multi-Oscar nominated drama "Hope and Glory." The better news regarding awards is that "Hope" scores several BAFTA awards and wins a Golden Globe. The creative cinematography (which looks great in Blu-ray) alone warrants those accolades.
This autobiographical film by writer-director-producer John Boorman about being a young lad in England during WWII has a good mix of angst, turmoil, and humor ala the similar Steven Spielberg film "Empire of the Sun" from the same year.
The aforementioned good mix of elements commences from the opening scenes. Roughly 10 year-old Bill Rohan and his roughly 8 year-old sister Sue are sitting in a movie theater while their fellow kiddie matinee attendees raise Hell while a newsreel announces the tension between the U.K. and Germany.
The tone is fully set a few minutes later when the narration in "Hope" comments on the dead silence that accompanies the declaration of war. Americans who are old enough to remember the shooting of JFK can relate to the statement in "Hope" that everyone remembers where they were when they learned that the U.K. was at war.
We then see daily life largely go on as usual with the exception of the back garden now sporting a largely make-shift bomb shelter and family head Clive joining the army. An interesting aspect of this is that Grace Rohan (Sarah Miles of "Ryan's Daughter") welcomes the excuse to get her husband out of the house.
Conflict between Grace and teen daughter Dawn regarding the latter sneaking out at night is another sign of normalcy. The motive for these nocturnal activities include a relationship with Canadian soldier Bruce Carrey, who amusingly outranks Dad. The young love provides further humor regarding alleged rookie mistakes.
The new romance also reflects the challenges associated with love during wartime. One of many memorable moments essentially involves Mom telling Dawn to get some while the getting is good.
Much of this is reminiscent of the period following the 911 attacks. Television schedules are back on track and New Yorkers are once again rude to each other roughly a month later. At the same time, we all view unattended backpacks a little differently and a large number of people join the army to do their part.
Bombs literally falling around the Rohans provide an equally literal wake-up call regarding the reality of war. Boorman and his cast do a superb job building tension as the huddled family realizes that the next bomb either will miss them or literally bring the house down around them.
Additional conflict and symbolism revolves around the relationship between Grace and her well-off parents; her father is very old school and still does not approve of middle-class Clive as a son-in-law. A related (pun intended) aspect of this is kids not getting to know their grandparents until those members of the greatest generation are unlikable old fogeys.
The bigger picture is that Boorman shows us that war does not affect nature; the seasons still change, Christmas still comes, and people still live and die. We also are reminded that not every loss of a home is attributable to world events.
The even larger perspective regarding this release coming in 2018 is that most of us have not experienced life in wartime that has affected our daily lives. The "characters" are compelling because they are true and reflect a typical middle-class family that must adapt to their times but still largely manage to stay calm and carry on.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Hope" is strongly encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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