Guerre et passion

While this movie is not the old fashioned wartime classic I had anticipated, it is certainly highly watchable. This is definitely more a romance than a war movie or suspense thriller. It's been awhile since I've seen it so forget all the plot intricacies, but enjoyed the film at the time for two reasons. First, the incredible cast and second, the World War II backdrop with all the drama of wartime and the hair, clothing, & automobile styles. For me, the movie is noteworthy for the dynamics between the sophisticated, steady husband and the virile, charismatic lover. Also its memorable ending, which I loved.

The movie portrays the story of Margaret Sellinger, a British nurse, and David Halloran, an American pilot (stationed in England) who meet in London during an air raid and fall in love. David doesn't realize that Margaret is married until he is assigned to transport a British secret agent into France and learns that this agent is none other than Margaret's husband. Of course this situation may be something of a coincidence, but it does make for a good story.

The three stars cast as the parties in this love triangle are all favourites of mine. The dashing and magnetic Harrison Ford plays the lover, David. That consummate gentleman, Christopher Plummer, is cast as the older, dependable, and consistent husband, Paul Sellinger. The lovely Leslie-Anne Down (of Upstairs, Downstairs fame) portrays Paul's wife, Margaret, the woman caught between these two very compelling men. Frankly, if I had to choose myself between Harrison Ford and Christopher Plummer, I'd be hard pressed to decide...though Plummer would have been quite captivating enough for me in the first place!

The movie doesn't delve much into the marital problems, other than that the husband, Paul, doesn't feel he is exciting enough for his wife. The film therefore provides no reason why we shouldn't favour the husband and view him as the injured victim of the piece. Not a whole lot of sympathy on my part for the bored Margaret, wartime or not and despite Harrison Ford's obvious appeal. Unfortunately, not much detail is shown developing Margaret and David's relationship, other than some emotional bonding as a result of shared danger during a V2 rocket bombing. Then before you know it, they're having an affair. Perhaps this contributes to my lack of interest in their romance. Frankly, my heart does not bleed for Margaret, much as I adore the actress portraying her. It was very unfair of her not warning David straight away that she's a married lady with a daughter, thus I had more compassion for her misled lover.

Later in the film the husband and lover are placed in a dangerous situation where they must cope with enemy action and rely upon each other. Naturally this makes for some 'interesting' scenes, quite touchingly done, as they must work together to survive. They're both fantastic here, the macho younger Ford and the seasoned older Plummer. Their scenes are infinitely more compelling than those between the lovers in a relationship not very well drawn. No spoilers as to which gentleman prevails in the end. Do both or either of the two even survive the perils involved? Suffice it to say, the ending was unforgettable for me personally.

With these actors and this setting, it might have been a great movie if they'd only imparted a little more depth and vulnerability to Margaret, some relationship development and genuine chemistry to her affair with David, and a bit more understanding as to why she succumbed to temptation in the first place. However, in truth, I confess that I'm a real sucker for a wartime romance and would lap up just about any representative of the genre, especially one with this particular cast.

