esther Rolle and Michael Constantine (the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" patriarch).

When I was in 7th grade(back in 1977), I was asked to read the novel that this was based on as part of my English class studies. I can remember being very touched by it and excited when a TV version came out a year later.

Kristy McNichol was a popular TV actress when this film was produced and was already playing a daughter in a dysfunctional family on the hit TV series "Family". It was clear that she had the range and ability to pull off this part. I recall her as being a bit "stiff" at times, but over all she does a good job. She carries the movie well.

Esther Rolle is fantastic as the domestic who appears to be the only one in the household that seems to truly care for her. Barbara Barrie as the somewhat frightened and slightly neurotic mother is also good, as is young Robin Lively (who would eventually appear as the black widow Lana Milford in "Twin Peaks")as the sweet younger sister who seems to be the focus of the parent's affection. Bruce Davidson is also appropriately appealing as the German soldier of the title

The best performance, however, belongs to Michael Constantine. It is truly powerful and merited more recognition than it got at the time. The bitterness and coldness he expresses makes the scenes in which he appears difficult to watch, but makes it much easier to understand the quiet desperation of the rejected daughter. Constantine gives everything the right intensity and seems to have a good understanding of the underlying psychological motivations.

The film differs from the book only in some small ways. It is wonderful and inspiring to watch, and I hope that it gets released again on to video or DVD.

This is an incredibly moving story, based on Bette Greene's teen novel. The entire cast is wonderful - Kristy MacNichol, Bruce Davison, Esther Rolle. Just brilliant. I saw this when I was about 12, and read the book and the sequel. Have managed to catch it on TV a couple of times since. Such a heart-wrenching story, the kind they don't know how to make any more. More's the pity.

This movie was one of the best I have ever seen. Just the other day I was reminded of this movie by something on TV. It came back to me like a dam flooding over. I have never been more touched by a movie than by this one. After the movie was over I actually could not quit crying for about 2 hours. No movie has ever moved me that way before. I was 15 at the time of the movie and have not seen it since but am hoping I can find a copy to buy so that I can watch it whenever I want to. If someone suggests you see this movie with them, GO....you will not be disappointed.

Peggy Fries

By reading the synopsis and other poster's comments you know just about everything in this movie so there really are no spoilers. Plus Wikipedia tells the whole story. So I'm not going there. This movie dates back to 1978 and everyone who is interested in this movie knows the entire storyline. This post is about why Polly was so unloved by her parents. In fact her father, Harry disdained her and the mother was indifferent. Yet the younger sister was deeply beloved by the parents who showered attention, love, and physical affection. This shows the complexity of human nature when it involves, love, affection, and caring for one's offspring. Psychologists and researchers have long known that parents are not always equal in how they feel and show love to their offspring. Often the individual parent cannot understand themselves why they feel more love for one child over the other. In another Hollywood movie, the father loved his eldest son, who died in a car crash, over his youngest son. I think the movie's title was, Stand By Me. In, 'The Summer Of My German Soldier', Patty learns the horrific truth from her father behind his coldness towards her. The father, Harry, related to Polly how much his late, mother-in-law disliked Harry and never wanted her daughter to marry him, even though both families are Jewish. In return, Harry despised his mother-in-law. When Polly was born and grew up, she reminded Harry of his despised, late mother-in-law. As a result, Harry felt similar emotions towards his own daughter and could not love her. Polly was the innocent victim of two people's deep animus towards each other. At the end of the movie, Harry tells Polly that she will live at their home until he is no longer legally responsible for her. That means age 18, after high school. Then Polly will have to leave home forever. Your heart really goes out to Polly. You want to hate the father, Harry, as a real bast**d, but somehow you feel a twinge of understanding for his mindset. What if the mother-in-law had liked Harry a lot? Some husbands are lucky like that. Polly's life would have been radically different.

This film is a study piece for my english class, but it's depth and meaning has amazed me. Since we're looking closely into all the facts and characters in this film, its and interesting tale of love, hate, war, and prejudice. Well Recommended!

Story: A girl named well-off jewish Patty Bergen meets an escaped prisoner of war, she then hides him in her playhouse in her huge gardens, and as they get to know each other, they begin to see the others qualities, and they earn each others love. Patty's father despises her and treats her like dirt. Anton (the prisoner of war) almost blows his cover to protect her, but patty manages to stop him before he is seen by anyone.

It must have been 43 years ago since I watched The Summer Of My German Soldier, but I never forgot how Kristy McNichol touched me deeply. I cried all the way till the end. I remember Kristy helped a soldier into hiding but was not allowed to because he was officially an enemy of the Jews, but in real life just a nice boy. In the end Kristy is abandoned by her community because of collaboration with what her people regard tevil. Kristy is deeply lonely and although she is just een teen girl, she is already massively dissapointed in mankind.

This movie should have easily qualified as a film

that best promotes human understanding among people.

