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From Amazon.co.uk
This winning 1987 epic written and directed by John Boorman (Deliverance, The General) serves as a picaresque and semi-autobiographical remembrance of a boy's coming of age during the Second World War. Exhibiting a defiant and humorous take on life during the London blitz, the family of the young boy at the center of the story (Sebastian Rice-Edwards) are a close-knit and resilient bunch, undeterred in the face of the war and revelling in each other's company even as they hide from the incessant bombing. To be sure, there are some poignant moments in this childhood reminiscence, such as when the boy's older sister (Sammi Davis) falls in love with a Canadian, becomes pregnant, and marries him, only to see him taken away by the military police. And the boy's mother (Sarah Miles) serves as a strong influence in the his life as she leads her family through this tumultuous time.
The majestic sweep of the film is contrasted with so many comic moments as the people in town go about the mundane details of their daily lives yet also engage in the most absurd rituals in dealing with the onslaught of German artillery - from taking the air raids for granted to wearing gas masks at school. Boorman doesn't dwell on the horrors of war; instead he celebrates the richness and resilience of the people he remembers so fondly. An adventurous and nostalgic slice of life, Hope and Glory is a superb and memorable film. --Robert Lane
Product Description
The effect of the Blitz on a London family as seen through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy. Partly based on writer-director John Boorman's own experience, it shows the fear and upheaval faced by many families, but also follows the exploits of young Bill (Sebastian Rice-Edwards) as the bombings turn London into a huge adventure playground.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By Leo
Format:DVD
This film is as good as it gets for realism for the WW11 period in GREAT BRITAIN .
Lawn mowers stop mowing , war is declared and off we go , not knowing what we have in front of us . The film follows the fortunes of a family during the war with some wonderful ups and downs to which I can relate . If you are interested in WW11 then this film is a must . It will give you an insight to the way of life for ordinary folk during this difficult time as well as how the other half lived . BUY IT and ENJOY IT.... it really is how it was .
Lawn mowers stop mowing , war is declared and off we go , not knowing what we have in front of us . The film follows the fortunes of a family during the war with some wonderful ups and downs to which I can relate . If you are interested in WW11 then this film is a must . It will give you an insight to the way of life for ordinary folk during this difficult time as well as how the other half lived . BUY IT and ENJOY IT.... it really is how it was .
57 of 60 people found the following review helpful
By Robert Morris
TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
This film focuses on an English family which struggles to cope with the Blitz during World War Two. The devastation of attacks on London is brilliantly juxtaposed with the idyllic countryside to which Grace Rohan (Sarah Miles) relocates with her children after her husband Clive (David Hayman) goes off to war. Much of the story is based on director John Boorman's own childhood experiences at a time when there seemed so little reason for hope. "Glory" certainly describes the eventual Allied victory but also the courage of the English people meanwhile and certainly the affirmation of shared values which bound so many families together amidst fear, separation, death, and destruction. Much of the film's focus is on Grace's father (Ian Bannen), a patriarch to be sure and (at times) something of an eccentric, but a loving and decent man nonetheless, struggling to cope with all manner of domestic crises while providing a safe haven for daughters Grace, Faith, Hope, and Charity. He and grandson Billy (Sebastian Rice Edwards) forge a special bond in response to the pastoral "harem" in which they find themselves. This is a charming film but also one which also offers some sobering insights into how disruptive wartime conditions can be, especially to a sensible and sensitive boy such as Billy. His perspective is presumably Boorman's (re-established years later) and done so with style and grace.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Cecile-P
Format:DVD
One of the best film on WWII in London... and surprisingly enough not available in the UK (and not even in European format).
I first saw the film about 15 years ago and have now bought it for my daughter (it fits perfectly with the year 3 curriculum) and of course for me. I think we've watched it about 10 times over the last 6 months.
Moving and fun, don't hesitate to buy it.
I first saw the film about 15 years ago and have now bought it for my daughter (it fits perfectly with the year 3 curriculum) and of course for me. I think we've watched it about 10 times over the last 6 months.
Moving and fun, don't hesitate to buy it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Gary Selikow
Format:DVD
Watched this when I was a kid 20 years ago and it stayed with me so I recently put together my memories, googled them and then retrieved the name, before buying the DVD
This is such a beautiful film. Billy Rohan (Sebastian Rice-Edwards) lives in London during the 1940 German blitz of Britain, with his family. His parents Clive (David Hayman) and Grace (Sarah Miles), his feisty older sister Dawn (Geraldine Muir) and his adorable little sister Sue (Geraldine Muir)
For the family and their friends the war is both a frightening and an exhilarating time, as Clive leaves for war, the family begins to fall apart with Billy and sue running wild, and Dawn running off with a Canadian soldier Cpl. Bruce Carrey (Jean-Marc Barr) who makes her pregnant. The family's will to survive brings them together. Billy joins a local boy's gang which excavates all the shrapnel and fallen bullets and scarps of bomb they can find. Quite innocent seeing how the gang makes Billy recite all the swearwords he knows and when he says he only knows the F word, they tell him that is a very special word only to be used on important occasions. Little Sue follows Billy around and steals the show.
