Hanover Street
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Movie Reviews of Hanover Street
Movie Review: Romantic gem that tugs on the heart strings - a nostalgic favorite
Summary: 4 Stars
When Harrison Ford saw an advance cut of the original STAR WARS movie he realized the powerful impact the movie made. In subsequent interviews Ford said that it was at that point that he realized that he needed to get to work in a variety of projects so he could avoid being stereotyped by the role of Han Solo. Of the three leads of that movie that shook the world in 1977 he was the most active in the years immediately following, and the strategy appears to have worked as now, almost 30 years later, he is the only one who is considered a megastar.
One of the movies Ford chose was the World War II romantic drama HANOVER STREET in the role of American bomber pilot David Halloran who falls for married English nurse Margaret Sellinger. The Halloran role was originally to be played by Kris Kristofferson, but it is a testament to Fords personality and acting that it is hard to imagine the movie as it was originally cast.
Viewed today the movie has an impressive cast, but at that time Ford was perhaps the least known of the three leads.
Playing Sellinger is the amazing and impossibly beautiful Lesley-Anne Down who was well known to British television audiences (in UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS) and in addition to an appearance in 1976s THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN had, a year previously, appeared opposite Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland in THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY.
Down would go on to make other movies such as ROUGH CUT (with Burt Reynolds) and my personal-favorite SPHINX (with Sir John Gielgud and John Rhys-Davies). But here she plays a nurse caught in a love triangle between the hotshot flier (Ford) and her British intelligence husband Paul (played by screen great Christopher Plummer).
The movie really picks up the pace when David and Paul have to work together behind enemy lines. There is dramatic tension there as Halloran is initially unaware of the connection he shares with Paul and yet, the success of the mission depends on them cooperating. This is not an action movie by any means, but when there is action on the screen it is handled well in a nice understated manner.
It seems that the transfer on this DVD has come in for some criticism, but I found it serviceable. I think the movie is actually quite beautiful at times.
The direction by Peter Hyams is steady and he keeps the movie focused on the human drama unfolding before you. He also supplies an audio commentary for this DVD release that is amiable and light.
On a trivia note, the young Sellinger's daughter Sarah is portrayed by the actress (and singer for the group Eighth Wonder) Patsy Kensit, who ten years later would appear opposite Mel Gibson in the action movie LETHAL WEAPON 2.
Three trailers round out the special features.
Movie Review: "Hello, old friend...."
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie came out when I was in my teens and madly in love with Harrison Ford. At the time, I thought "Hanover Street" was one of those movies that was so bad it was good. But now that I'm an adult and I have revisited it, I see much more there that I didn't appreciate as a teenager.
I love these characters...David Halloran starts out as being a wise-arse bomber pilot who takes nothing seriously. After he begins his affair with Margaret (whom he nicknames "Fred" when she won't tell him her name at first), he realizes that his love for her has become the most important thing in his life, and it almost makes him lose his edge as a risk-taker (a quality he has relied on to become a leader in his squadron).
Paul Sellinger, a self-described "pleasant" fellow, is also in love with Margaret, his wife. His love for her makes him become brave and reckless as he senses her slipping away from him...he wants to be a hero for her, a hero like he sees Halloran as being, even though he has no clue about his wife's affair with the dashing bomber pilot.
Margaret herself is kind of like a leaf on the wind...she loves her husband, her home, her daughter, her privileged life, but she also loves Halloran and the fire and passion he brings. The brutality and uncertainty of life in a time of war makes Halloran irresistible to her, yet the guilt she feels over her infidelity weigh on her soul whenever she is not with him. Even at the end of the movie, you don't get the feeling that she has resolved herself to what must be as Halloran has. That is really the most unsatisfying thing about "Hanover Street" -- it has an unfinished quality about it, as though there should be more between Margaret and Paul at the end to make it seem more uplifting.
For whatever weaknesses may be in the actual storytelling, there are many scenes that are real gems. Every scene with Margaret, Sellinger, and their daughter stands out with very witty and warm dialogue. Halloran and Sellinger's mission to Nazi-occupied France is also excellent from beginning to end...even though I had seen the movie before, I was still on the edge of my seat the entire time.
"Hanover Street" is basically the story of how the love of one woman can affect two men in very different ways. It makes one man weak, and makes the other man strong. Had the storytelling been more even, this could have become a classic film. As it stands, though, it's an enjoyable film full of romance and adventure, and I'm glad I was able to see it again after all these years.
Movie Review: Underrated
Summary: 4 Stars
I'd like to second the reviewer below that the score in this film may be one of Barry's most underrated, possibly even his most touchingly Romantic. The movie itself has a killer ending that brought tears to my eyes. Plummer is also so touching as the older husband, who is just an ordinary man, but wants so much to impress his wife that he takes the greatest gamble. All in all, a gem hidden from view.Movie Review: A beautiful World War II Romance
Summary: 4 Stars
This is Harrison Ford as we never see him in other movies. In spite of his role as a rogue pilot during world war II, he also portrays a sensitive man who falls in love with a beautiful English woman. It has adventure but also a beautiful love story with one of the most beautiful & tasteful love scenes I have ever seen on film. I love this movie.
RoseMarie D
Movie Review: Real Romance
Summary: 4 Stars
Great Cast and what a romantic story. Typical World War II Drama and a good movie to watch when the mood is right. Harrison Ford is a charmer and portrays a WWII pilot very well. It is a tearjerker but beautifully done.