Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

drhugohackenbushmd What is this mess? Is it a romantic wartime comedy, perhaps a drama? The writers have gone to extreme lengths to add a touch of humor with lengthy conversation during a war in which London was to be bombed to dust, 50 to 70 million souls were to be given a return ticket to their maker. It doesn't work as a romance, war story, or comedy. There is one exhaustive dialogue with Richard Masur continuing his role as Rhoda Morgenstern's goofy sister's idiot boyfriend. Now this will really get you....you see it's a Christmas Party and Dance at the 8th Army AirForce headquarters outside London 2nd Lt Jerry Colombo played by Masur, calls this girl Sally or some name he thinks up, she corrects him saying "No, it's Phillys, he then introduces her as Molly, Diane, Trisha, to a succession of his crew members who walk up and she corrects him yet again "No, I'm Phillys" That scene takes up 2-3 minutes, then Good Ole Jerry starts up with his offers to take her to bed, she shoots him down on each one, rather nastily I would say. Finally he takes the direct approach, "Ya Wanna make love?". Phillys really lights up and says YES. That bit of belly laughs eats up another 2-4 minutes of sheer boredom. Hans Solo or Harrison Ford returns to play his American Graffiti character, he's moody with a few temper tantrums playing the understated loner. Only this isn't American Grafitti. The plot has Ford becoming pocessive of a married woman (Downs), married to Christopher Plummer, to then have Ford and Plummer's character meeting. WW II film lovers, will find zillions of errors, the 8th Army Air Force flew B-17's and B-24's not the B-26's used in the film. If you are a spy parachuting into the enemy's lair you don't leave your chute in the trees or peel off and drop on the ground, items that would lead the enemy to your location. Nor do you dash through enemy territory in broad daylight. Find a copy of The War Lover, or 12 O'Clock High.

David Kinne There is nothing new in the plot: two soldiers (an airman and a spy in this case) are in love with the same woman. As is quite often the case, the woman in question is already married to (or the girlfriend/fiancée) of one of them, and the two soldiers become close friends/soldiers in arms together under fire and in danger. Will both of them return from their dangerous/suicide mission together.What makes this movie so likable are the performances of Harrison Ford (as David Halloran) and Christopher Plummer (as Paul Sellinger) as the two main leads, and Richard Masur as Harrison Ford's wisecracking bomb-aimer. Their dialogue is often clichéd, but the three actors are so likable you don't care. Lesley-Anne Down as the woman in the middle, and Michael Sacks as Harrison Ford's co-pilot are also fine in these roles.For the fan of original soundtracks, there is also another excellent score by John Barry. There are times when you find you are listening to the score rather than the dialogue.And finally, for the aviation enthusiast, the use of actual B-25s in the flying sequences and on the ground are a real bonus.Watch, and enjoy.

gcd70 A very familiar John Barry score accompanies this war time romance between an American pilot and a British nurse. Writer/director Peter Hyams takes us back to London, 1943, where the chance meeting between these two pawns of World War II begins what can only be a doomed love affair.Lt. David Halloran (Harrison Ford), Margaret Sellinger (Lesley-Anne Down) and husband Paul Sellinger (Christopher Plummer) are the three caught in this tragic love triangle. Ford fits well into the role of reluctant hero, and actually manages to create some chemistry with his co-star (at least he doesn't look twice her age - "Sabrina" 1995). Miss Down is easy to like as the married mother who finds herself falling in love like she never has before, and Christopher Plummer plays well the part of the husband and father who just wants to shake his feelings of inadequacy and prove himself to be more than a 'nice British man'.These three, along with a strong tech. team, are able to pull off what is essentially a run of the mill, old fashioned romance. A nice idea from Hyams, but he was never going to achieve anything more than pleasant entertainment. Fortunately he never aims too high, and thus avoids shooting the whole thing down in flames. Hyam's knew his pic's potential well, and fulfils it.John Barry's music is enjoyable and melodic, David Watkin's photography most sharp and the editing from James Mitchell is efficient. Special effects are effective.Wednesday, February 28, 1996 - Video

ianlouisiana It can't have been easy to have a cast of charming highly competent actors,charismatic warplanes,a bitter - sweet romance in war - ravaged picturesque London and turn the whole lot into a turkey of a movie but Mr.P.Hyams managed it in "Hanover Square". He wasn't helped by a script that may have passed muster at the Odeon, Streatham in 1942 for a less than critical audience never sure that their house would still be standing by the time the movie was finished,but more peaceful and plentiful times were rather more demanding. Mr C.Plummer plays the upper middle class Intelligence Officer whose wife (Miss L.A.Downs) has an affair with USAF officer(Mr H.Ford). Apparently Mr Ford is so irresistible to Miss Downs that they have sex in a conveniently situated country hotel on their first date,an event so unlikely as to be almost incredible.Yes I know it's wartime,and I know things were different,but believe me nicely brought up English gels with husbands and daughters most definitely did not "put out" as our American friends would say on their first illicit meeting with a virtual stranger,even if he is an intrepid birdman. Indeed Miss Downs is so irredeemably posh that I am not entirely convinced that Mr Ford does not classify as her bit of rough. She is a voluntary nurse - albeit one with an immaculate uniform and beautifully - coiffed hair.She walks the wards as a Lady Bountiful and I'm almost convinced the Sister refers to her as "Lady Margaret" at one stage. Her husband is in some "hush - hush" department running secret agents and they live in a very upmarket Townhouse somewhere around the Harley Street triangle.Their daughter (little Miss P.Kensit) is a cute poppet and everything in the marital garden appears lovely.Why she should risk all this for a quick tumble with a not particularly winning American bomber pilot is not clear.It certainly isn't for his conversation ,his monotonous tone of voice or his sense of humour. By contrast Mr C.Plummer is gentle,articulate and sensitive. In a ridiculously contrived plot twist he and Mr Ford end up in occupied France wearing German uniforms on a Deadly Mission. On their return Mr Ford nobly lets Miss Downs go back to her husband and is last seen loping across Hanover Square doubtless in pursuit of a fresh conquest. Women with husbands at the front in 1942 would not have been sympathetic towards her,the word "Jezebel" might well have been bandied freely about They knew all about temptation and resolutely resisted it if only for the sake of their men in foreign climes.The thought of a posh woman with a husband at home having it off with a Yank would have filled them with scorn.And quite rightly too. As for that young pilot.....well,he could probably hardly have believed his luck.