More funny scenes when Clive back from the front brings home some German jam from the shipwreck of a German sea vessel, and the family are not sure what to think of it and the children catching Dawn with her soldier boyfriend. Other scenes are touching , the most heart-warming when Billy is comforted by his mother and pretty friend Pauline Gladroy (who recently lost her mom in a German raid) and his mother
Said to be a realistic enactment of Britain during the blitz
The second part of the film is set in an almost idyllic summer on the Thames-side estate of Grace's parents.... Read more ›
This is such a beautiful film. Billy Rohan (Sebastian Rice-Edwards) lives in London during the 1940 German blitz of Britain, with his family. His parents Clive (David Hayman) and Grace (Sarah Miles), his feisty older sister Dawn (Geraldine Muir) and his adorable little sister Sue (Geraldine Muir)
For the family and their friends the war is both a frightening and an exhilarating time, as Clive leaves for war, the family begins to fall apart with Billy and sue running wild, and Dawn running off with a Canadian soldier Cpl. Bruce Carrey (Jean-Marc Barr) who makes her pregnant. The family's will to survive brings them together. Billy joins a local boy's gang which excavates all the shrapnel and fallen bullets and scarps of bomb they can find. Quite innocent seeing how the gang makes Billy recite all the swearwords he knows and when he says he only knows the F word, they tell him that is a very special word only to be used on important occasions. Little Sue follows Billy around and steals the show.
More funny scenes when Clive back from the front brings home some German jam from the shipwreck of a German sea vessel, and the family are not sure what to think of it and the children catching Dawn with her soldier boyfriend. Other scenes are touching , the most heart-warming when Billy is comforted by his mother and pretty friend Pauline Gladroy (who recently lost her mom in a German raid) and his mother
Said to be a realistic enactment of Britain during the blitz
The second part of the film is set in an almost idyllic summer on the Thames-side estate of Grace's parents.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Good book
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Hope and Glory is a family movie, the Boorman family to be precise: John Boorman wrote, directed and produced it and Charley Boorman, Katrine Boorman, and Telsche Boorman lent a hand. This film could only have been made by someone who had experienced the London Blitz first hand, since such scenes as sleeping in an Anderson shelter or in the cupboard under the stairs, having almost daily to walk through rubble from bombed buildings on one's way to school, collecting shrapnel etc. were first-hand experiences for those of us who lived in London at the time. It's not a great film, but one well worth seeing. I liked the boys' gang initiation ritual requiring the new entrant to repeat three swear words. Those were the days when children swore very little.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By M. Pitson
Format:DVD
Exactly what I wanted.
Probally the best film about the "war at home" ever made.
Recreated the action,sights,sounds and spirit.
Great acting by all the cast.
Probally the best film about the "war at home" ever made.
Recreated the action,sights,sounds and spirit.
Great acting by all the cast.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Another classic I've been searching for. We live in a Retirement Village and I do the Wednesday night films - they love my selection and will adore this as a lot of them are English and remember the Blitz.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
hope and glory
a very good historical family type film set in the second world war in London with David hayman well worth watching
Published 7 days ago by Ptharriman
4.0 out of 5 stars
A solace of endings
The film commences a little before the official declaration of war with Germany confirmed in the historic radio broadcast by Neville Chamberlain on September 1st 1939. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Wilberfalse
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ian Bannen at his very best.
This is a very simple story of a small extended family coming to terms with the idea that somebody they have never met,Adolf Hitler, keeps trying to drop a bomb on them every... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gary Aronsson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as impressed as other reviewers
I thought it was OK and gave some good background to the period but I wasn't terribly impressed. I don't think it's a great film-just a nice piece of nostalgia.
Published 2 months ago by Liz Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hope and Glory
Being a teacher I found it really helpful in assisting pupils understand what it was like to live through the war. The film shows how a family was affected in their daily lives.
Published 2 months ago by Allan Paterson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Present for the Oldies
I bought this for my mum and dad who took me to see it when I was a teenager. It is one of the best films I recall seeing about the second world war and the impact it had on family... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Glennf74
5.0 out of 5 stars
good movie
except the bad language the movie is just great, but then it is about the life of the kids in the war and it is a very funny movie, not so good for kids, had to move fast forward... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Li
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hope and Glory
This fantastic film made by John Boorman (director of Excalibur and father of Charley Boorman) describes his childhood in wartime London in the 1940s. Read more
Published 4 months ago by rt456gt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hope and Glory (DVD) (2005)
I chose this rating because everything about this story is so real. I experienced life as a child in the Second World War and in my opinion, this film is better than any others... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Eve Kiff
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful film by a brilliant director
This a heart-warming film for those who want to relive what life during the blitz was really like. It tells the story through the eyes of a small boy (based on the director - John... Read more
Published 5 months ago by RM
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