Hope and Glory

Watched this last night - a well presented movie that is reasonably true to the post-war years that I remember:




Lots of poignancy in the scenes. I was especially taken back by Billy's school friends who roamed the piles of rubble that were bombed out houses and in what was almost reminiscent of a scene from "The Lord of the Flies" they had their induction ritual, their clubhouse with war memorabilia and most of all, the destructive savagery with which the smashed and destroyed any remnant of the world the war had torn them from amongst the ruins.




Ian Bannen's role as the irascible Grandfather George - who must of 'known' every young woman in the district and delighted in reminding others of this - was a treat and I really enjoyed the closing scene as he and Billy drove away from Billy's bombed out school and headed back to the river cottage that they loved.

Sammi Davis in the role as daughter 'Dawn', who you felt like smacking her backside as she flaunted her 15 year old self amongst the Canadian soldiers. I had the suspicion that mother Grace had done a little bit of two-timing on Dad Clive and that Dawn was really fathered by Dad's mate 'Mac'. All worked out well for Dawn in the end, heavilly pregnant to Corporal Bruce and married while he was AWOL with the MP's standing by to take him back to his unit.

A very enjoyable movie that vividly captured all the feelings of life in middle-class England during the war! Well worth watching!