A Bag Of Marbles

At ages 10 and 12 the boys have so little understanding of the persecution of jews that joseph thinks nothing of swapping his yellow star for a bag of marbles.

A bag of marbles.

This is the day that will change their lives forever. In 1941 in occupied paris brothers maurice and joseph play a last game of marbles before running home to their father s barbershop. The adventure of a jewish boy and his brother escaping nazi persecution in occupied france. With the german occupation threatening their family s safety the boys parents decide maurice and joseph must disguise themselves and flee to their older brothers in the free zone.

The great value of christian duguay s a bag of marbles is the degree to which it makes such a barbaric and bewildering chapter in human history comprehensible for young audiences. Yes the film recounts a real life tale of survival but the fate of its lead protagonists in no way diminishes the grueling hardships they face on every step of their journey. A bag of marbles un sac de billes turns nazi occupied france into an obstacle course for two young jewish boys on the run and their plight into slickly sentimental thriller material for all.