Hand in Hand (film)

Hand in Hand is a 1960 Associated British Picture Corporation dramatic film about the friendship between two young children, one a Catholic boy about nine, the other a 7yearold Jewish girl.

Michael OMalley Needs, rushes to his priest to tearfully inform him that he has accidentally killed his closest friend, Rachel Mathias Parry. The story is told in flashback as Michael recounts their friendship, when he first befriended Rachel after she was bullied at school. They quickly become the best of friends. The young children decide to become blood brothers by pricking their fingers and rubbing the blood together. They set off for an adventure, hoping to go to London to visit the queen, but instead are picked up by a kindly elderly lady Sybil Thorndike who takes them to her home for tea, pretending that she is a princess and that her mansion is one of the queens homes, but that the queen is currently away. Her amiable deception goes over perfectly, and the children have a great time visiting with her.Michael and Rachel are aware that they go to church on different days and their religions are somewhat different, but they do not ponder the specifics. However, when a somewhat overbearing and destructivelyoutspoken classmate informs Michael that Rachel is Jewish and that the Jews killed Christ, an outraged Michael rushes to Rachel at their clubhouse and angrily confronts her, Why did you kill Christ Rachel is shocked and insistently denies it I didnt kill him. I dont even know him. Michael and Rachel conclude that God is angry at them for becoming friends, but they are not sure if He will forgive them. They decide to attend church with each other to see if God is mad at them, believing they will die if He does not want them to go to each others church. Michael sneaks into the synagogue with Rachel the next Saturday and is somewhat puzzled and intimidated by the ceremony, but he stays and seems to like it as time goes on, especially after a kindly rabbi shows him a passage in the Torah that speaks of Gods love shielding him from all fear. The next day, Rachel goes with Michael to his church, and while Rachel is initially somewhat unnerved by the services and st

Source: Wikipedia