Rent Hope and Glory (1987)

Achingly accurate period detail - Hope and Glory review by JD

There are so many little details some only fleetingly seen that are intensely nostalgic. Things that I have not seen in any other second world war drama. I was touched by a road sign which I hadn't seen for aeons. All acting is spot on even the children. A must see for anyone over 40.

War Memoir. - Hope and Glory review by Steve

Nostalgic WWII memoir approximately based on the experiences of its writer/director John Boorman as an 8-11 year old during the London Blitz. With the men away, he grows up among the females. His mother is middle class, but hardly Mrs. Miniver and has little control over the boy who runs wild with his gang among the bomb-sites...

...While his incredibly self absorbed 16 year old sister gets pregnant by a Canadian soldier. There's a likeable performance from 11 year old Sebastian Rice Edwards as the boy who lives in his imagination more than the realities of the home front. Sarah Miles is appealing as the mother. There is a palpable impression of an actual family.

This is very like Woody Allen's Radio Days, released the same year. It's mostly an ensemble comedy with period atmosphere from popular songs and newsreel. And it's incredibly moving at times. There is generational stuff about how these events changed those who lived through them. And their unassailable patriotism.

The best moments are loaded at the front, during the Blitz. The later scenes on the river with grandad are amusing, but don't have the emotional pull. The period detail is accurate, but this is not realism; the real hardships are filtered out. It's an account of the unusual freedom and adventures of one too young to see the big picture.