Michael Craig and his daughter are having an afternoon at the beach, where she is injured. He takes her to the hospital, where Doctor Patrick McGoohan tells him that only a blood transfusion will save her life. Craig is a non-conformist who believes tht blood transfusions are a sin, so he refuses. The girl dies. The inquest calls it an accident, but McGoohan has him arrested for manslaughter.
As someone without faith I find these stories problematic. So, apparently, are the people who made this movie, because by the end of it they have thoroughly stacked the deck against Craig. It's a pity, because I find the issues this movie raises important and puzzling; what, if any, are the limits of religious tolerance? As an American, with a firm reliance on the Bill of Rights, I side with Craig. As someone who believes this life is all we get, I side with McGoohan.
There are some fine performances by the two men, Janet Munro as Craig's wife, and Malcolm Keen, in his last big-screen role as Craig's father.
As someone without faith I find these stories problematic. So, apparently, are the people who made this movie, because by the end of it they have thoroughly stacked the deck against Craig. It's a pity, because I find the issues this movie raises important and puzzling; what, if any, are the limits of religious tolerance? As an American, with a firm reliance on the Bill of Rights, I side with Craig. As someone who believes this life is all we get, I side with McGoohan.
There are some fine performances by the two men, Janet Munro as Craig's wife, and Malcolm Keen, in his last big-screen role as Craig's father.