Conspiracy of Hearts
Directed by Ralph Thomas
Screenplay by Robert Presnell, Jr.; story by Adrian Scott
1960/UK
The Rank Organization
First viewing/YouTube
[box] German Soldier: Mother of God: I’ve killed a nun![/box]
This is a well-made non-graphic Holocaust story.
Mother Katherine (Lili Palmer) heads a convent in Italy. She is passionate about saving the Jewish children interned in a nearby concentration camp. The convent is part of a network that has the aim of smuggling the children to Palestine. Most of the sisters share their superior’s view and go out on nightly rescue missions. Unbeknownst to them, these are aided by the blind eye of the Italian commandant of the camp. He is in love with his childhood sweetheart, who is now a beautiful young novice.
Things change for the worse when Mussolini is deposed and the Nazis take over military operations in Italy. Colonel Horsten is determined to stop the escapes as well as wipe out all partisan opposition in the area. Some of the nuns and a priest counsel against defying the Germans but mother Katherine courageously perseveres. With George Coulouris in a sympathetic role as a partisan.
There are some movies I just don’t have a lot to say about. There is nothing wrong with this movie and I happily watched it. It was exactly what I expected to be like from the plot summary. I don’t know that it will stay in my memory for long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_fXV2ngJTQ
Montage of stills – music is NOT from the film
