I avoided this movie, assuming, because of the scale, that it would be an overproduced travesty. I also thought Simon Ward was only cast because of his uncanny resemblance to young Churchill and nothing more. Well, for a few years, now, I've been steeped in Churchill, reading books by him-The River War and Marlborough were brilliant-and about him. Right now I'm listening to the audio book of William Manchester's biography of the young Churchill, and upon noticing the film on TCM, I couldn't resist.
It's a fine movie, very faithful to the facts, with great performances across the board. What surprises me is how good Simon Ward is. I can't understand why he didn't get an Oscar nomination. Maybe at the time they thought he was just mimicking Churchill, but that would have been wrong. From all I've read, Churchill mimicked himself, that is, he was never out of character, even in private. His beloved wife Clementine had to take yearly vacations from him because, in her words, he couldn't talk to anyone without making a speech. interestingly, Robert Hardy, who had a bit part in the movie, later became the best Churchill of them all-The Wilderness Years-by playing Churchill playing himself and driving Siân Phillips as Clementine to distraction. But I think Ward shows admirable restraint. He doesn't make Churchill a caricature, as even the great man himself did.
Other reviewers are bothered by the interview device. Actually, I rather liked it. It was a kind of interior monologue for Winston and Jennie, fleshing them out without resorting to some kind of voice-over.
Robert Shaw is great as the tortured Lord Randoph. For me Anne Bancroft is slightly miscast. For one, though she favors her, she's not as pretty as Jennie, and she's a bit overly made-up. She seems to try too hard to show us why every man wanted to bed her. Aside from that, the casting is superb. Early ANthony Hopkins is always a treat. Even the young boys playing Winston looked and acted convincing.
As for the directing, