The Gathering Storm

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Michael B I am a huge Churchill fan. Albert Finney is rhe best actor to have played him IMO. Fabulous film Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/30/23 Full Review steve d Important story adequately told. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A gathering storm of war, politics, and overcoming one's self hardship HBO and BBC films with director Richard Loncraine having Albert Finney as Winston Churchill A young Tom Hiddleston plays his son Randolph Vanessa Redgrave plays his wife Clemmie, she is with him in 1934 hoping his biography of his ancestor will win back his fortune But the lack of money thanks to the collapse of Wall Street has her chastising him waiting for him to actually notice her and what's right in front of him instead of pleasing him after 26 years This recounts the 6 year journey of prewar Churchill's life with his daring bravery to warn Britain of the invasion of Adolf Hitler's forces of the Nazi regime His return from the brink of political obscurity after his exile from government as a fading politician, and the price he paid in his private life before re-emerging as the nation's leader during World War II as the First Lord of Admiralty is portrayed There's a lot of talking in this but Albert Finney gives one of his most grand performances as Winston Churchill More focus on a man all washed up and eager to still have a voice to bring the British citizens back in high spirits Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent acting and a great movie! The best Churchill biopic made! I only wish they had made a follow up movie also with Albert Finney during Churchill in the war years! Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Winston Churchill foresaw the warning signs of a war-mongering force that the title describes it as a storm - with some convolution, and this filmic approach not only conversely leads to the eventual appointed position that would stir the tide but also humanly explores Churchill's representational life through Albert Finney's defining, leading performance while finely associated with a nice cast to boot a little. (B+) (Full review TBD) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Superb historic drama. 1934. Winston Churchill appears to be in his twilight years. While he is still a Member of Parliament and a member of the ruling Conservative Party he is not a member of the cabinet and has no power. However, this does not stop him from speaking his mind and making grandiloquent speeches in Parliament. When he learns of Germany's rearmament and Hitler's bigoted social policies he sets out, in Parliament, to warn his colleagues and Britain of the impending danger. The other MPs, used to his tirades, laugh him off. Britain, the spectre of WW1 ever-present, is determined to follow a pacifist course and has not the inclination nor the economic means to engage in an arms race with Germany. Politically, Churchill is isolated. Superb historic drama - engaging, interesting and edifying. Captures well the lead-up to WW2 and how Britain, and the world, did not see it coming. The political intrigues are very interesting, especially Churchill's information-gathering via a foreign office source, Ralph Wigram. The Ralph Wigram story (a true one - I checked) is fascinating and quite emotional in itself. Adding another layer to the movie is Churchill's home life. We see his domestic issues, the relationship with his wife, Clementine, and children. This makes for highly engaging watching as we don't just see Churchill the politician but also Churchill the person, the family man. Fantastic performance by Albert Finney as Winston Churchill. He captures Churchill's traits perfectly, down to his voice. Vanessa Redgrave is great as Clementine Churchill. Some big names in the supporting cast, some of whom weren't famous at the time: Ronnie Barker, Jim Broadbent, Derek Jacobi, Tom Wilkinson, Linus Roache, Lena Headey and Tom Hiddleston (5 years before he made his cinematic debut). Seven years after The Gathering Storm, a sequel was made, covering Churchill's WW2 years. This was Into The Storm, and starred Brendan Gleeson as Churchill and Janet McTeer as Clementine. Despite the discontinuity in actors, Into The Storm was equally superb and involved a brilliant performance from Brendan Gleeson. Seems like playing Churchill brings out the best in actors (thinking too of Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour)... Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Gathering Storm

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