It may be rather annoying to even try to comprehend that a young Jewish southern girl could would give shelter to an escaped German prisoner of war.

Kristy McNichol depicts an amazing portrait of the unhappy, young girl thirsting for acceptance and love. Michael Constantine gave a remarkable performance as her difficult father and Esther Rolle, as the maid, Ruth, gave a superb Emmy-winning performance as an understanding maid caught up with these events.

Bruce Davison portrays the German who is supposedly not guilty of Nazi atrocities. This is how his role appears. He has escaped, but he joined the German army and he might have been a member of the Hitler youth movement.

The action takes place in 1944 Georgia, in a rural area. The townspeople are filled with prejudice. Even the FBI inspector acts as if he would like to get something on the Jews. Notice the opposite interpretation that as McNichol is in bed, Davison is hunted down and ultimately shot. It is interesting to see that society views McNichol as a traitor for harboring an escaped prisoner of war. The film also deals with an extremely complex relationship that exists between father and daughter. Constantine's outburst at his daughter at the end is some acting. As the mother, Barbara Barrie, is given little to do. It was annoying that she is stereotyped as the typical Jewish mother with that loud shade of lipstick on her lips.

Memorably done and well worth viewing.

I did not read the original book, so I can't say if the movie stuck to it or not, but I'm always looking for continuity bloopers in films. Every movie has at least one, and it's fun to look for them.

Here's a blooper for you: when Anton decides not to escape on the freight train and he is surprised by Patty, there is a scene where they stand facing each other while the train passes by in the background. Just for a moment, on one of the freight cars, a plaque, about 1 foot by 2 feet, is visible. On it is a series of colored horizontal lines of varying lengths. This plaque is actually a laser-readable bar code, which contains the serial number of the freight car, its dimensions and capacities, and the name of the railroad it belongs to. A laser would read each plaque as the train rolled past a freight-yard checkpoint.

These plaques were invented by IBM in the late 'sixties and were introduced in 1970. They are the ancestors of the Universal Product Code, the bar codes we all know and love today, introduced in 1974.

But, this movie is set in 1943 or 1944. Oops!

The extrodinary television movie concerns a young Jewish girl in Georgia who aids an escaped German POW and the resulting devestation it brings her family, primarily in her relationship with her father. Esther Rolle as the family domestic and Martin Balsam as the aloof father are fantastic. Hard to believe a film of this calibre was produced for television; it certainly sets a high standard.

I will always have a special place in my heart for James Noble as Gov. Gaitlin on "Benson", and for Sonny Shroyer as Deputy Enos Strate on 'The Dukes of Hazzard".

Buckle up Now- You will love this classic film! I first saw this film in 1982, which was shown by our 5th grade teacher Mrs. Northrup, at Lawton Elementary School in Ann Arbor, Michigan- I knew that she really loved me! I loved her a lot too!

We read the novel Summer of my German Soldier in school and then we watched the film.If you have read the book before you saw the movie,like I did,you might feel a bit more disappointed.The feelings weren't shown as intensely as the book shows them.Also the relationships are not as clearly shown as the book.But it is still a good film to watch if you have not read the book.

I would catch this cornball melodrama years ago and its ridiculous attempts at confronting discrimination and racism and showing love can conquer better than war or hate is as preachy and as alienating as the most disapproving image of Mother Superior or any other kind of Catholic priest or charismatic evangelist.

Other posts have relayed what the story was about. I can honestly say I didn't catch on to it being a wonderful love story, that's for sure.

McNichol and Davison were hardly a sweet teen romance. I recall Constantine's quiet "youre dead to me" comment to McNichol, but McNichol would also scream at all those around they were murderers when the escaped German prisoner was shot and killed.

Talk about cheesy angst, over and over again with this thing.

But I guess the funniest moment for me was at the very end with Anne Haney, the elderly lady perhaps best known for her final appearances in "Mrs. Doubtfire" when Robin Williams shoved his face in that cake, and she was in "Liar, Liar" with Jim Carrey as his assistant.

Haney is a gossipy neighbor lady, representing society at large in this one woman.

As McNichol and her only ally, it seems, Esther Rolle (who won a supporting actress Emmy for this thing) are walking down the streets, enduring all the glaring stares of disapproval.

Haney spews out the most incredible slur I think I have ever heard, "Jew Nazi n*gg*r lover."

I was totally confused how one could be a Jew lover and a Nazi lover as one was killing the other in WWII, when this movie was taking place. Where on Earth did the Jew figure into it?

Rolle would then deliver a tirade on Haney "leave this child be!" which of course would be highly unlikely for a Black woman to talk to a white woman like that in the forties, as anyone who checks out Oprah Winfrey's imprisonment in "Color Purple" will see.

This movie was alot of wishful thinking; that people could speak so freely and that others would be silenced so easily. Unfortunately all it does is more dividing of the masses, leaving society as a whole back at square one, if we are to believe the messages here.