Hanover Street (1979)

Margaret is a nurse in England during WW2, and married to a secret agent. Things get complicated when she falls for David, an American pilot.

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writer:

Peter Hyams

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Plummer

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	David Halloran
Lesley-Anne Down	...	Margaret Sellinger
Christopher Plummer	...	Paul Sellinger
Alec McCowen	...	Maj. Trumbo
Richard Masur	...	2nd Lieut. Jerry Cimino
Michael Sacks	...	2nd Lieut. Martin Hyer
Patsy Kensit	...	Sarah Sellinger
Max Wall	...	Harry Pike
Shane Rimmer	...	Col. Ronald Bart
Keith Buckley	...	Lieut. Wells
Sherrie Hewson	...	Phyllis
Cindy O'Callaghan	...	Paula
Di Trevis	...	Elizabeth
Suzanne Bertish	...	The French Girl
Keith Alexander	...	Soldier in Barn

Storyline

During the Second World War, an American Pilot stationed in England meets a young British nurse during an air raid on London. The two instantly fall in love, despite the fact that the young Nurse is already married; a secret she keeps hidden from her American lover. After being shot down behind enemy lines, while being assigned to ferry a British agent into France, the American pilot realizes that his secret agent cargo is in fact his lover's husband, and that the two must now work together in order to survive.

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Plot Keywords:

nurse | pilot | secret mission | motorcycle | world war two | 

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Taglines:

The fateful entanglements of two men in love with the same woman.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German

Release Date:

26 September 1979 (France)

Also Known As:

Guerre et passion

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Hanover Street

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film utilized actual North American B-25s Mitchell bomber planes which were flown over to England from the United States of America especially for the production of this movie.

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Goofs

When the motorcycle crashes and explodes, there are two explosions - one some distance from the crash site.

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Quotes

2nd Lt. Jerry Cimino: Hey they're shooting at us. How come every time we fly over they shoot guns at us?
David Halloran: Because we drop bombs on them.
2nd Lt. Jerry Cimino: They have no sense of humor. Can't you guys take a joke?

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Connections

References Sergeant York (1941)

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Soundtracks

"God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by John Barry

User Reviews

a war movie, with a love story about two different kinds of men

While the story is set in the context of world war 2, what it's really about is the difference between men who are now called 'alpha' and 'beta.' One is a brash, self-confident, risk-taking narcissist; the other is a high-achieving, highly educated, planner. Women often wish to marry the latter, and make love with the former. Ms. Down faces this issue.

Overall, an excellent discussion, and depiction, of this particular kind of dilemma.

The movie begins in London, with the American pilot (alpha) and the British nurse conning each other, trying to fake each other out for a place on a bus. This game is interrupted by v-2 rocket bombing, and a real, and intense, emotional bonding. Much later, the nurse's husband (beta) is introduced, and we discover he is a high-ranking official with the British military. The story develops from there, with a somewhat improbable pairing, and a spy mission. It is suspenseful, but is really a romantic drama.