Hope and Glory (1987)
-
94% of critics liked it
(17 reviews) -
81% of users liked it
(5,475 ratings)
An affectionate reverie about war, childhood, and British stoicism, John Boorman's Hope and Glory is the veteran filmmaker's recollection of the bombing of London during World War II. Set on the British home front during the early days of the war, this episodic movie shows the blitz through… More An affectionate reverie about war, childhood, and British stoicism, John Boorman's Hope and Glory is the veteran filmmaker's recollection of the bombing of London during World War II. Set on the British home front during the early days of the war, this episodic movie shows the blitz through the eyes of seven-year-old Billy Rohan (Sebastian Rice-Edwards). At the war's outset, Billy finds himself alone in a house full of women, as all the men are called off to join the war effort. With wide-eyed wonder and an outsized imagination, Billy sees the war as a grand diversion, an extension of his world of knights, tin soldiers, and war games. As bombs fall and houses burn, Billy's mother (Sarah Miles) struggles to keep the family together in her husband's absence. Even as Billy seeks to escape the harem of aunts and sisters, Dawn (Sammi Davis), his older sister, falls for a Canadian soldier, who gets her pregnant. After the Rohans' home catches fire (not, ironically, as the result of a bomb blast, but from a domestic accident), the family is forced to move in with Billy's cantankerous grandfather in the countryside, where they spend the rest of their summer and enjoy an unusual idyll amid the raging war. Nominated in 1987 for a Best Picture Academy Award, Hope and Glory proved to be another high point in the career of the remarkably protean Boorman. ~ Elbert Ventura, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Boorman
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Oct 9, 1987 Wide
- Studio
- Nelson Entertainment
Critic Reviews
-
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The Blitz as a comedy: Director John Boorman offers a warmly nostalgic view of his childhood in a London suburb during WWII.
-
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly
Touching World War II remembrance of Blitz-torn London
-
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
Charming.
-
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
A wonderful and touching story about life during wartime.
-
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
One of Boorman's best, most personal films.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Sebastian Rice-Edwards
as Bill Rohan
-
Sarah Miles
as Grace Rohan
-
David Hayman
as Clive Rohan
-
Derrick O'Connor
as Mac
-
Susan Wooldridge
as Molly
-
Sammi Davis
as Dawn Rohan
-
Ian Bannen
as George
-
Jean-Marc Barr
as Cpl. Bruce Carey
-
Anne Leon
as Bill's Grandmother
-
Amelda Brown
as Hope
-
Jill Baker
as Faith
-
Katrine Boorman
as Charity
-
Geraldine Muir
as Sue Rohan
-
Nicky Taylor
as Roger
-
Gerald James
as Headmaster
-
Sara Langton
as Pauline
-
Barbara Pierson
as Teacher
-
Charley Boorman
as Luftwaffe Pilot
-
Susan Brown
as Mrs. Evans
-
Arthur Cox
as Fireman
-
Colin Dale
as Roger's Gang
-
Shelagh Fraser
as WVS Woman
-
John Boorman
as Narrator
-
Ann Thornton
as Honeymoon Couple
-
William Armstrong
as Canadian Sergeant
-
Andrew Bicknell
as Honeymoon Couple
-
Imogen Cawrse
as Jennifer
-
Christine Crowshaw
as Pianist
-
Peter Hughes
as Policeman
- Nicholas Askew
-
Colin Higgins
as Clive's Friend
