CONSENSUS #66. Hope and Glory (1987)

SYNOPSIS:  “Hope and Glory” is a British dramedy about a British family in London during the Blitz.  It focuses on ten year-old Billy (Sebastian Rice-Edwards) who finds having his world upside down to be fascinating.  The family home ends up getting bombed and they have to go live in the countryside with their eccentric grandpa.

BACK-STORY:   “Hope and Glory” is a war movie set in London during the Blitz of WWII. It was directed by John Boorman and was based on his own experiences as an eight year-old boy. It was a British-American endeavor that was released in 1987.  It did not do well at the box office, but was critically acclaimed.  It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Cinematography, Original Screenplay (Boorman), Director, and Picture. It won the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy.  It was nominated for 13 BAFTA awards including Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay.  Susan Wooldridge won for Best Supporting Actor for her performance as Molly.

 TRIVIA:  Wikipedia, imdb

1.  The title comes from a patriotic song entitled “Land of Hope and Glory”.

2.  In 2014, Boorman wrote and directed a sequel called “Queen and Country” which has Billy as a soldier in Britain during the Korean War.

3.  The newsreel footage is from the movie “Battle of Britain”.

4.  A 650 foot street was constructed with 17 houses.

Belle and Blade  =  N/A

Brassey’s              =  4.0

Video Hound       =  5.0

War Movies         =  N/A

Military History  =  not on list

Channel 4             =  #52

Film Site                =  no

101 War Movies  =  yes

Rotten Tomatoes  =  no 

OPINION:  “Hope and Glory” is one of the best movies depicting the effects of war on children. Everything Billy experiences feels real. The excitement, instead of fear, is apparent. The school and gang scenes are authentic. It also does an excellent job showing the variety of effects on different family members. The characters are vivid and human. The actors help make them so. Special kudos to Sarah Miles (the mother), Ian Bannen (grandpa), and Davis (Dawn, the loose daughter) . The child actors are strong.  This is a wonderful little movie. The best word to describe the humor is it is “droll”. Not laugh out loud. More smile out loud. There is no better movie about the Blitz from a family point of view. There are few movies about the home front in any war better than “Hope and Glory”.