Hope and Glory (1987)

Directed by John Boorman. Starring Sarah Miles, Sebastian Rice-Edwards, Sammi Davis, David Hayman, Ian Bannen, Derrick O’Connor, Susan Wooldridge, Geraldine Muir, Jean-Marc Barr, Anne Leon. [PG-13]

Human, perceptive, and surprisingly funny recreation of life in London during the Blitz, seen primarily through the eyes of young Rice-Edwards, an eight-year-old boy who finds excitement, adventure and opportunity amid the harrowing panic. A semi-autobiographical (and very personal) effort from director Boorman, steeped in nostalgia and wry absurdity, refusing to trivialize the pain and horror of the moment, but also recognizing that joy—pure or sardonic or a dozen avenues in between—can co-exist with despair. He recreates not just bombed-out street corners, vintage train platforms, idyllic riverside country homes, etc., but the confused feelings that ran through the citizenry as well, like a teenage girl sneaking out to meet boys, a cantankerous but rascally elder, or a mother trying to hold it all together beneath a resilient façade. An episodic series of events instead of a traditional plot, and not without some minor pacing issues, but bursting with life against the backdrop of so much death, with fine photography from Philippe Rousselot. Perhaps even good enough to make an American drool for jam, and retain knowledge of just what the heck a “googlie” is. Boorman also scripted and co-produced with Michael Dryhurst.

90/100