‘In the Hour of Victory’ is a faithful film adaptation of Senator Jonathan Smith’s book by the same name.It is co-directed by Andrew Kirkpatrick and Lucinda Spurling of Afflare Films.Ms Spurling has made a name for herself with documentaries such as ‘The Lion and the Mouse’ and ‘Rare Bird’.‘In the Hour of Victory’ is the story of Sen Smith’s grandfather, Major Anthony (Toby) Smith, played by Ben Beasley.Major Smith fought for the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps, a forerunner of today’s Bermuda Regiment, and the Lincolnshire Regiment. He was killed in action in Holland on October 14, 1944 just as the allies were winning. The film and book are based on 300 letters, cards and telegrams between Major Smith and his wife Faith, played by Cathy Hay.They also include additional research conducted by Sen Smith.A movie about a bunch of old letters could go horribly wrong, but luckily, Ms Spurling pulls it off. ‘In the Hour of Victory’ isn’t so much a historical documentary as it is a touching love story. It is really about the relationship between Major Smith and his wife and their family. Throughout the story the couple struggles with the fact that Major Smith voluntarily left his family to go to war. Their letters go back and forth debating whether he did the right thing. For Mrs Smith it was extra hard, because she was American, and at the time Major Smith went to England, the United States was not at war, and many Americans felt very strongly that it wasn’t their place to intervene. This meant that Mrs Smith’s American family didn’t really understand why her husband had left her, and seemed to view her as an unnecessary burden on them. Left with five children, one of them a newborn, she struggled financially to keep everything together.The film includes some very moving commentary from Major Smith’s children and grandchildren. This really helps to bring home the fact that Major Smith was someone’s father and grandfather, not just a faceless name on a memorial or the signature at the bottom of a letter. It was clear from his family’s tearful words, that his loss is still felt today.Major Smith’s letters could be considered major cultural treasures. Although there have been movies and books and articles written about Bermuda during Second World War all of them have been made several decades after the fact. This is a voice straight out of the 1940s, telling us about life at that point. It is unencumbered by knowledge of what comes next or any influence of post-analysis.This is an excellent documentary that should be in all the schools. The movie follows the book very closely and perhaps opens up Mr Smith’s story to people who aren’t readers. It gives students the chance to see the Second World War unfolding in the Bermudian context. The history behind Major Smith’s letters is stated in a way that is very easy to understand. Jennifer Hind, author of ‘Defence not Defiance’ about the BVRC, does a great job of explaining the history of the Second World War in a clear and concise fashion.Because most of the action in the film took place abroad, filming of battle scenes and Major Smith’s time stationed in Yorkshire was done overseas. The battle scenes and foreign shots of the Yorkshire Dales are well done. Unfortunately, the scenes of Major Smith’s family in Bermuda need some polishing. Uniforms excluded, the male costumes often failed to achieve that period feel and sometimes looked suspiciously like they’d been bought at Gibbons Company the day before filming.Another small issue was that the narration came across as stilted, in a few places, and did not always convey the warmth that Major Smith attempted to convey to his beloved wife in his letters.The Bermuda College Library will screen the film on Tuesday in the North Hall at Bermuda College, room G301. There will also be a discussion with Ms Spurling and Sen Smith. For more information, telephone Shelley Riley on 236-9000 ext 4381.