World War II · Film · 1987
Hope and Glory
For ten-year-old Billy, growing up in a London suburb during the Blitz is as thrilling as it is frightening, with bomb sites for playgrounds and a family turned upside down by the war.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 3 places.
Stop 1: Suburban south London
Key location
War is declared, Billy's father joins up, and his mother pulls the children off an evacuation train at the last moment.
Stop 2: Suburban London in the Blitz
Nightly raids light up the sky, and Billy and his gang turn the ruined houses into their playground.
Stop 3: Thames-side village upriver from London
After a house fire, the family moves to the grandparents' riverside home, where Billy learns the ways of the river.
What really happened
John Boorman based the film on his own childhood. Britain declared war on 3 September 1939, and in the first days about 1.5 million people, most of them children, were evacuated from the cities. Many returned during the quiet months of the 'Phoney War', only to face the Blitz, which from September 1940 to May 1941 killed about 43,000 civilians across Britain.
The film shows the war as a child experienced it: shrapnel collecting, barrage balloons, a mother holding her family together and teenage romances with Canadian soldiers. It earned five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.
Where to watch
Checking streaming services…
Full details
- Original title
- Hope and Glory
- Directed by
- John Boorman
- Countries
- United Kingdom
- Languages
- English
- Released
- 1987
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Western Europe
- Themes
- Home front
- Comedy
