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Product Description ------------------- When Rachel Mathias, a seven-year-old Jewish girl makes fast friends with her schoolmate Michael O’Malley, an Irish Catholic, they quickly become best pals and confidantes. Sharing a friendship so deep, they vow to become friends “forever and ever - and can’t be parted for never and never”. But their relationship is threatened when their intolerant community makes Rachel and Michael aware of their religious differences. Can their friendship withstand the outside pressure? Is it so strong that it can survive anything? A story about prejudice as seen through the eyes of innocent children, Hand in Hand is a Golden Globe award-winning film for the entire family. .com ---- A classic, Golden Globe award-winning black-and-white film from 1960, Hand in Hand is a movie about friendship, religion, prejudice, and tolerance. Seven-year-olds Michael and Rachel are best friends who do everything together and who have vowed to remain friends "forever and ever and can't be parted for never and never." Unfortunately, the society that Michael and Rachel live in is one of religious intolerance. The fact that Michael is Irish Catholic and Rachel is Jewish is a point of conflict for just about everyone in the community. When the two young children are made aware of their ideological differences, it begins to tear apart their friendship, and they decide to test whose God is stronger. What they discover is that at the core, their religions really aren't that different from one another: both worship a God of love, not vengeance. This film is at once a charming and sobering look at America's past: a time when children commonly wandered about for days at a time with no fear of unknown adults, but also an era when people were shunned and discriminated against for their religious beliefs, and when women were thought to be inferior to men. For a 50-year-old film, this DVD version has a remarkably good picture and sound and is presented in widescreen format with optional English subtitles. There is much to be learned from this classic film, but also much to explain to younger viewers who may find it rather difficult to relate to. (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi