In Hope and Glory(1987) writer and director John Boorman Gives us a different view of war from the perspective of the children and families most affected by its destruction. Young Bill Rowan (Sebastian Rice Edwards) watches the conflict unfold in this slice of life tale from the homefront.
Dateline 1939; Britain is forced into the European war by an advancing German Reich, things at home are expected to remain much the same no matter what the problems that Churchill announces over the radio. The novelty of friends and neighbor’s houses exploding, and the newness of friends and neighbors surviving the war effort is all fodder for the imagination of a young child. The true beauty of this film is the humanity that emerges in difficult situations. When suffering as a nation, individual problems become those of the nation. The horrors and wonders of war can never overcome the indomitable spirit of youth.
The Attack on British Tradition
As the story advances, the piles of destroyed houses stack up, and the devastation becomes more and more a playground for the young children. Collecting shrapnel, amassing wartime rumors of ‘Ze Germans,’ and stealing as many shiny baubles they can collect, the children have built their own mini empire out of the rubble. Their sole purpose in the mountains of rock and ruin that used to be their suburban houses is “Total Destruction”; a game of ruining anything that hasn’t already been upset by the constant rain of ordinance.
Proper British attitudes are being pushed to the wayside in the wake of the unknown. Clive Rowan(David Hayman), Billy's father returns from training and notices a new found wildness to his son. Mother Rowan(Sarah Miles) feels that “This war has put an end to decent things.” as well as the rest of the nation echoes the father’s view of a changing Britain. Holding onto the norms of living and managing the little things the way they’ve always done become almost impossible when the world itself won’t let you. "I curse you, volt, watt and amp!" grandfather George(Ian Bannen) declares, whilst viewing the power lines of progress. This film shines a light on the corner of the war that marked not only a turning point for humanity, but also a turning point for industry, capitalism and traditionalism.
Through the Eyes of the Children
Writer/Director Boorman’s genius in this movie is when he slips in the adult moments. When Billy asks who pays for the Big Bertha shells flying across the English Channel, Uncle Mac's(Derrick O'Connor) reply is “We will, you will… the rest of our lives.” The adult conversations that the children overhear give us a quality view of a historical moment. Billy watches from his roost at the top of the stairs as the familiar scenes from childhood are played out in front of a more sinister and nihilistic backdrop of war. Tipsy parents bidding their friends good evening becomes a tear filled moment of intense love and forlornness. Billy's father, brings a tin of jam home that becomes a debate on German policy. What would be a normal mother/daughter argument about boys and teenage love, turns into something a little direr when the response is “we could die any moment”
But always from the eyes of the young does the “slice of life” events unfold in Hope and Glory; National announcements are ignored because a doll’s eyes won’t close; A day at the beach is spent surrounded by shrapnel and barbed wire; The daughter’s(Geraldine Muir) passionate puppy-love story with a lonely Canadian corporal(Jean-Marc Barr); The grandfather’s recounting of his life’s loves; The everyday occurrences that seem so mundane become vital to realizing the frailty of life and the bitterness of sacrificing your values in the face of a national crisis. Boorman captures the innocence that the Second World War stole from the world and shows that the lives that war steals are only accountable to the people that let them die.
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