HOPE AND GLORY

UK, 1987, 113 minutes, Colour.
Sarah Miles, Ian Bannen, David Hayman, Sammi Davis.
Directed by John Boorman.

Hope and Glory was written and directed by John Boorman, (Deliverance, Point Blank, Exorcist II, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest). It is an autobiographical film, his memoir of the years of the Blitz and World War Two. It is a serious perspective but the presentation is generally comic, a glimpse of ordinary English people, their ordinary interactions, their response to the war.

The film received great acclaim, was nominated for British Film Academy Awards and was nominated for Oscars for Best Film and Director. Sarah Miles makes a welcome reappearance as a star as the mother. There is a strong supporting cast of English character actors, especially Ian Bannen doing a Laurence Olivier as the grandfather.

The film was made on elaborate sets re-creating a London street in World War Two and evokes memories in its decor, fashions, music. An insight into war, it appeared the same year as Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and Louis Malle's Au Revoir, les Enfants.

1. The film's acclaim? Popularity? Award nominations?

2. The film as John Boorman's: his writing and memories, his direction? The tone of the memoir? Comic and serious? A boy's point of view?

3. The sets: the street, the house, school, the picture show, the river and the house? The backyards, the rubble? The bombings? The blimps? The musical score, the songs of the period, the score echoing the styles of the period?

4. The English title, pre-war attitudes, the preparation for World War Two, the experience? Post-World? War Two and memories? The effect of the war on children such as Boorman? England as the Land of Hope and Glory? The use of Elgar's music?

5. Bill's perspective on the war: the photo during the credits, the street and the family, the detail of life in the family and relationships within the household? Bill's voice-over at beginning and end? The sequence of the declaration of war and its effect, the adults, the lawn mowers, the children playing? The kids rowdy at the matinee during the newsreel, listening to Hopalong Cassidy? School and the drab style? The headmaster? The drills and the preparation for the raids? The build-up to Bill's father going to war, his not being game enough to tell his wife? The comic sequence with the car and the man's hand in it? His father handing him on the secret of the googly bowl? The war's disruption to the family? The decision to send the younger children to Australia? The preparations, going to the train, Grace's changing her mind and Bill's embarrassment at all this in public? The air raids and building the shelter, it filling with water, going down? The collection of shrapnel? The children playing during the raids, the gangs in the area, the humorous sequence of the initiation and Bill's swearing? The range of swear words? The meals at home, the visit of the grandparents and the aunts, performing? The grandfather and his drinking and his memoirs and Bill filling in the names? The German airman and his landing in the backyard? Looking at the blimp, its coming down? Dawn and her boyfriend and Bill throwing the stone at them? Dawn coming in late through his window? The death of Pauline's mother and everybody taking it for granted? Pauline joining with the gang, the sexual exhibitionism and Bill not looking? Going to the sea with Mack and his mother, enjoying the day but the sounds of bombings from France? His father's visits and his enjoying them? The house burning down and his concern about the shrapnel? Going to live with the grandparents, the relationship with his grandfather, the cricket game and his bowling the googly, his learning to row? His going back to school - and the joy when the school had disappeared? A peak experience on which the film could end? A bog's memoir?

6. The family: the ordinary and average British family? The friends on the street? Mack and Molly? Grace and her having to cope, bringing up the children? Her relationship with Clive? The outbreak of the war? Her reaction to his going to war? The relationship between the two, as seen by the children? Her concerns about Dawn as an adolescent? The younger children and the going to Australia? The melodramatics of her changing her mind and bringing them home? The raids and Dawn not going down? Hiding under the stairs, in the shelter? The meals? Clive and his visits? Her enjoying being by herself? The chatter of the women, the Red Cross clothes sale? Friendship? The friendship with Mack - and the regrets about the past, she might have married him? The importance of the seaside day and her enjoying it, the train-ride home? Clive and his return home, the incident with the jam? The party with grandfather and his memories? The friendship with Mack? The house burning down? Grace and her worry about the coupons? Going to live with her father? The river? The cantankerous father and his daughters? Her being settled by the river? Dawn and the advice that she gave about her relationship with Bruce, the build-up to the wedding? Clive as a present and absent father, World War One to World War Two, his being in administration? The love for his children? The sketch of the little girl and her place in the family?

7. Dawn and her age, at school, her singing, dress, study, reaction to the raids, yet like a little girl wanting to be cared for by her parents? Sexually precocious? The comment of the neighbours? The encounter with Bruce, getting in by the window, the dance, sexuality, being seen by Bill, not wanting to marry, telling him off, the throwing away of the ring, the letter-writing and her wanting to find him to apologise? Bruce, Canadian background, overseas? attraction towards Dawn? Wanting to marry her? His return at the river, their apprehension about his drowning? The wedding and its happiness, the photo, and his being arrested by the MPs?

8. The sketch of Mack and Holly: in themselves, taken for granted relationship, the experience of the war, Mack's devotion to Grace, the outing by the seaside, his continued help, Holly and her flirting, vivacity, with the clothes in the Op- Shop, her going off with the Pole, Hack's resignation, her return?

9. The wider family: grandfather and his crustiness, love for women, drinking at parties, the toasting of all the past girlfriends, the humiliation for his wife? At the river home, welcoming Grace and the children, his explanation of the names of his daughters, Faith, Hope and Charity and Grace? The rowing, the cricket match and the googly? The sketch, of the grandmother The sisters and their concerns?

10. Bruce and the overseas troops, with the English girl, going away on mission? The MPs?

11. The sketch of the boys, the gangs, aping the adults, going to the pictures, the initiation ceremonies, scavenging and smashing things?

12. The sketch of the airman and his landing, the crowds gathering, the policeman arresting him?

13. The vividness of the raids, the burning houses, the people rallying to help one another, the blimp, the crash of the blimp, the women rushing for the silk?

14. Comic and serious? Experiences and memoir?