"Hanover Street" is the kind of movie people like to pick apart because the SS Sgt. didn't render the proper Hitler salute or the uniforms were wrong or because the B-25 wasn't flown over Europe but mostly in North Africa. Well, I imagine the B-25 sets were left over from Catch 22, which used B-25s, and there was a shortage of SS uniforms at Elstree Studios when this movie was filmed. It doesn't really detract from the film. These are bits of entertainment -- not a masters level thesis. I have to say this is an "adult" movie that probably wouldn't be made today. If filmed today (late 2005), then there'd be a lot more emphasis on wise-ass remarks to the commanding officer and silly, stilted lines like "If I lost you then I'd just die ... oh I'd just die." Pretty much along the lines of 2001's awful Pearl Harbor. The love story is really more about honor and sacrifice than love, and reflects closely wartime England when many single, and probably married, English women dashed off with "heroic" Yanks -- which gave way to the British saying about Americans: "Over paid, over sexed and, bloody well, over here." There's a lot of action in this movie and a lot of tension that builds up at the right moments. Is it a big, blockbuster movie like "Raiders of The Lost Ark?" No, but it's got a good script, the cinema-photography is outstanding and the score is perfect. Aside from Catch 22, there's not a lot of places you can see REAL B-25s lining up for takeoff in a film (sorry, again the Pearl Harbor CGI doesn't cut it for me) and the fear-laced banter between Ford's bomber crew seems closer to the real thing than the heroic bull from other movies. If there's a gripe I've got about this film it's Ford's haircut. You can see a lot of detail and expense in the Hanover Street set, the Blitz and even the airfield. Everybody looks up to 1940s standards and the set has that smoke-filled, perpetual autumn look that seems to be what people associate with early color films from the World War II era. However, Ford's 1978 shag kind of ruins the mood. Maybe he couldn't cut his hair because "Empire Strikes Back" was due to start lensing soon after "Hanover Street" went into post production ... who knows, but it detracts from the detail paid to the extras and the set. Still, "Hanover Street" is a good film.

The story. The acting. The romanticism in the war time. And the sacrifice. Pillars of a classic about choices, friendship, honor, love and importance of meetings. Theoretical, a war film. In essence, only romance using the war as clothes. Its seduction force - to remind old things who define an universe of world out ordinary rules. Its virtue - to mix in coherent manner different stories who becomes one with many sides. A beautiful film for the admirable performances. And for the art of detail. For a form of heroism who remains noble and impressive and touching, remembering the Medieval stories. And for the atmosphere who defines in brilliant manner the drama of the lead characters. It could be discovered as classic romance or as war story. In essence, it is an admirable story about values.

This film has many great elements, but the whole things fails primarily due to overwrought dialogue that is very soap operatic with words put in character's mouths that mostly teenage girls would think of. Without John Barry's romantic score, this film would be pathetic, leaning towards hilarious.

In any film, when two characters meet and fall in love there is a certain amount of time and shared experiences that pass in the story before the love between them is credible. In this film, the love is instant, deeply romantic -- yet torrid, and lasting. Completely impossible! Having said all that, the film still provides some great military movie sequences. There are some funny bits with Halloran and his co-pilot Cimino mouthing off during their missions and briefings. And a whole military caper pulled off by Halloran (Ford) and Mr. Sallinger (Plummer) which is both exciting and easy to follow.

After a while, one realizes that Margaret Sallinger, (Down) never speaks her lines, she whispers them in a plaintive, teary voice, always on the verge of boo-hoo. This becomes grating after a while. Further, it makes the audience wonder what Halloran sees in her.

Well, the answer to what the attraction is never comes, but the noble dialogue at the end is a struggle to listen to and is a riff on the immortal Casablanca "Hill of beans/Here's lookin' at you" farewell between Rick and Ilsa. It is well that this Hanover Street high-road sign-off sequence comes last as it is the most indulgent in melodrama. Still, Ford and Plummer work so effectively to make this movie almost passable that you really have to give them credit for their commitment to their characters.

First of all Harrison Ford can do no wrong. Please understand that. With that said, read on: This film was directed and shot in such a way that I felt that I was watching a film school final shot by a mediocre student. The dialogue is Spam-stale and the chemistry between Harrison and Lesley-Ann Down is zilch. The first love scene is so poorly shot and edited, my dog could have done a better job in his sleep. Most of the time, you feel that most of the cast is reading cue cards; it's that stiff. The timeline is goofy and the movie jumps around and is pretty unbelievable. Harrison was trying desperately to stretch his acting wings at this point in his career, but the material and dialogue were so limited, you really feel for the actor. But, damn, he's so charming, sexy and likable, it's worth the headache to sit through this abomination just to enjoy Harrison being Harrison.