The Small Miracle

I saw this film in the UK when I was 7 and now in 2020 on the day that we rightly commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz I have watched it again. I urge every being that lives to watch this film, and never say yes to those who discriminate against any being that breathes. A donkey is equal to any so-called ' human ' being and it takes the love of a young boy in this film to prove it. Beautifully acted the film portrays those early years after WW2 in a gentle, if sometimes sentimental way. If a young boy ( and equally his young friend who loves his cat ) can do their best to cherish, and neither of them accept the obstacle of the word ' no ' which has so often in history been used as a verbal drawbridge against goodness, so can we. Cruelty and the dismissal of suffering and following those who accept both is inadmissible. It should be easy now after all these years of our living memory, but look at the world and see how hard it is to save and to love and to heal. And we do not need to be ' religious ' to believe in humanity. Maurice Cloche is not considered a particularly good director, but for this film we should truly thank him.

This movie used to air around Easter time, and when I was growing up, still living in New York, my entire family would watch it. I was probably around 10, in the 1960's and I remember how much I cried because I knew how much this little boy loved his donkey and how much his faith and trust meant, to have the courage and love to do what he needed to do for his beloved animal. These movies need to be reintroduced today, to show the true aspects of values and respect we need to be using again. I would love to have this movie for our collection, but unfortunately it is not yet made on VHS or DVD.

I saw this film in the cinema when I was 8 years old. I am now 80. It made a deep impression on that little lad and he has never forgotten it, although he must have seen hundreds of films in the intervening years. At that age I could not form any judgement on the quality of the film making or the acting, but that doesn't matter at all. It was clearly of the first rank because that little film has stayed with me for over 70 years, and I only saw it once. If there were viewing lists for children as there are reading lists, Never Take No For An Answer would forever be at the top of mine.

I commend it to everyone.

Such a simple storey, yet such a powerful message.

The original in Italian was entitled PEPPINO E VIOLETTA, the English-dubbed version going with two names: DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER and THE SMALL MIRACLE.

Needless to say, if you can get by with some Italian, that is the better, more naturalistic version, but, albeit somewhat stilted, the English-dubbed does no harm to this wonderful tale of love for all creation, animals included, which the Catholic Church saw for centuries as soul-less.

Seven-year-old Peppino (Vittorio Manunta) delivers a terrific performance as a child mature well beyond his years after losing his parents in recently ended WW II. Violetta, his donkey, is his family, and the purity and candor of his love for her shines from the first to the last frame.

Prepare a hanky, tears are sure to come to your eyes and, yes, Peppino manages to reach his goal through faith, perseverance, never accepting the refusals that he keeps getting as he labors to have Violetta cured of her breathing problems.

This film also affords you a unique opportunity to see the Vatican's museum, as Peppino runs from the Switzer guards much like Harry Lime fleeing his pursuers in THE THIRD MAN, with a very good use of light and shadow to boot.

You will find cinematographical flaws but good intentions drive this film and make it a must-see. 9/10.

'm not usually the greatest fan of children topping the bill in a film, but I really enjoyed the engaging effort here of the ten year old Vittorio Manunta. He, "Peppino", is an orphan who is a regular sight in his famed town of Assissi at the head of his donkey. They collect firewood and do some basic odd jobs to keep the wolf from the door, and it's all going fine until one morning the creature just doesn't feel like moving. "Peppino" fetches the vet who is concerned that "Violetta" is about to give up the ghost. The youngster, pretty devastated, hits on the idea of having her talk to St. Francis but the friendly, but firm, clergy tell him that animals cannot go into the church. There must be a away, he thinks - and after a conversation with the friendly "Fr. Damico" (Denis O'Dea) is left with just one option. The Pope! Only he can authorise "Violetta" to get into to talk to the saint. Now, in best "Mudlark" (1950) fashion, he sets off on a seemingly impossible quest. His arrival at the Vatican sees him repeatedly seen off by the Swiss guards, but he is a shrewd wee fella, and soon realises that perhaps there is more ways than one to skin a cat. Perhaps a bouquet of flowers might just succeed where his noisy persistence has not. It's Mantuna's charm that helps this stand out. He is a natural for the part - a caring and tenacious young man who wants to do right by the only thing he loves - or, quite possibly, has ever loved him. There's some fine photography illustrating the down-at-heel post war Italy and the beauty of the Vatican architecture, and if - at the end - you don't well up ever so slightly, well then... This is one of those life-affirming eighty minutes of cinema that tugs at the heart-strings without being cloyingly sentimental.