Children of Chabannes

View Date: 7/20/09

This documentary is about a group of children sent to France during the Second World War to protect them from the atrocities of the Holocaust. Most of these children never saw their families again. The children were educated and assimilated into the culture of this very small farming village. The teachers made sure to work with the children to perfect their accents and become as strong as possible to give these children the best survival tools they could provide.

The film was narrated and produced by the daughter of one of these amazing children. The truly unbelievable part is that, of the hundreds of children involved and the German influence on France, only 6 children were lost. This is wholly due to the organizers and teachers of the school, who cared for these people as children and did not see them solely as Jews. They risked their own lives many times to protect their charges.

Many of the children involved remained in France after the group was separated due to increasing German presence in their area. Others emigrated to the United States or Israel after the war. As such, the piece is partially subtitled and partially in English. This may make it difficult for some viewers. However, it was a truly fascinating piece, not only the descriptions by the surviving children, but through the recollections of the teachers as well. The excerpts from the diaries of the principal and the scrapbooks of the school children were incredibly enlightening, and highlighted not only the danger faced, but also the everyday life of the children.

10 words or less: Maybe not for everyone, but an interesting film.