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More romance war movies were made about American GIs in England than in all other countries combined. And, it's no wonder since Great Britain was the marshaling area for the largest invasion force in history. It was the headquarters of the Allied European command during World War II. It was the home of more U.S. Army Air Force bases than all other locations combined. And, by the end of the war, some two million Americans had been in England. So, of course there would be many romances between GIs and British women. At the end of the war, the U.S. Army transported some 70,000 British war brides to America.
The clichés aside (some Brits, especially men, took to seeing the Yanks as "overpaid, oversexed and over here," while some Americans had a comeback that the Brits were "underpaid, undersexed and under Eisenhower"), there were many matches that ended in marriage. Others ended unhappily when the GIs died in battle. But, the largest number most likely were romances that ended in time. There probably were some that involved infidelity and adultery, such as in this movie. And, most of those likely resolved in the end. A line at the very end of this film, summarizes the plight of all of the various war time romances nicely. Harrison Ford, playing David Halloran, says, "Things work out the way they're supposed to."
Perhaps some people would see this as a real love story between two people – Halloran and Margaret Sellinger, played by Lesley-Anne Down. In my younger years I might have. But age and experience bring insights that enable us to see beyond idealistic longings, emotions and the strong hormonal drives of younger years. I think this film shows a little bit the struggle the married Margaret has over their affair. David admits his struggle, especially after having been on a mission with her husband, Paul, played by Christopher Plummer. Whether or not theirs was truly love, or just a strong romance brought on by the time and circumstances, the movie ending appropriately says that life will go on, and they will be OK.
Because of the variety of scenes – the city streets of London, the bombing of the city, the B-25s at the airfield, and the bombing runs made by the Americans, I think this film has some historical value. But, the script otherwise is thin. The mission that David and Paul are on almost seems stagy at times. Plummer does a very good job in his role – I think the best of the film. But, otherwise, this isn't a very dynamic script.
Two aspects of "Hanover Street" bothered me. Having seen films such as "Twelve O'Clock High" that so well depict the strain and stress that the pilots and their commanders had, I found the flippancy of Ford's character in the mission briefings not very real or believable. His disrespect for his CO just doesn't gel well. C'mon! This guy is an officer in the Army Air Force, not one of the social outcasts picked for a mission in "The Dirty Dozen." Other films show very well the anguish that commanders suffered for the lives of the men who didn't return from missions. That whole part of this film didn't seem real. And with that, I very soon had enough of Richard Masur's constantly complaining character, 2nd Lieutenant Jerry Cimino.
Another 1979 film about romance by American GIs in England came out later that year. "Yanks" starred Richard Gere, but had a much larger cast and a very engrossing plot. It is about three different romances, each one of a different type and result. It's a very good look at the British people during the war. The romances and loves are treated more realistically and deeply in that film. And, one of the old war romances is the 1940 film, "Waterloo Bridge," that stars Robert Taylor and Vivien Leigh. That one involved adultery on the part of the American, in another love triangle. It too resolved in the end with a believable outcome.
score 6/10
SimonJack 23 February 2015
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3189956/ |
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25-2-2021 06:05:15