Hope and Glory

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. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The title is derived from the traditional British patriotic song "Land of Hope and Glory". The film tells the story of the Rohan family and their experiences, as seen through the eyes of the son, Billy (Sebastian Rice-Edwards). A critical and commercial success, the film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay (all for Boorman). It also received 13 BAFTA Award nominations, winning for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Susan Wooldridge). Plot The film begins on 3 September 1939, the day Britain declared war on Germany. It tells the story of the Rohan 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 – 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.