Hanover Street - is a 1979 Anglo-American war film written and directed by Peter
Hyams, starring Harrison Ford and Lesley-Anne Down.
Set in London during the Second World War, Captain David Halloran (Harrison
Ford) an American bomber pilot serving with the Eighth Air Force in the UK and
Margaret Sellinger (Lesley-Anne Down) a British nurse meet in Hanover Street in
a chance encounter during an air raid.
They meet again two weeks later in a secret assignation in Hanover Street.
Although she is married, Sellinger and Halloran rapidly fall in love. She tries
to resist, but is drawn to the charismatic American. By contrast her husband
Paul Sellinger (Christopher Plummer) is, by his own description, suave and
pleasant but fairly dull. A former teacher, he is now a trusted member of
British intelligence.
Halloran is subsequently sent on an undercover mission in Nazi-occupied France
to deliver a British agent. At the last moment, Sellinger takes the place of
the agent Lieutenant Wells, and himself joins the mission. His reasons are
initially unclear, but he slowly reveals that he wanted to prove himself.
The plane is hit, killing the rest of the crew. After being shot down in
France, Halloran initially plans to try and head for the coast, but realising
that Sellinger is not capable of surviving alone in enemy country (he cannot
find the North, and badly injures his ankle after a matter of moments) he
agrees to accompany him.
Sellinger slowly reveals his mission. He is to proceed to the German headquarters
in Lyon and, posing as an SS officer, photograph an important document, listing
the German double-agents in British intelligence. Halloran is immediately
horrified at the appalling risk, but realising there is little else to be done,
agrees to co-operate with Sellinger.
Making contact with the local French resistance, they manage to get hold of a
captured German vehicle and a spare uniform for Halloran. They proceed to Lyon,
and deposit a document in the safe, allowing them to case the safe in which it
is kept.
Returning the same evening, Sellinger initially starts to photograph the
documents, but Halloran grabs the documents from the safe and gives them to
Sellinger. As they are escaping, a part of real SS troops raise the alarm. They
manage to escape after a lengthy car chase, and make it back to the same farm
where they had received assistance. However they are betrayed by a collaborator
and are forced to flee again, pursued by hundreds of Nazi troops.
It has slowly dawned on Halloran that Sellinger is his lover's husband. He
makes no mention of it to Sellinger, who is clearly devoted his Margaret, as
both men must work together in order to survive. They manage to reach a bridge,
on the opposite bank of which lies safety in the form of the resistance. As the
bridge comes under heavy fire it begins to collapse, leading Sellinger, who has
been shot and badly wounded, hanging over a deep plunge.
Instead of leaving him to die, as Sellinger tells him to, Halloran reaches down
and grabs hold of the Englishman. Sellinger looking up, asks him to visit his
wife and tell her he loves her and his daughter. Refusing to let him die,
Halloran drags him up, and carries him to safety. Jokingly, Sellinger looks up
and says he has got a "wet coat, again" a reference to his pleasing
but unheroic personality, contrasted with Halloran's dashing persona. The
American shakes his head, saying "this time you got the girl".
Sellinger then passes out, leaving Halloran fearing he will die of blood loss.
In London, Sellinger's wife waits anxiously for news. She has unsuccessfully
tried to find out what has happened to her husband, both from the British and
American authorities, but has worked out that Halloran and Sellinger are
together. The phone rings, and she burts into tears. They are back home, and
her husband is alive.
Going to visit him in the hospital in Hanover Street, she meets Captain
Halloran for the last time. The embrace and kiss, and he tells her that he
loves her "enough to let her go", she goes in to see her husband,
while he goes out into Hanover Street, the same scene where the story had begun.
Duty and sacrifice, love and honor! This is the motto of the movie after my oppinion. What can be more wonderful and more dangerous than a love that is born in the middle of the most cruel war of all time?
This is a topic much exploited in cinema. I loved the actors enormous perhaps because it remains a movie I can watch without getting tired. I think it's one of the greatest films of Peter Hyams. A beautifully illustrated story of love beyond a war drama. I enjoy seeing him again last night and I must confess that I saw this movie at least 10 times and still I'm not bored. Smiles.
See more pictures from this movie here: IMDB
14 comments:
Excellent suggestion. I love movies that portray the 2nd World War - and the plot is very good ... not to mention the actors. I'll jot down on my list of movies to watch.
Tks again, Dyeve.
@Anderson Wasser
My pleasure.I'm glad that you liked my suggestion.... and I have my moments too when I want to see something older..or other movies than I sow on daily list of films in cinema - except only sf movies..in where I still beleive. :-)
xo
That's a pretty old movie, Dyeve!
And my husband would surely gonna love this. He never gets tired of watching war films. Especially, if it's about 2nd world war...
Thanks Dyeve!
EVERY THOUGHT COUNTS
Hi dear Dy, its a wonderfull movie ! Today i saw Vendetta, its great!
Have a nice week-end.
Xo
@Cee
Nice, I just wait to tell me your impressions.
I have another movie "Citizen Kane" that I liked very much..That film editing was revolutionary at the time ... and that wasn't the only thing that attracted me to watch it till the end ... Is an American top movie (one of the few) which focused on directing, editing and image and NOT to sex, special effects or drugs ...
Thanks, dear.
Have a special week-end!
XO
@Távola De Estrelas
Hi!
If it's about "V" from Vendetta than it's a profoundly complex movie,is at once literary, flamboyant, tender and intellectual. I loved it!
Have a sweet week-end! - smiles
xo
Hello Dyeve! Are you all right?
Thank you for visit and comment on my work!
A hug,
Paulo Zerbato.
Hi Dyeve.
Haven't had much free time lately to surf the internet for myself.lol
It has come to the point that journalists are starting to follow me.lol
Your few moments of art reminds me of the Belgium painter Ensor it's a bit similar to his style.
Have a great week!
hello lovely lady:)
Gosh, i had forgotten all about this film! I saw this when it was first released with the boyfriend who was later to become my husband, (subsequently ex-husband!) we saw it in the Odeon cinema in Sheffield. Your write up has stirred more than just memories of the film for me. It has brought back those heady days of teenage romance, platform heels and Ford Capris! I feel quite ancint LOL
Smiles and hugs
Great item dyeve it made me go all romantic "NOT" ha ha
@Paulo Zerbato
Thank you for your visit. I'm all right right now.
Have a sunny Week-End!
xo
@Will
Thank you and take care with journalist - they are like aliens :P ..and will follow you till will became one of them. .. bcz you've started long time ago .. to make the best posts in your site.
Have a nice week-end!
xo
@Ladygoodwood
Hi, sweety! ♥
I hope those memories are pleasant even now as you said already and I didn't messed up something .. :P
I hope this week-end will be full of joy and happiness for you and your loved one!
Hugs& kisses ♥
@Stugot
Hi, there!
How are you? I hope that all your problems are fixed right now.. You know about what I'm taliking here.. :P
have a nice week-end!
xo
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