THE GATHERING STORM - 2002
RATED - NR (Adult language, adult content, brief non-sexual nudity).
RATINGS - 55 Amazon (4.5/5), 62,399 Netflix (3.8/5), 1,852 IMDB (7.5/10)
STARRING - Albert Finney, Vanessa Redgrave.
AWARDS - 2002 EMMY for BEST MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE plus 12 other wins and 21 nominations.
STORY - The HBO film opens with the camera under the bed of Churchill as he gets up stark naked from the rear and goes into the bathroom to relieve himself. With this very undignified beginning, we enter into the world of Winston Churchill in the days leading up to WWII. This is more than just about the political climate in England, it is the personal side of Churchill as well. It is about his life-long love relationship with his wife, Clementine as well as his life on his estate where he is struggling financially when the film opens and Clementine must step in to take over the finances to stay solvent. Much of the filming takes place on the actual estate which is amazing in itself. Of course, the focus of the film is the political world and Churchill's attempt to warn Great Britain and the world about the looming threat from Hitler and the Nazis. His is a lonely voice, at first. He had a true sense of destiny for his life and role in saving England. He had help, too, from inside the foreign affairs office, that would provide him confidential information about Hitler and his activities. It would be hard to imagine anyone playing Churchill better and more convincing than Finney. Redgrave is outstanding as well and is no minor character in his life or in the film. This is a film that deserves a much broader distribution than it has had. Really, a very brilliant picture of Churchill and the events leading up to WWII. You have to ask yourself, what would the world look like today without a Churchill? Warts (there are many) and all, this was an amazing human being. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 06/20/2009.
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