Introduction

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 the Second World War.

The title is derived from the traditional British patriotic song “Land of Hope and Glory”. The film tells the story of the Rowan family and their experiences, as seen through the eyes of the son, Billy (Sebastian Rice-Edwards).

A sequel, Queen & Country, was released in 2014.

Outline

The film begins on 03 September 1939, the day Britain declared war on Germany. It tells the story of the Rowan 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 at the last second 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 to May 1941) every night are as exciting as they are terrifying, and the ruins they leave behind are a fascinating playground for Billy and other boys his age, who are largely unsupervised. The other members of Billy’s family do not see things in quite the same way as the bombs continue to drop, but their will to survive brings them closer together. 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, soon discovers the value of her family.

When the Rowan’s house burns down (not as a result of an air raid, but 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 grandparent’s house, Dawn gives birth to a son, surrounded by her family. Billy swoons at the sight.

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 miserable boy to his old school, only to find the block filled with screaming, ecstatic children, as a stray bomb has destroyed the building (“Thank you Adolf!” one boy cries). Roaring with laughter, 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

• Sarah Miles as Grace
• David Hayman as Clive
• Derrick O’Connor as Mac
• Susan Wooldridge as Molly
• Ian Bannen as Grandfather George
• Sammi Davis as Dawn
• Jean-Marc Barr as Bruce
• Sebastian Rice-Edwards as Bill
• Geraldine Muir as Sue
• Annie Leon as Grandma
• Gerald James as Headmaster
• Nicky Taylor as Roger
• Sara Langton as Pauline
• 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

Filming Locations

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. Filming also took place in Hightown Road, Ringwood, Hampshire, and at Bray Studios in Berkshire.

Archival Footage

The “newsreel” footage that Bill sees at the local cinema in the film contains scenes from the 1969 film Battle of Britain.

Release

Box Office

Goldcrest Films invested £1,288,000 in the film and received £1,665,000, making them a profit of £377,000.

The film made £845,927 in the UK.

Sequel

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. It was selected to be screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and received a general theatrical release in 2015.

Trivia

• A 650 feet long suburban street set with seventeen semi-detached houses was constructed for this movie.
  • Apparently, at the time at least, it was the largest set built in the UK for twenty-five years.
• The extras in the Home Guard unit that shoot down the rogue barrage balloon (1:01) were selected to look like the cast of Dad’s Army, the beloved, long-running BBC sit-com about the Home Guard.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • John Boorman
• Producer(s):
  • John Boorman … producer
  • Michael Dryhurst … co-producer
  • Jake Eberts … executive producer
  • Edgar F. Gross … executive producer
• Writer(s):
  • John Boorman
• Music:
  • Peter Martin
• Cinematography:
  • Philippe Rousselot … director of photography
• Editor(s):
  • Ian Crafford
• Production:
  • Columbia Pictures (presents)
  • Nelson Entertainment (in association with)
  • Goldcrest Films International (Goldcrest, in association with)
  • Allied Filmmakers (uncredited)
  • Davros Films
  • Nelson Entertainment (co-production)
• Distributor(s):
  • Columbia-Cannon-Warner (UK)
  • Columbia Pictures (US)
• Release Date: 21 August 1987 (Montreal World Film Festival, Canada).
• Running Time: 113 minutes.
• Rating: 15.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)