December 17 - The Gathering Storm

This movie has a scene that happens today – December 17. I hope you enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

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

Ronnie Barker as David Inches

Hugh Bonneville as Ivo Pettifer

Edward Hardwicke as Kingsley Wood

Tom Hiddleston as Randolph Churchill