Mather: Hannover Street Blog

Hanover Street had solid potential as a dashing World War II film about love and espionage, but it dive bombed as fast as the protagonist's plane. The film stars Harrison Ford as David Halloran, an Air Force pilot stationed in London. Within the first few minutes of the film, the love interest, Nurse Margaret played by Lesley-Anne Down is introduced to Halloran and after having tea together, they fall in love. Very quickly it is revealed that the script was written to be a cheesy love story that attempts to intertwine elements of other genres. Just as it is revealed to Halloran that Margaret is married, a German air raid interrupts their departure from each other. "A convenient air raid of devastating destruction lands them both in each other's arms. For a moment, it is as if they are the only two people in the world, as the bombs explode around them." (Pfieffer and Lewis, 84)

Their love story continues for about half the film, with a few of Halloran's piloting missions in between romance scenes. At the beginning of the romance, Halloran is fearless during his missions, continuing even though there's something wrong with the propellor during one mission. However, as his romance with Margaret continues, he becomes more fearful and paranoid, as if he suddenly is afraid to die. He even backs out before one mission after he "hears something in the engine". Even though no one else hears it and the engineers found the engine to be fine, Halloran continues to believe that he heard something, afraid to admit that he is suddenly afraid to die. With Margaret in the picture, he suddenly has something to live for.

The film takes a turn when Halloran undertakes a secret mission that involves air dropping a British spy into enemy territory. Unbeknownst to Halloran, the spy just happens to be Margaret's husband. In a typical cinematic turn of events, the plane is shot down leaving only Halloran and Paul Sellinger, the spy, alive. Sellinger, played by Christopher Plummer, seems to be a nice and charming fellow, but is hopeless as a spy. Halloran is forced to join Sellinger to complete the mission. The pair complete the mission, but are discovered by the Nazi's and in a thrilling chase, they escape with the help of the French Underground resistance. During this time, Halloran makes several heroic choices such as knocking out the Nazi guard in the safe room, and leading the escape while Sellinger clings to the back of the motorcycle helplessly. At a quiet point in the film, Sellinger calls Halloran a "good and brave man", to which Halloran disputes that by saying he was just trying to survive. "Whatever I did, I did cause I was too scared to die." Sellinger then tells him that only brave men are frightened, ones that have something to lose, yet still try. Halloran fits this description well, although he may not admit it. He fights tooth and nail to get back to Margaret, even after learning that he is with her husband. He even chooses to save her husband rather than leave him to die after being shot. Even further, when he sees Margaret in the hospital he tells her that he loves her enough to let her go to her husband. That in my mind is a true hero. In the end, he does the right thing by letting Margaret return to her husband who is indeed a good man, who is brave by his own rights.

Tom Mather