Blue Remembered Hills (1979)

Set in 1943 England during WWII, the film follows seven aimless, foolish 7 year old children on a sunny afternoon that turns deadly when a mean spirited prank goes wrong. Directed by Brian Gibson (WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?) and written by Dennis Potter (PENNIES FROM HEAVEN), the film examines how cruel children can be (a squirrel is gleefully beaten to death) and perhaps an allegory for their adult counterparts which may be why it's set in WWII. My main problem with the film is the casting of adult actors as the children. It distances the horror we would feel if the parts were played by actual child actors. There's nothing sillier than grown ups acting like children (does anyone remember the embarrassing vision of Grant and Rogers in Hawks' MONKEY BUSINESS?) and the actors tend to act more like children than real children do. The thick regional accents also hampers the clarity of the dialogue. The seven children are played by Helen Mirren, Colin Welland (who would later turn writer and win an Oscar for CHARIOTS OF FIRE), Michael Elphick, Robin Ellis, John Bird, Janine Duvitski and Colin Jeavons.