Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Hope and Glory Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 11, 2018

Nominated for multiple Oscar Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, John Boorman's "Hope and Glory" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

In case anything happens to me.

Remembering is not a precise summation of reality. A lot of people like to believe that it is, but they usually intentionally ignore or simply forget the fact that the mind stores only information that it deems important. Also, over time, and for a variety of reasons, the mind further refines its deposits and then permanently discards the trimmings that it dislikes. In other words, remembering is a deeply flawed process, and especially over a long period of time could, and usually does, produce wildly different results.

John Boorman’s film Hope and Glory is an autobiographical project that uses a collection of memories to reconstruct a reality that the director experienced as England declared war on Germany in 1939. He narrates it and frequently clarifies details that he believes are important, but never demands that his memories are treated as indisputable truths. This is very important to keep in mind while trying to understand his objective.

The majority of the happenings in the film are seen through the eyes of nine-year-old Sebastian Rice-Edwards (Bill Rohan) who becomes fully aware of the war only after his father (David Hayman) exits their home with a big bag, hugs his mother (Sarah Miles) and then heads to the front. This is the precise moment when for the very first time the mysterious event that everyone in town has been taking about becomes real, though only in the form of a very strange mix of fear and child anger that suddenly overwhelms the boy and forces him out of his comfort zone.

As the German planes begin dropping bombs and houses collapse all across town, Sebastian’s perception of the war also evolves. The cold bodies that are pulled out of the rubble produce the lasting mental images that finally allow him to comprehend why horror and war are closely intertwined. However, death frequently comes so quickly that sometimes it takes him days to fully grasp the fact that neighbors that he has known have permanently disappeared.

In the middle of all the chaos and devastation, however, Sebastian continues to have the type of educational experiences that boys usually have when they grow up -- he makes new friends and becomes a member of a popular ‘gang’ where he learns about authority and respect, discovers why girls are ‘different’, and begins to understand the games that grown-ups play when they claim to have discovered love.

Viewing Hope and Glory as a conventional war film documenting familiar horrors will almost certainly turn out to be a disappointing experience. This is a different kind of film in which Boorman actually attempts to recreate a very particular feeling of being stuck between two contrasting realities -- one defined by destruction and death, and another where growing up is a lot like being on a very exciting roller-coaster ride with some unforgettable surprises. So the seemingly random overlapping of various segments is not produced by questionable editing, but is actually an essential element of Boorman’s concept for the film.

The safest and most meaningful way to experience the film is to approach it as if it is an unusually big family album that instead of keeping faded photographs unveils the precious memories of a child/man who witnessed the beginning of an awful war. However, among those of us who have never lived through one there could be some that fail to grasp their significance.

Hope and Glory Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Boorman's Hope and Glory arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

The release is sourced from a wonderful 4K remaster that was prepared by Sony Pictures. Quite predictably, the entire film looks exceptionally healthy and boasts the type of solid organic qualities that contemporary high-quality remastering projects always deliver. Indeed, density and depth are terrific and on a large screen the fluid visuals are simply a pleasure to behold. The color-grading is also very convincing, supporting an excellent selection of solid and healthy primaries and equally impressive range of properly balanced nuances. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital tinkering. There is a bit of room for minor encoding optimizations, but even when projected the film looks simply terrific. Fantastic. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Hope and Glory Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There is no doubt in my mind that the audio was fully remastered as well because stability, clarity, and depth are outstanding. Dynamic balance is also excellent and as a result there are quite a few sequences -- such as the footage with the mass bombings -- that is rather impressive. Peter Martin's score also provides an excellent support for the dramatic visuals.

Hope and Glory Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Hope and Glory. (2 min).

Hope and Glory Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If at times John Boorman's film Hope and Glory seems a bit surreal it is almost certainly because the overwhelming majority of us have been lucky to never have to live through a terrible war. We have been taught what it feels like and what its consequences are, so it is fair to say that our perception of it is actually manufactured. Boorman experienced war and in Hope and Glory he attempts to recreate a very particular feeling of being stuck between two contrasting realities -- one defined by destruction and death, and another where growing up is a lot like being on a very exciting roller-coaster ride with some unforgettable surprises. This recent Blu-ray release from Olive Films is sourced from an immaculate 4K remaster which should remain the definitive presentation of the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.