Little Moon of Alban

Brigid Mary Mangan is an Irish woman who has lost those closest to her, and she holds the English responsible for the deaths of her fiance, brother, and father. After World War I she trains as a nurse and ends up caring for wounded soldiers, including Kenneth Boyd, the man she regards as the enemy. Working side by side with him forces her to question long-held anger and grief as unexpected feelings begin to form. The film follows her internal struggle and the slow shift in her loyalties, keeping the focus on character choices and emotional honesty without revealing how those conflicts resolve.

Released in 1958, this television film was directed by George Schaefer from a teleplay by James Costigan, and it stars Julie Harris as Brigid Mary and Christopher Plummer as Kenneth Boyd, both bringing stage-trained intensity to the small screen.

At its core the story is about grief, forgiveness, national identity, and the quiet aftermath of war. Themes include how personal loss shapes prejudice, whether compassion can soften entrenched hatred, and how caretaking can blur the line between duty and desire. The performances drive these ideas, with the script allowing long silences and small moments to speak.

Though not a household title today, the production is an example of the 1950s trend of theatrical actors moving into televised drama. Its casting of Julie Harris and Christopher Plummer helped demonstrate how serious stage sensibilities could adapt to television formats, influencing how later TV dramas recruited stage performers.

There are no widely cited major award wins associated with this specific production in the available records, but contemporary viewers and historians note it as part of a period when televised plays received serious attention and sometimes critical praise for acting and writing, even if they did not always translate into high-profile trophies.