Sunday, May 10, 2015

May 10 - Into The Storm


Today’s movie is a biography with a scene that happens on May 10. Watch it tonight and enjoy. 
INTO THE STORM    

While on holiday in France in July, 1945, Winston Churchill tries rather unsuccessfully to rest while awaiting the results of the parliamentary elections and thinks back over his premiership. On May 10, 1940, the day the Germans attack in the west Churchill goes to the palace to meet with George VI and is made Prime Minister.[1:00 to  3:43] Churchill refuses to negotiate with Hitler and instead arranges for the evacuation of the British army from Dunkirk.  He has the French fleet destroyed to prevent it being handed over to the Germans. Churchill visits the RAF and guides the country through the blitz. After the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor he goes to Washington and has a heart attack that is kept secret from everyone except his doctor. Churchill refuses to acknowledge the inevitable and suffers political attacks when Singapore falls to the Japanese. He agrees with the decision of the RAF to switch to area night bombing. Churchill attends the Teheran conference with Stalin and Roosevelt. The King has to talk him out of going along with the troops on D-Day. He goes to the Yalta conference. Churchill is honored by being asked to appear with the royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace on V - E Day. Churchill is devastated when he learns he has lost the election and resigns.

A very good biopic. It’s somewhat selective in what it shows. However, the acting is very good.

Churchill: A Biography by Roy Jenkins (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2001) at page 586 and the movie at 2:20 give the date he was installed in office

Director - Thaddeus O'Sullivan                          Screenplay - Hugh Whitemore

Awards - The film won the Emmys for   Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie (Gleeson) and Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score). It was also nominated for the Outstanding Made for Television Movie; Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special,; Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie (Cariou); Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie (McTeer); Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special; Outstanding Casting – Miniseries, Movie, or a Special; Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie; Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie ; Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special; Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie; Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special ; Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Emmys, but lost these. 

Runtime - 1 hour 40 minutes                                      Released - May 31, 2009

Starring - Brendan Gleeson as Winston Churchill, Janet McTeer as Clementine Churchill, James D'Arcy as Jock Colville, Iain Glen as King George VI, Patrick Malahide as Bernard Montgomery, Len Cariou as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Robert Pugh as General Ismay, Michael Pennington as  Sir Arthur Harris, Adrian Scarborough as  Sawyers, Donald Sumpter as Lord Halifax, Bill Paterson as Clement Attlee

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.


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