Hope and Glory (1987) - Boorman's fond WWII childhood memory picture

♥♥♥♥

 

A boy in shorts runs joyously through a street with blimps in the sky above him on this bright poster for John Boorman's Hope and Glory

An English family during World War II have to learn to get used to the rationing, the bombings and the widespread uncertainty, but for the children it is a most thrilling time!

 

Hope and Glory is written, co-produced and directed by great English filmmaker John Boorman (Having a Wild Weekend (1965)). It is based on his own childhood memories.

The film gives a highly unconventional, positive angle to wartime England, and Hope and Glory is outstandingly picturesque, (with cinematography by Philippe Rousselot (Beast (2022))), definitely encouraging and life-affirming. It has infectious performances and fun moments. In fact as a war picture, Hope and Glory is sometimes too jocular for my taste, but its charms makes it a winner nonetheless. 

 

Related post:

 

John Boorman: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) - Boorman stuns with truly abysmal sequel

Hell in the Pacific (1968) - Boorman's boring two-man turkey 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 9.3 mil. $

Box office: In excess of 11.57 mil. $ (only North America, the UK and Denmark)

= Uncertain, but likely a big flop (projected return of 1.61 times its cost)

[Hope and Glory premiered 21 August (Montréal World Film Festival) and runs 113 minutes. Reportedly the street set constructed for the filming was the biggest built in the UK in 25 years. Shooting took place from August - October 1986 in England, including in London. The film grossed 10 mil. $ in North America and approximately 1.5 mil. $ in the UK (845k £). It made around 70k $ in Denmark, where it was not a major film. If the final world gross was 15 mil. $, the film would rank as a big flop. It was nominated for 5 Oscars: It lost Best Art Direction/Set Decoration to The Last Emperor, Cinematography to Vittorio Storaro for The Last Emperor, Director to Bernardo Bertolucci for The Last Emperor, Picture to The Last Emperor and Original Screenplay to John Patrick Shanley for Moonstruck. It won 1/13 BAFTA nominations, 1/3 Golden Globes and a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Boorman followed the film up with a sequel many years later, Queen & Country (2014), his last film. Boorman first returned with Where the Heart Is (1990). Sebastian Rice-Edwards, who plays the protagonist Billy, never returned to the screen. Hope and Glory is fresh at 96 % with an 8.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hope and Glory?