Kellogg: Hanover Street Blog

Set in London during World War II, Hanover Street is a wartime drama film that features many love story clichés. Harrison Ford plays David Halloran, a United States fighter pilot who falls in love with a British nurse named Margaret Sellinger. Upon meeting, Halloran and Margaret immediately hit it off and spend the afternoon together walking about London. At the end of the day, Halloran learns that Margaret is married and the two part ways. Moments later, the city is under attack by an air raid. Halloran’s heroic traits are first demonstrated on screen as he fearlessly searches for Margaret amongst the chaos and destruction. He eventually finds Margaret and the two embrace one another, sharing a passionate kiss. Reluctant at first, Margaret continues her affair with Halloran and meets with him just two weeks later. Aside from the affair, Halloran routinely carries out bomb raids over Germany. In one instance, Halloran exhibits his heroic nature once again by insisting his anxious team press forward and carry out their bomb raid. According to Pfeiffer and Lewis, “[Halloran] is courageous only because his loneliness prevents him from having a fear of death” (84).

As the film progresses, Margaret’s husband, Paul Sellinger, is introduced. Paul is a member of the British Intelligence and is the teacher of Lieutenant Wells, a British agent who is preparing to infiltrate German headquarters in Lyon. Halloran is assigned drop Wells in Nazi-occupied France. At the last moment, Paul proves to be a hero himself by volunteering to partake in the mission in place of Wells. While flying through the night, everyone but Halloran and Paul are killed, forcing the two men to abandon the plane and parachute to safe ground. Once safe on the ground, it becomes clear that Paul is helpless and Halloran agrees to escort him twenty miles north to Lyon. Halloran fearlessly volunteers himself to help Paul complete his suicide mission, again exhibiting his heroic qualities. Paul himself tells Halloran that he is a hero, to which Halloran modestly denies. Paul and Halloran arrive in Lyon dressed as SS officers. They successfully retrieve the document they came for, but are nearly caught and killed by the Gestapo. The two men retreat to a nearby barn and share stories of the women in their life. Halloran soon realizes that his lover Margaret is in fact Paul’s wife. Speechless and heartbroken, Halloran gathers himself and decides to not tell Paul about the affair. Once again, the two men flee from Gestapo officers, this time by motorcycle. While crossing a bridge, Paul is shot in the back and nearly falls to his death when the bridge collapses. Halloran solidifies his heroicness by putting himself in immediate danger in an attempt to save Paul. He successfully pulls Paul to safety.

While Halloran demonstrated his heroic nature several times on the frontline of war, his most heroic and honorable moment in the movie comes during his final conversation with Margaret. Halloran tells Margaret, “I love you enough to let you go,” knowing that he must be strong and walk away to avoid destroying her and Paul’s marriage.