Movies about World War II are about ten a penny, but this Oscar-nominated effort manages to escape the pack by being much smaller in scope. It focuses on the life of a small boy called Bill and his family, as they deal with such minor setbacks as having the father sent away to fight, strict rationing and... oh yes, having their house destroyed through fire. Oops.
I liked the way the film focused on the minutiae of every day life, such as Bill's shrapnel collection and his family's various everyday problems, instead of trying to be something too overblown in scale.
When Bill bowls his dad out with a googly during cricket, it may not sound like much, but it's a truly emotional moment in context. And when he grouchily returns to school after a wonderful summer by the river... well, I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I've never seen an expression flip so quickly as he approaches the gate.
Truly 'life-affirming' in the way it shows that even through some of the most difficult periods in history there is light and love to be found if you look hard enough, 'Hope And Glory' succeeds at both conjuring up a feeling of wartime spirit as well as being a funny and moving movie in it's own right. 7/10
I liked the way the film focused on the minutiae of every day life, such as Bill's shrapnel collection and his family's various everyday problems, instead of trying to be something too overblown in scale.
When Bill bowls his dad out with a googly during cricket, it may not sound like much, but it's a truly emotional moment in context. And when he grouchily returns to school after a wonderful summer by the river... well, I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I've never seen an expression flip so quickly as he approaches the gate.
Truly 'life-affirming' in the way it shows that even through some of the most difficult periods in history there is light and love to be found if you look hard enough, 'Hope And Glory' succeeds at both conjuring up a feeling of wartime spirit as well as being a funny and moving movie in it's own right. 7/10