| Hope and Glory | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | John Boorman |
| Produced by | John Boorman Michael Dryhurst |
| Written by | John Boorman |
| Starring | Sebastian Rice-Edwards Sarah Miles David Hayman |
| Music by | Peter Martin |
| Cinematography | Philippe Rousselot |
| Editing by | Ian Crafford |
| Studio | Goldcrest Films Nelson Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 13, 1987 |
| Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million |
| Box office | $10,021,120 |
Hope and Glory is a 1987 British-American comedy-drama-war film, written and directed by John Boorman. Boorman based the film on his own early life experiences of growing up in the Blitz in London during World War II.[1][2] The title of the movie derives from the traditional British patriotic song "Land of Hope and Glory".
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Beginning just before the start of World War II, the movie tells the story of the Rowan family: Bill, his sisters Sue and Dawn, and his parents Grace and Clive, living in a suburb of London. After the war starts, Clive joins the army, leaving Grace alone to watch over the children.
Seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Bill, the "fireworks" provided by the Blitz every night are as exciting as they are terrifying. His family do not see things in quite the same way as the bombs continue to drop, but their will to survive brings them closer together. The nightly raids do not provide the only drama, however, as his older sister, Dawn, falls for a Canadian soldier, becomes pregnant,[3] and finding her life turned upside down, soon discovers the value of her family. The family eventually moves to the Thames-side home of Grace's parents when their house burns down (not in an air raid, but in an ordinary fire). This provides an opportunity for Bill to spend more time with his curmudgeonly grandfather.
The film received Academy Awards nominations for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Anthony D. G. Pratt, Joanne Woollard), Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.[4]
The "newsreel" footage shown in the local cinema contains scenes from the 1969 film Battle of Britain.
The film was favorably reviewed by critic Pauline Kael in her movie reviews collection Hooked.
It's hard to believe that a great comedy could be made of the blitz but John Boorman has done it. In his new, autobiographical film, he has had the inspiration to desentimentalize wartime England and show us the Second World War the way he saw it as an eight year old. The war frees the Rowans from the dismal monotony of their pinched white-collar lives. He doesn't deny the war its terrors. Yet he gives everything a comic fillip. That's the joy of the movie: the war has its horrors, but it also destroys much of what the genteel poor like Grace Rowan (Sarah Miles), have barely been able to acknowledge they wanted destroyed. It's like a plainspoken, English variant of the Taviani brothers' The Night of the Shooting Stars.[5]
The film was released from Columbia Pictures, but the film rights were previously owned by Nelson Entertainment and currently by MGM.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hannah and Her Sisters |
Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy 1987 |
Succeeded by Working Girl |
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