FRIEND OR FOE is a Children's Film Foundation adaptation of a Michael Morpurgo novel and the good news is that it's a darn sight better than Spielberg's flashy and slick WAR HORSE. The thing with FRIEND OR FOE is that it has real heart and character to it; the characters aren't always easy to like, but that's what makes them sympathetic.
The story is a good one and would be good even if the Germans didn't figure in the tale. The main characters are a couple of kids evacuated from London during WW2 and sent to a rural farming community. There they find a home with the excellent John Bardon playing a farmer who is all heart. These kids are naturally sympathetic and the scenes in which they suffer bullying from their peer group and alienation are quite heart-breaking.
The acting is generally realistic and the kids give better performances that I've seen in other CFF films. The plot about the crashed German bomber raises some interesting moral questions that are answered as the story progresses and overall the depiction of the era is very strong. A shame that comparable fare for children is no longer being made in these days of short attention spans.
The story is a good one and would be good even if the Germans didn't figure in the tale. The main characters are a couple of kids evacuated from London during WW2 and sent to a rural farming community. There they find a home with the excellent John Bardon playing a farmer who is all heart. These kids are naturally sympathetic and the scenes in which they suffer bullying from their peer group and alienation are quite heart-breaking.
The acting is generally realistic and the kids give better performances that I've seen in other CFF films. The plot about the crashed German bomber raises some interesting moral questions that are answered as the story progresses and overall the depiction of the era is very strong. A shame that comparable fare for children is no longer being made in these days of short attention spans.