The most moving moment in "Miracle at Midnight" is very brief but nonetheless memorable: a Danish rabbi, being hidden from the Nazis by a Christian family, quotes Jesus to explain why they agreed to risk their lives for him and his family.

The positive relationship of Jews and Christians in Denmark is storied. At a time when anti-Semitism was rampant elsewhere, that tiny country was known for its interfaith tolerance.

That is the basis for "Miracle at Midnight," a two-hour movie that will air on ABC as part of "The Wonderful World of Disney" on May 17.

Protection

Playing Dr. Karl Koster, a surgeon, and his wife Doris are Sam Waterston (from "Law & Order") and Mia Farrow. When they are told that the occupying Germans will soon round up Jews for transport to concentration camps, the Kosters and their neighbors decide something must be done.

Already doing something is their son, Hendrik, a college student who is active in the underground resistance, capturing weapons from the Nazis and fleeing with a wounded friend. Puzzled by the era she lives in is his younger sister, Else. Her innocence does not protect her from becoming involved in the protection of the threatened Jews and separation from her mother.

The Germans occupied Denmark in 1940 but did not capture the Jewish population, which was allowed to continue its daily activities. That changed in 1943 when the decision was made to round up the Jews during a lightning raid as they celebrated Rosh Hashanah, their new year.

Hidden life

Tipped off only a few days before the arrests by a friendly German, the Kosters and other Christians quickly worked out a method to thwart the Nazis: They would hide Jews in their homes, hospitals, churches and other buildings. The soldiers who broke into homes at midnight found only empty rooms.

But that left a major problem. What would the Christian Danes do with the Jewish people they had hidden? Rather than keep them in attics and warehouses, possibly for years, the Danish rushed thousands of their Jewish friends to the coast for transport to Sweden in fishing skiffs.

"Miracle at Midnight" retells this true-life story through the Koster family. Father is committed to protecting the Jews, Mother is dubious about putting her family at risk, Son is fanatical in his hatred of the Germans and Daughter is caught in the middle, feeling all sorts of things.

Focus on youth

Told in a straightforward style in a movie aimed at the Disney audience of children, "Miracle at Midnight" focuses a lot on Hendrik and Else, providing a natural rooting interest for the youngsters who are watching. But those youngsters should not be younger than 11 or 12, given the movie's subject matter, its mild violence and the inclusion of Jews who chose suicide over capture.

But parents who watch with their children will find much to talk about at the end of the film: Would we do the same thing? How much would we risk for our neighbors? What in the movie is real and what is fictionalized? How does the Church feel about the Holocaust?

As an introduction to an historic era and an adventure based on what actually happened, "Miracle at Midnight" is fine viewing for families.

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