"While we all know about the
Holocaust, the fact that with 48 hours'
notice the Danes saved almost every
Jew in the country is not well known.
"When everyone else in Europe —
including the Swiss — seemed to be
shunning or exploiting the Jews, the
Danes saw them as brothers and treat-
ed them that way. It's a tale of true
integrity."
Davis says the sequence of events in
the production is accurate. The story
focuses on Dr. Karl Koster (Waterston);
his wife, Doris (Farrow); their son,
Hendrik (Justin Whalen); and their
daughter, Else (Nicola Mycroft).
"Dr. Koster, [the chief surgeon at
the hospital who led a rescue effort],
was real, and although we took a little
license with the details of the Koster
family, all the elements of the story are
true," says Davis.
The film, which was originally
planned for NBC, took eight years to
get off the ground. "Ultimately the
network decided that the film wasn't
commercial enough and
ceased its develop-
ment," Davis says.
"When the executive we
had been dealing with
at the network left to
work for Disney, she
asked us if we would
move 'Miracle at
Midnight' to her new
studio, and we were
happy to oblige her.
"When Charles
Hirschorn took over the
`Wonderful World of
Disney,' he read the
script and submitted it
to Michael Eisner, who
saw the importance of
the film and gave it the
green light. It took a
long time, but I'm glad

Clockwise from top:
board the fishing boat that will early them to the safety
Jewish ref
and freedom of Sweden shores.

Justin Whalen portrays Hendrik Kasten Dr. Koster's I8-year-old son
whose involvement in the resistance movement makes him a
wanted man by the Nazis.

Doris Koster (Mia Farrow) is concerned about her husband Karl's
(Sam Waterston) plan to hide their Jewish _friends in the attic.

Realizing they have been follozved by the Nazis, Doris Koster
(Mini Farrow, right) and her daughter Else
(Nicola 111p-roll) hurry through the streets. Says
Farrow, who has been absent from television
since her breakout role in "Peyton Place": It's
easy to lose frith in humanity when you look at
World Ws;ir II and the behavior of the countries
who turned away from their Jews. But here you
have all of Denmark who acted in unity —
overnight — and resolved to protect its Jewish
population. I,iust thought it was a story worth
telling and it brought me back to television to
do this one thing. I want my kids to see it and I
wanted to be in it

"There are veryfew films that give us the example of the hero-
ism potential in people. The late Dr. Viktor Frankl, a promi-
nent psychotherapist and concentration tamp survivor, wrote
that there were two kinds of people in this world: the decent
and the indecent. The indecent receive a disproportionate
amount of news coverage.
"In 'Miracle at Midnight' we learn of an entire nation of
unsung heroes who rescued their fellow Danes of the Jewish
faith in a collective act of courage. This is an important mes-
sage for all ages, but especially for our young people who des-
perately need to view examples of bravery based upon moral
conviction."

-- David Baron, rabbi of lemple Shalom for the Arts in Los
Angeles and member of the Committee for Celebrating Righteous
Deeds and Human Decency

to be able to bring it to the screen."
Davis, who has some 44 film cred-
its, including Courage Under Fire,
Grumpy Old Men and The Chamber,
adds that it's a story told with passion.
"The first time I saw the movie put
together, it was especially emotional.
And unlike some films on the
Holocaust, I think this one is easier
for children to absorb."
"Miracle at Midnight," which is
directed by Ken Cameron ("Oldest
Living Confederate Widow Tells All"),

was shot in Ireland, not
Denmark.
"The producer and director
went to Copenhagen and found
it too modernized," notes Monte
Merrick, one of the writers. "So
they went to Ireland and found it
easy to make Dublin look like
Copenhagen in the '40s. Ireland
has a burgeoning film industry,
so there was tremendous support
there."
"Miracle at Midnight" faced
only one enemy: Steven
Spielberg.
"By sheer coincidence," says
Merrill Karpf, "Spielberg started
shooting parts of Saving Private
Ryan, [due out this summer],
about the time we set up our project.
"Steven conscripted 1,500 members
of the Irish army as extras and com-
mandeered every German truck, tank
and uniform in Europe. And whatever
Spielberg wants, as I understand it, he
usually gets.
"Fortunately we needed very little
hardware."
When the movie airs, producer Davis
hopes parents and children will watch
together. "We have to keep reminding
people, especially the new generation,
what happened," he says. ❑

"Miracle at Midnight" airs 7 - 9
p.m. Sunday, May 17, on ABC.

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