HOPE AND GLORY
[Film stats: Earned $10M domestically. Got 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 82% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
The genres of comedy, drama, and war seem as though they can’t work together, but some films manage to blend them together. Where DR. STRANGELOVE and THREE KINGS differ from today’s recommended film, however, is that they weren’t written and directed by someone who lived through the events that they depicted.
[Okay, so none of us actually lived through global nuclear holocaust (knock on wood), but you get my point.]
HOPE AND GLORY succeeds in part because of its being told through the eyes of a ten-year-old during “the Blitz” of World War II. The idea of a film that is set during an historical event during which more than twenty acres of London were on fire actually managing to be funny may seem implausible, but this film does it and then some. That isn’t to say that the film doesn’t manage to depict how horrific war can be. It does, although in a brief scene that doesn’t indulge in the type of gore to which modern audiences are now benumbed.
The plot, per the IMDB, is as follows: “Bill, a young boy living on the outskirts of London experiences the exhilaration of World War II. During this period, Bill learns about sex, death, love, hypocrisy, and the faults of adults as he prowls the ruins of bombed houses.”
It’s an interesting plot device to tell the story through the eyes of Billy, but it is both a unique and uniquely funny perspective through which director John Boorman tells his quasi-autobiographical story.
To give you an idea of how that story is told, I’ve embedded a trailer for the film below:
[Note: This is the one trailer that is on the IMDB that I couldn’t find and link from YouTube. It’s close, but not quite the same one; so, if you want the better trailer, please click this link to the IMDB page for this film.]
I love the grandfather character, and not just because he provides the film’s best comedic moments. Anyone that got along particularly well with their grandfather will probably find themselves waxing nostalgic as the film portrays the relationship between Billy and his grandfather. Even if you never got along with your grandfather, you’ll almost certainly dig this one – he’s hilarious. His impromptu, drunken ode to “Betty Browning’s breasts” in front of his entire family is just about the funniest stuff since Clark’s eggnog-induced rant in CHRISTMAS VACATION. In fact, the family in this one is somewhat similar to the Griswolds. You probably won’t recognize a single one of the actors [though you may say, “Hey, that’s the bad guy from LETHAL WEAPON 2,” in which case I say "Good eye, sniper!"] but you’ll have no problem relating to their characters.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS.
P.P.S. A movie titled HOPE AND GLORY is an on the nose pick for the Orange and White Game; but, we’re fans of the Vols, so I can’t think of anything more appropriate to pick as we see the good guys on the field to close out their spring practice [soggy tho' it's likely to be]. Hope to see you guys there... unless you're related to the Wicked Witch of the West, of course!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER; Day 16 - SHORT CUTS; Day 17 - THE SALTON SEA; Day 18 - A SIMPLE PLAN; Day 19 - MOON; Day 20 - CHEF; Day 21 - TRIANGLE; Day 22 - WIND RIVER; Day 23 - BLUE THUNDER]
[Film stats: Earned $10M domestically. Got 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 82% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
The genres of comedy, drama, and war seem as though they can’t work together, but some films manage to blend them together. Where DR. STRANGELOVE and THREE KINGS differ from today’s recommended film, however, is that they weren’t written and directed by someone who lived through the events that they depicted.
[Okay, so none of us actually lived through global nuclear holocaust (knock on wood), but you get my point.]
HOPE AND GLORY succeeds in part because of its being told through the eyes of a ten-year-old during “the Blitz” of World War II. The idea of a film that is set during an historical event during which more than twenty acres of London were on fire actually managing to be funny may seem implausible, but this film does it and then some. That isn’t to say that the film doesn’t manage to depict how horrific war can be. It does, although in a brief scene that doesn’t indulge in the type of gore to which modern audiences are now benumbed.
The plot, per the IMDB, is as follows: “Bill, a young boy living on the outskirts of London experiences the exhilaration of World War II. During this period, Bill learns about sex, death, love, hypocrisy, and the faults of adults as he prowls the ruins of bombed houses.”
It’s an interesting plot device to tell the story through the eyes of Billy, but it is both a unique and uniquely funny perspective through which director John Boorman tells his quasi-autobiographical story.
To give you an idea of how that story is told, I’ve embedded a trailer for the film below:
[Note: This is the one trailer that is on the IMDB that I couldn’t find and link from YouTube. It’s close, but not quite the same one; so, if you want the better trailer, please click this link to the IMDB page for this film.]
I love the grandfather character, and not just because he provides the film’s best comedic moments. Anyone that got along particularly well with their grandfather will probably find themselves waxing nostalgic as the film portrays the relationship between Billy and his grandfather. Even if you never got along with your grandfather, you’ll almost certainly dig this one – he’s hilarious. His impromptu, drunken ode to “Betty Browning’s breasts” in front of his entire family is just about the funniest stuff since Clark’s eggnog-induced rant in CHRISTMAS VACATION. In fact, the family in this one is somewhat similar to the Griswolds. You probably won’t recognize a single one of the actors [though you may say, “Hey, that’s the bad guy from LETHAL WEAPON 2,” in which case I say "Good eye, sniper!"] but you’ll have no problem relating to their characters.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS.
P.P.S. A movie titled HOPE AND GLORY is an on the nose pick for the Orange and White Game; but, we’re fans of the Vols, so I can’t think of anything more appropriate to pick as we see the good guys on the field to close out their spring practice [soggy tho' it's likely to be]. Hope to see you guys there... unless you're related to the Wicked Witch of the West, of course!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER; Day 16 - SHORT CUTS; Day 17 - THE SALTON SEA; Day 18 - A SIMPLE PLAN; Day 19 - MOON; Day 20 - CHEF; Day 21 - TRIANGLE; Day 22 - WIND RIVER; Day 23 - BLUE THUNDER]
