Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on
December 17. Watch it tonight and enjoy.
THE GATHERING STORM
In 1934 Winston Churchill is out of office. He’s trying to keep
India a British possession, while his wife is trying to pay the bills. He works
on his bio of his ancestor the Duke of Marlborough to make money. Churchill is
also concerned that the government takes no notice of the threat from Nazi
Germany. A civil servant Ralph Wigram starts illegally giving classified
government documents about Germany’s military build-up to Churchill. After his wife Clemmie tells Winston she’s
going on a scientific expedition and he gets all huffy, she explodes, but they
later make up. On December 17, 1935 [49:48 to 50:31] Clemmie leaves on the
expedition. After further speeches pointing out the danger from the growing
German air force, the Prime Minister moves to isolate Churchill politically.
When Churchill’s son Randolph runs for parliament, he loses. One of his
daughters wants to go on the stage and another plans to get a divorce. Winston talks Wigram into
continuing to supply him with documents.
The government, via Ivo Pettifer directly threatens the Wigrams. Winston
is suspicious of Clemmie and Terrence Phillip, who is on the expedition with
her. He thinks he has been a bad and non-romantic husband. Clemmie comes home.
Germany occupies the Rhineland. Ralph Wigram kills himself. Germany invades
Poland and Great Britain declares war on Germany. Churchill is asked to return
to the cabinet. He becomes First Lord of the Admiralty with the signal “Winston
is back”.
A very good biographical film.
After watching this you should appreciate how much the world owes Winston
Churchill. This film captures his personality perfectly.
Clementine Churchill: The Biography of a Marriage by
Mary Soames (Paragon House, New York, 1979) at page 343 gives the date she left
on the expedition
Awards – The movie won the
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie(Finney), Outstanding Made for Television Movie,
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special, Outstanding
Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, Outstanding Costumes for a
Miniseries, Movie or a Special Emmys. It was also nominated for the Outstanding
Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special, Outstanding Lead
Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Redgrave), Outstanding Supporting Actor in
a Miniseries or a Movie (Broadbent) and Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing
for a Miniseries or a Movie at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Producers - Frank Doelger and
David M. Thompson
Director - Richard Loncraine
Screenplay - Hugh Whitemore
Runtime – 1 hour 36 minutes
Released – April 27, 2002
Starring –
Albert Finney as Winston Churchill
Vanessa Redgrave as
"Clemmie" Churchill
Jim Broadbent as Desmond Morton
Linus Roache as Ralph Wigram
Lena Headey as Ava Wigram
Derek Jacobi as Stanley Baldwin
Tom Wilkinson as Sir Robert
Vansittart
Hugh Bonneville as Ivo Pettifer
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.
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