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At the end of a school day, children rush out onto the playground to meet their parents and exchange pleasantries with the "grandfather figure" of the neighborhood, Carl Jensen. While the students and parents drift away, a lurking neighborhood bully steps out of the shadows to rob defenseless Jensen. A piece of old cloth falls out of his pocket as he hands over the money. Jensen is so protective of the cloth that the mugger is curious and a struggle ensues. Suddenly, a second story window overlooking the playground flies open and Carl's elderly friend Brigitte yells that she has called the police.
As the assailant runs away, Brigitte comes down to help her friend. She is shocked that he still holds onto a yellow star and tells him to forget those days, believing that no one wants to hear those old stories anymore. He stubbornly hangs onto his memories and soon they are both remembering. As the duet concludes, Carl is transported through the mists of time to October 1943 as a community group begins to assemble to sing Danish patriotic melodies. Soon King Christian is spotted on his horse, but as several German soldiers try to join in the high-spirited fun, the choir breaks up, turning a cold shoulder to the soldiers. |
At home, Brigitte Jacobsen discusses her recent birthday party while helping her mother clean house. She dreams of a beautiful Danish Christmas plate she plans to buy with the gift money she has received from her uncle. Meanwhile, the youthful Carl goes to help men publishing an underground newspaper. As the resistance workers whisper about the "Jewish question", Carl insists that King Christian would wear a yellow star first before he would let the Jews wear it, but he is totally ignored. Finally, they hear his idea and decide to publish it as a propaganda article, hoping to fan the flames of resistance to the occupying Nazis.
Later on the street, Brigitte runs into Carl as he is delivering newspapers. Having purchased the Christmas plate, she explains to him its significance to her. Suddenly, one of the resistance men appears and pulls them both into a storefront as he urgently explains that a date has been set for the capture of the Danish Jews. They mobilize to warn their Jewish friends.
At a modest apartment, Hannah Kaplan comes home to tell her daughter Rebecca the terrible news announced by the Rabbi. As they wonder in fear what to do, Brigitte arrives to invite them to come and hide at her house, even though she hasn't asked her mother yet. Arriving at Mrs. Jacobsen's house, first Carl and then Brigitte try to convince her mother to let the Kaplans hide with them. Though totally opposed to the idea, Mrs. Jacobsen is finally too tired to argue and no longer resists the plan. Carl makes the arrangements in code over the telephone.
That night, Mrs. Jacobsen can hear Hannah worrying from the other bedroom about their plight and her concern about the cost of getting to Sweden. It begins to register with her how much they have in common and she starts to feel sympathetic to their situation. Unknown to everyone, Brigitte (pretending to be asleep) was also listening to Hannah's fears.
The next morning, Brigitte is not present for breakfast, but they discuss a plan for getting the Kaplans to a fishing boat and then on to Sweden. Soon Brigitte returns and announces that she has sold her treasured Christmas plate, giving the money to Mrs. Kaplan. Seeing this, Mrs. Jacobsen gives them a large sum of money that she was saving for a "dark day", deciding not to wait for it to get any darker.
As they prepare to depart, Hannah tells of their original flight from persecution in Germany some years before and the mysterious circumstances in which she recieved a yellow star in the mail along with some of her husband's belongings. In a symbolic gesture, she gives the yellow star to Carl Jensen and charges him to never let this happen in Denmark.
Just as the refugees leave, Mrs. Jacobsen is visited by a Gestapo officer looking for Jews. As the home is searched, her terror multiplies when she discovers that the officer may have intercepted their plan and that he may be the one holding her husband, who is in prison with other Danish officers.
Later, a group of Jewish refugees huddle under tarps on a fishing boat, as a young fisherman slowly zig-zags his way to Sweden, pretending to be fishing. Despite his nervous efforts, the boat is approached by a German patrol boat and a single German naval officer comes aboard to inspect. Though apparently looking right at the refugees, he calls to the patrol boat "Ah, fish!"and they disappear into the night, with the officer's song of disillusionment a striking counterpoint to the fisherman's song of hope.
In the final scene, Carl Jensen comes forward, soon joined by one character, then another and another. Each sings humbly of his small act of righteousness. Soon a mighty chorus grows and grows with each seemingly small deed compounded by the next. As the intensity builds, the stage grows brighter and brighter and soon it becomes apparent to all that even small acts can combine to produce a dramatic outcome..."a little light dispels great darkness."
Later on the street, Brigitte runs into Carl as he is delivering newspapers. Having purchased the Christmas plate, she explains to him its significance to her. Suddenly, one of the resistance men appears and pulls them both into a storefront as he urgently explains that a date has been set for the capture of the Danish Jews. They mobilize to warn their Jewish friends.
At a modest apartment, Hannah Kaplan comes home to tell her daughter Rebecca the terrible news announced by the Rabbi. As they wonder in fear what to do, Brigitte arrives to invite them to come and hide at her house, even though she hasn't asked her mother yet. Arriving at Mrs. Jacobsen's house, first Carl and then Brigitte try to convince her mother to let the Kaplans hide with them. Though totally opposed to the idea, Mrs. Jacobsen is finally too tired to argue and no longer resists the plan. Carl makes the arrangements in code over the telephone.
That night, Mrs. Jacobsen can hear Hannah worrying from the other bedroom about their plight and her concern about the cost of getting to Sweden. It begins to register with her how much they have in common and she starts to feel sympathetic to their situation. Unknown to everyone, Brigitte (pretending to be asleep) was also listening to Hannah's fears.
The next morning, Brigitte is not present for breakfast, but they discuss a plan for getting the Kaplans to a fishing boat and then on to Sweden. Soon Brigitte returns and announces that she has sold her treasured Christmas plate, giving the money to Mrs. Kaplan. Seeing this, Mrs. Jacobsen gives them a large sum of money that she was saving for a "dark day", deciding not to wait for it to get any darker.
As they prepare to depart, Hannah tells of their original flight from persecution in Germany some years before and the mysterious circumstances in which she recieved a yellow star in the mail along with some of her husband's belongings. In a symbolic gesture, she gives the yellow star to Carl Jensen and charges him to never let this happen in Denmark.
Just as the refugees leave, Mrs. Jacobsen is visited by a Gestapo officer looking for Jews. As the home is searched, her terror multiplies when she discovers that the officer may have intercepted their plan and that he may be the one holding her husband, who is in prison with other Danish officers.
Later, a group of Jewish refugees huddle under tarps on a fishing boat, as a young fisherman slowly zig-zags his way to Sweden, pretending to be fishing. Despite his nervous efforts, the boat is approached by a German patrol boat and a single German naval officer comes aboard to inspect. Though apparently looking right at the refugees, he calls to the patrol boat "Ah, fish!"and they disappear into the night, with the officer's song of disillusionment a striking counterpoint to the fisherman's song of hope.
In the final scene, Carl Jensen comes forward, soon joined by one character, then another and another. Each sings humbly of his small act of righteousness. Soon a mighty chorus grows and grows with each seemingly small deed compounded by the next. As the intensity builds, the stage grows brighter and brighter and soon it becomes apparent to all that even small acts can combine to produce a dramatic outcome..."a little light dispels great darkness."
