Reader Query

I had the following question from a reader who,unfortunately, didn't leave their email address. As I'm also not 100% sure of the answer I thought I'd post it here.

Message From: Dael

Hello Matt, What is the name of the film, set in the modern times where a boy encounters an empty cross (in a small church) and eventually meets a man who may or may not have been Jesus. The encounter changes his life as well as those around the boy. I only caught a few glimpses of it when I was a child (may 5-6 years old) but the premise was unique and I wanted to watch the film again --- if ever it existed at all. Thank you.

My guess, based on the above, is that it's the 1961 British film Whistle Down the Wind starring Alan Bates, Hayley Mills and Alan Barnes (pictured). And the good news that this is available on DVD. FilmFanatic.org has nice summary page, featuring a review and some good photos as well, and there's also a review at Christianity Today.

That said, I'm not sure how widely known this film is outside of the UK (and even then it's largely unknown), and as Dael is not a classically British name (and as I don't know how old he is) he may be thinking of another film entirely. So if anyone has any ideas, feel free to add them using the comments feature below.