Figure 1.--Here Ronnie is playing with his toy plane. He disagrees with Mr. Howard.

'The Pied Piper' is about an Englishman and refugee children in France fleeing the Nazis. He is on vacation in France and caught up in the rapid German invasion. He attracts himself with an ever-growing group of children that he attempts to get to safety. The film keeps to the book. However If I recall the story is told in a London Gentlemen's club at the height of the Blitz recalling what their member Mr. Howard had done. Mr. Howard is greiving and the reason he is in France. At the time it is quiet on the front. The era was called "The Phony War" in England. His son, an RAF pilot was killed in combat only weeks before he took his fishing trip. The German Western Offensive occurs and the Germans break through. Mr. Howard is forced to get back to England as best he can. Mr. Howard is an elderly germunchon who hates children, but finds himself stuck with a pack of English children. Ronnie is of course one of them. He very reluctantly agrees to take with him two children of English diplomats who are working at the League of Nations. [HBC note: As the children of diplomats, the two English children would have had diplomatic immunity and would have been returned to England by the Germans through a neutral country like Sweden or Switzerland.] Mr. Howard heads as best he can to the nearest French port to get a boat to England. Along the way he collects an assortment of refugee children. He could get back to England easier by himself, but his conscious won't let him leave them. He starts out with two English children and along the way they are joined by a number of young refugees. He attracts more and more children as they travel through NAZI occupied France. They argue over American States. Woolley claims Rochester is a state and Ronnie points out that it is only a city. Mounty Woolly will not have it but concedes to Ronnie's arguement on a cross channel fishing boat at the end of the film. This is after Ronnie has lost the pride and joy Mounty Woolley's belongings--his fishing rod that he had carried all through France. It is clear that by this time man and boy are friends.

Beginning

'The Pied Piper' is about an Englishman, Mr. Howard, and refugee children in France fleeing the Nazis. Mr. Howard is on vacation in France and caught up in the rapid German invasion. He attracts himself with an ever-growing group of children that he attempts to get to safety. The film keeps to the book. However If I recall the story is told in a London Gentlemen's club at the height of the Blitz recalling what their member Mr. Howard had done. Mr. Howard is greiving and the reason he is in France. At the time it is quiet on the front. The era was called "The Phony War" in England. His son, an RAF pilot was killed in combat only weeks before he took his fishing trip. The beginning of the film is set in the town of St Claude France. Mr. Howard is staying at a hotel in which there is also an English family. Dad works at the League of Nations in near by Geneva, Switzerland. Roddy plays the English boy, Ronnie. He argues with Mr. Howard as precocious boys are known to do. The argument was about the names of U.S. states. Howard was asked by Sheila, Ronnie's sister, to help her name different states. He thought Rochester was a state. Ronnie said it was a city. That's the argument. It is on going device throughout the film. (At one point Ronnie concedes that it is a name of a state and also a city. He knows this is not so but it is said to cement the growing affection which is delevoping between Ronnie and Mr. Howard. Towards the end of the film Howard discovers that Rochester is a city in New York State. He then, on the boat back to England, tells Ronnie that he was right. Both are firm friends by then despite Ronnie loosing Howard's fishing rod when it falls into the sea.)

German Invasion

The German Western Offensive occurs, At first it it is in the north aimed at the Netherlands. On learning about the invasion Ronnie's father decides to return to Geneva to his work there accompanied by his wife. They think it would be better for their children to return to England to live with relations. Many at the time assumed that France would hold the Germans back as they did in World War I. They ask Mr. Howard to take them. Why they don't return to England via Switzerland beats me. Mr. Howard is forced to get back to England as best he can. Mr. Howard is an elderly germunchon who hates children, but finds himself stuck with a pack of English children. Ronnie is of course one of them. He very reluctantly agrees to take with him two children of English diplomats who are working at the League of Nations. I supose the family did not want to wait for the Germans to capture them and thought their children would have been in England in about 18 hours. Unfortunately the Germans advanced rapidly and disrupted the rail system. [HBC note: As the children of diplomats, the two English children would have had diplomatic immunity and would have been returned to England by the Germans through a neutral country like Sweden or Switzerland. And of course most importantly, there woukd have been no story!]

Ports

Within days the Germans break through further south into France. Mr. Howard heads as best he can to the nearest French port to get a boat to England. Along the way he collects an assortment of refugee children. He could get back to England easier by himself, but his conscious won't let him leave them.

Refugee Children

Mr. Howard starts out with two English children and along the way they are joined by a number of young refugees. He attracts more and more children as they travel through NAZI occupied France. They argue over American States. Woolley claims Rochester is a state and Ronnie points out that it is only a city. Mounty Woolly will not have it but concedes to Ronnie's arguement on a cross channel fishing boat at the end of the film. This is after Ronnie has lost the pride and joy of Mr. Howard's belongings--his fishing rod that he had carried all through France. It is clear that by this time man and boy are friends.

Ending

At the end of the film Howard is in his club. He says he has returned from France. A member askes him if he had trouble getting back from France. Howard replies, 'Not much difficulty!'

Created: 1:47 AM 5/28/2011
Last updated: 5:31 AM 5/29/2011