by Robbie Tucker

Even if you don’t remember the children’s gleeful screams, joyous after Hitler bombed their school in John Boorman’s Hope and Glory, you’re in for a treat. It’s 9 years later, and Boorman’s semi-autobiographical character is now 18 in Queen and Country, the writer/director’s delightful sequel.

This wholesome celebration of testosterone follows the lads during another war as they prepare to ship off to Korea. A handful of favorites (David Thewlis, Richard E. Grant, Sinéad Cusack and Brian F. O’Byrne) make up the cast, along with a crop of talented young actors, most notably Callum Turner as Bill Rohan.
It’s a leisurely, home-spun yarn of friendship and betrayal, where high jinks ensue with admonishments of venereal disease and a plotline tip-of-the-hat to Mr. Roberts. Beautifully shot and designed, its elegance is a befitting tribute to Boorman’s prolific career.

About the Reviewer: Robbie Tucker drove a ’55 two-toned Buick Roadmaster in San Francisco, where she started working in film production. She convinced Francis Coppola to let her work on the movie about her namesake, but moved to New York City before shooting began. When she’s not writing her own memoir, or ghost writing someone else’s, you can probably find her at the movies.