Hope and Glory (film)
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Hope and Glory is a 1987 comedy-drama war film written, produced, and directed by John Boorman based on his own experiences growing up in London during World War II.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The title is derived from the traditional British patriotic song "Land of Hope and Glory". The film tells the story of the Rohan family<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and their experiences, as seen through the eyes of the son, Billy (Sebastian Rice-Edwards).
A critical and commercial success, the film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay (all for Boorman). It also received 13 BAFTA Award nominations, winning for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Susan Wooldridge).
Plot
[edit]The film begins on 3 September 1939, the day Britain declared war on Germany. It tells the story of the Rohan family (Billy, his sisters Sue and Dawn, and his parents Grace and Clive), who live in a suburb of London. Clive joins the army, leaving Grace alone to watch over the children. She almost sends Billy and Susie away from London, but pulls them back on the train platform when she realizes she cannot bear to be apart from them. Thus, Billy stays in London for the first years of the war.
Seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Billy, the "fireworks" provided by the Blitz (September 1940 – May 1941) every night are as exciting as they are terrifying, and the ruins they leave are a fascinating playground for Billy and other boys his age, who are largely unsupervised. The nightly raids do not provide the only drama, as Billy's older sister, Dawn, falls for Canadian soldier Bruce, becomes pregnant, and, finding her life turned upside down, discovers the value of her family.
When the Rohans' house burns down (due to an ordinary fire), the family moves to the bucolic Thames-side home of Grace's parents. This provides an opportunity for Billy to spend more time with his curmudgeonly Grandfather George, who teaches him "the ways of the river".
In the autumn of 1942, Winston Churchill delivers his famous "end of the beginning" speech. Bruce returns from his secret posting and goes AWOL to find Dawn. Immediately after they are married in the village church, MPs take Bruce away. That afternoon in the living room of her grandparents' house, Dawn gives birth to a son.
Although Grace has rented a house for the family just down the river, Billy must go back to London until he can get into the local school. George drives the boy to his old school, only to find the block filled with ecstatic children, as a stray bomb has destroyed the building. George drives Billy home. The adult Billy recalls: "In all my life, nothing ever quite matched the perfect joy of that moment. My school lay in ruins, and the river beckoned with the promise of stolen days." The credits roll over imagery of the river, to the music of "Land of Hope and Glory".
Cast
[edit]John Boorman provides the voice of the film's narrator. Boorman's daughter, Katrine Boorman, appears as Charity (one of Grace's sisters), while his son, Charley Boorman, appears as the downed Luftwaffe pilot.
Production
[edit]Filming locations
[edit]According to TCM-host Dave Karger's afterword to an April 2021 broadcast of the film, Boorman re-created the street on which he lived. The million-dollar, 40-acre set was the largest constructed in England since World War II. The main film set was built on the disused runway at the former Wisley Airfield in Surrey, and the scenes by the river were shot near Shepperton Lock.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Filming also took place in Hightown Road, Ringwood, Hampshire, and at Bray Studios in Berkshire.<ref name="Maxford 2019 70">Template:Cite book</ref>
Archival footage
[edit]The "newsreel" footage that Bill sees at the local cinema in the film contains scenes from the 1969 film Battle of Britain.
Critical response
[edit]Hope and Glory received very positive reviews at the time of its release, and was named one of the best films of 1987 by over 50 critics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Only Broadcast News appeared on more top 10 lists in 1987.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 96% "Fresh" score based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The film was favourably reviewed by critic Pauline Kael in her film reviews collection Hooked: Template:Blockquote
Critic Emanuel Levy's review was also positive, writing: "Director John Boorman offers a warmly nostalgic view of his childhood in a London suburb during WWII."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1987, Roger Ebert wrote: Template:Blockquote
Box office
[edit]Goldcrest Films invested £1,288,000 in the film and received £1,665,000, making them a profit of £377,000.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The film made £845,927 in the UK.<ref name="org"/>
Awards and nominations
[edit]Sequel
[edit]A sequel to the film, titled Queen and Country, was made in 2014. The sequel tells the story of an older Bill Rohan as a soldier during the Korean War.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was selected to be screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival,<ref name="Cannes2014">Template:Cite web</ref> and received a general theatrical release in 2015.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]- 1987 films
- 1980s war comedy-drama films
- American war comedy-drama films
- British war comedy-drama films
- Battle of Britain films
- World War II films based on actual events
- Films directed by John Boorman
- Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners
- Goldcrest Films films
- Columbia Pictures films
- Films set in 1939
- Films set in 1940
- Films set on the United Kingdom home front during World War II
- Films shot in Hampshire
- Films shot in Surrey
- Films shot at Bray Studios
- 1980s English-language films
- 1980s American films
- 1980s British films
- Semi-autobiographical films
- English-language war comedy-drama films