The Hiding Place (film)
| The Hiding Place | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James F. Collier |
| Written by | Allan Sloane Lawrence Holben (screenplay) Corrie ten Boom John and Elizabeth Sherrill (book) |
| Produced by | Frank R. Jacobson William F. Brown |
| Starring | Julie Harris Eileen Heckart Arthur O'Connell Jeannette Clift |
| Cinematography | Michael Reed |
| Edited by | Ann Chegwidden |
| Music by | Tedd Smith |
| Distributed by | World Wide Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 150 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Hiding Place is a 1975 film based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Corrie ten Boom that recounts her and her family's experiences before and during their imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust during World War II.
The film was directed by James F. Collier. Jeanette Clift George received a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer - Female.[1] The film was given limited release in its day and featured the last appearance from Arthur O'Connell.
Plot[]
As the Nazis invade the Netherlands in 1940, Corrie (Jeannette Clift George) and the rest of her family allow Jews to hide in a part of their home that is specially remodeled by members of the Dutch resistance. As portrayed in the movie, the ten Boom family acted in an amateurish and naive manner. For example, they allowed the Jews to sing so loudly that it disturbed the neighbors, thereby revealing their presence. The family also believed that Jesus would guide them in determining whom they could trust. Unsurprisingly, the Nazis eventually discover that the family is hiding Jews, and on February 28, 1944, the entire family and its friends are arrested after their betrayal by a Dutch collaborator. The hidden Jews are never found by authorities.
Corrie's father, Casper, dies before he reaches the concentration camp, and Corrie worries that she will never see her home again. The Nazis send Corrie and her sister, Betsie (Julie Harris), to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, Germany, for hiding Jews in their home. At the concentration camp, Betsie encourages Corrie to remain hopeful that God will rescue them from the brutalities they experience.
With little food and constant work, the women suffer constantly, and Betsie dies. Ultimately, Corrie leaves the camp in December 1944 through what is discovered years later to have been a clerical error, as everyone else in her group of prisoners was gassed the next month (January 1945). Her life after the ordeal was dedicated to showing that Jesus' love is greater than the deepest pit into which humankind finds itself.
Cast[]
- Jeannette Clift as Corrie ten Boom
- Julie Harris as Betsie ten Boom
- Arthur O'Connell as Casper ten Boom, 'Papa'
- Robert Rietti as Willem ten Boom
- Pamela Sholto as Tine
- Paul Henley as Peter ten Boom
- Richard Wren as Kik ten Boom
- Broes Hartman as Dutch Policeman
- Lex van Delden as Young German Officer
- Tom van Beek as Dr. Heemstra
- Nigel Hawthorne as Pastor De Ruiter
- John Gabriel as Professor Zeiner
- Edward Burnham as Underground Leader
- Cyril Shaps as Building Inspector Smit
- Forbes Collins as Mason Smit
- Eileen Heckart as Katje
Reviews[]
One review noted that the performers’ “Dutch accents sound quite Swedish on occasion.” [2]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ The Hiding Place (1975) IMDB.com
- ^ Vincent Canby, “Screen: Hiding Place: Story of Dutch Family During Occupation,” New York Times (November 6, 1975).
External links[]
- Official website
- Corrie ten Boom Impacts New Generation at billygraham.org
- The Hiding Place at IMDb
- The Hiding Place at AllMovie
- 1975 films
- English-language films
- American films
- Films about Christianity
- 1975 drama films
- Drama films based on actual events
- Films based on biographies
- American independent films
- World War II films
- Holocaust films
- Films set in the Netherlands
- Films set in Germany
- Films directed by James F. Collier