Heaven on Earth (1 Mar. 1987)

Heaven On Earth follows several children and teens as they are sent from their homes in Wales and England to Canada. Host families await them and each child must adapt to their new ... See full summary »

Director:

Allan Kroeker

Writers:

Margaret Atwood, Peter Pearson

Stars:

Torquil Campbell, Sarah Polley, Fiona Reid

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Torquil Campbell	...	Len Hawkins
Sarah Polley
Fiona Reid	...	Abigail
Sian Leisa Davies	...	Megan Davies
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nathan Adamson
Amos Crawley
Huw Davies	...	Gareth Andrews
Donna Edwards	...	Sophie Payne
David Hughes
Alison MacLeod	...	Lorna
Loreena McKennitt	...	Lady traveler
Maureen McRae	...	Mrs. Macdonald
Nicholas Rice	...	Gentleman traveler
Judy Sinclair
Cedric Smith	...	Mr. Macdonald

Storyline

Heaven On Earth follows several children and teens as they are sent from their homes in Wales and England to Canada. Host families await them and each child must adapt to their new surroundings, deal with their new duties and families and survive by holding into their friendships. Heaven on Earth is based on historical events and focuses on the trials and hardships of children who were unwanted but ultimately found their place in the world.

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1987 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Manitoba, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Opix Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

I love this film

This is a lovely story about English orphans - actually mostly Welsh orphans who were brought to Canada in the early decades of the 20th century. Many of them seem to have been unfortunately rather cruelly used as cheap labor - others found happy homes and a rewarding, if difficult, new life.The film especially follows one girl who was separated from her baby brother and underwent much difficulty reuniting with him. The issue is important because it deals with such family separations - often undertaken for the 'good' of the parties, but almost always a terrible mistake resulting in cruel separation from those the child has loved. The film also comments on the treatment of young women victimized by rape and subsequently victimized further by an uncaring system that tended to regard such girls as ruined, and possibly at fault themselves. It is a lesson that we need to remember now.