On the 101st anniversary of the incident that sparked Mankind's second deadliest conflict, I present my editorial homage to this onscreen gem about the impact of World War I on the family of a British literary giant of the time--Rudyard Kipling, admirably portrayed by David Haig, who adapted his stage play of the same name for television. Kim Cattrall, of "Sex in the City" fame plays Kipling's American-born wife, Caroline. A pretty, sparkling-eyed Carey Mulligan portrays one of the couple's two surviving children(a daughter named Josie died of illness at age 6) Elsie, known as "Bird", and their son, the titular Jack is portrayed with grace and dignity by Daniel Radcliffe without a trace of Harry Potter to be found. When Britain declares war on Germany in 1914, Kipling helps stem the tide of patriotism, insisting that all eligible young men who do not enlist be shunned. The very nearsighted Jack struggles to live up to his father's patriotic ideals and is initially rejected by the British Navy, his desired branch of service. But to the dismay of his mother and sister, Kipling finagles his son into the position of Second Lieutenant in the Irish Guards. The young Kipling, 18-years old( Radcliffe's own age at the time of filming) proves to be an exemplary officer during the brief interval between basic training and his unit's being shipped to France where we observe him caring for his men in the trenches. In the meantime, the Senior Kipling returns to his life of lectures and entertaining local children with his now-classic stories. Things come to a head at the fateful battle of Loos. When his parents learn young Jack is missing , Kipling uses the same influence he employed to get his son into the service to learn his fate, and the heartbreak of the family is palpable.We are reminded of how a poem of fatherly anguish and pride, gave this piece its title. Julian Waldham plays King George V, Martin McCann plays Bowe, Richard Dormer plays Corporal John O'Leary, Ruraidhri Conroy plays McHugh, Lawrence Kinlan plays Doyle, Ciaran Nolan, plays Daly, Nick Dunning plays Colonel Ferguson, and Michael McElhutton, Leo Amery, MP. Filmed in authentic locales, including Kipling's actual home, under Brian Kirk's direction of this reverent piece, reenacting the saga of a youth being reduced from a person to a poem,we are reminded of how the world will indeed be better when old men cease dreaming of wars in which young men die.