The Gathering Storm (2002) (TV)

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers (WGA):

Larry Ramin (story) and
Hugh Whitemore (story) ...

Release Date:

27 April 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

Germany was arming itself for war. But they didn't count on one man.

Plot:

A love story offering an intimate look inside the marriage of Winston and Clementine Churchill during a particularly troubled, though little-known, moment in their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Politician | Pre WWII | Husband Wife Relationship | Politics | 1930s

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 12 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Albert Finney	...	Winston Churchill
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Clemmie Churchill
Jim Broadbent	...	Desmond Morton
Linus Roache	...	Ralph Wigram
Lena Headey	...	Ava Wigram
Derek Jacobi	...	Stanley Baldwin
Ronnie Barker	...	David Inches
Tom Wilkinson	...	Sir Robert Vansittart
Celia Imrie	...	Violet Pearman
Hugh Bonneville	...	Ivo Pettifer
Gottfried John	...	Friedrich von Schroder
Anthony Brophy	...	Brendan Bracken
Edward Hardwicke	...	Mr. Wood
Tom Hiddleston	...	Randolph Churchill
Tim Bentinck	...	Marlborough (as Timothy Bentinck)

Also Known As:

The Lonely War (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

96 min | Germany:120 min (Filmfest Hamburg)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Germany:12 | UK:12 (DVD/VHS release) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Chartwell House, Westerham, Kent, England, UK

Company:

HBO Films

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The infamous speech Churchill wants to revise (and later delivers in the House of Commons) in the beginning of the film ("To see Mr Gandhi, a seductive Mid-Temple Lawyer ... posing as a half-naked fakir in a manner quite well known in the East, striding up the steps of the Vice-Regal palace to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King Emperor") was actually delivered in 1930, whereas the film starts some years later.

Quotes:

Winston Churchill: There may be a war. I grant you that. Nevertheless we shall win.
Ralph Wigram: How can you say that? It's just mindless optimism.
Winston Churchill: [nods no] When I was at school, I had a friend called Merlind Evans. And one day we were talking about what we would do when we were grown up. And I don't know why I said this, or, why I thought it, but I said, "One day in the future, Britain will be in great danger, and it will fall to *me* to save London and the Empire."
Ralph Wigram: Schoolboy fantasy. I wanted to play for England or climb Everest.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Everybody Dance

Lets hope theres a sequel...

Albert Finney is an ASTOUNDING Churchill. Voice. Appearance. Mannerisms. He's got it all down. Vanessa Redgrave is equally good as "Clemmie." I don't know whether I enjoyed this film because it was about history or because it was a masterful bit of acting. It's historically accurate and shot creatively. Those overrhead shots down into the courtyards are masterful and effective. Lets hope HBO plans one or two more films with Finney and Redgrave, one about the war years and the other about Churchill after the war. One thing puzzled me though. Two huge events of the era were not even mentioned...Edward's abdication and the 1938 Munich crisis.