When I was a kid HBO used to play this WWII movie (in the 80s) that I can only remember sections of now. I believe it was set in Britain and possibly focused on a group of kids. I remember one kid fishing and a bomber flew over, dropped a bomb in the river, and a ton of fish floated to the surface. Another scene involved using a hammer and nail to ignite a bullet (some sort of hazing). And another scene with a family on a beach and a jar of jelly floated up to shore, and they opened it and started eating it right out of the can. This is actually my most memorable scene since I sometimes wonder what eating jelly right from the jar would taste like (and in fact just had a PB&J sandwich, which is why I’m asking about this movie) but have never tried it!
I think all of these scenes are from the same movie. What was this movie, and what was it even about?
Ian Bannen as the grandpa was absolutely fantastic.
Hope and Glory is one of my favorite, favorite films. I own it and watch it once or twice a year.
That was a googly!
Nitpick: Not quite. There was a brief beach scene, but what you described happened earlier.
Dad enlisted in the Army (and was put to work as a secretary, to his great embarrassment), and came home for Christmas with a can of German jam, which he claimed he’d found on shore. Hurrah! Sweets! (Rationing, don’t ya know.) Mom thought it might be poisoned, because “They know we’re mad on jam!” and older daughter turned up her nose and declared, “Well, I’m not having any. It’s not patriotic!” Dad ignored this and carved open the can with his pocketknife, then kept taking spoonfuls of jam until the others caved in. (I remember it so vividly because the sound effects grated on me. Metal against metal…ugh.)
If it’s not already obvious, I love this film! Watch it again if you get the chance. It’s amazing how every significant scene starts out with one mood, then switches gears halfway through.