Conspiracy Of Hearts (1960)

In 1943 Italy, a convent located near a German concentration camp smuggles children from the camp and to freedom. While the mother superior (Lilli Palmer) is adamant in her determination to save the children from possible extermination, one nun (Yvonne Mitchell) resents the danger she feels the mother superior is putting the convent in. Nuns, Nazis and children! Five years before THE SOUND OF MUSIC hit movie screens, this emotional tearjerker used the same formula and while you know you're being manipulated and even as you resent it, you can't help but give in. This is a manipulative movie yet who won't get watery eyes as Nazis terrorize nuns and children and threaten to execute them as they hold their chins up bravely? As directed by Ralph Thomas, it was effective enough to be an enormous box office hit in Great Britain though its UK success wasn't repeated in the U.S. The performances are quite good and there's an effective score by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino (CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT). With Sylvia Syms, Ronald Lewis, Albert Lieven, Peter Arne, George Coulouris and Megs Jenkins.