Children in the Crossfire (1984) Reviews

Children in the Crossfire examines the plight of the youngest victims of Northern Ireland's never-ending religious strife. Amidst the speeding bullets and burned-out buildings, a group of Catholic and Protestant children courageously join the Children's Committee 10. This organization is dedicated to mending age-old political and social chasms by having the children spend a summer together in America with host families. Calling themselves "Summertime Yanks", four Belfast children--two boys, two girls--struggle to meet one another halfway in the safe harbor of Southern California. The authenticity of Children in the Crossfire is enhanced by the decision to cast four genuine Belfast kids, with no prior acting experience, in the principal roles. The first telecast December 3, 1984, Children in the Crossfire was produced by George Schafer, who twelve years earlier painted a bleaker portrait of Northern Ireland's sectarian conflict in the made-for-TV A War of Children. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi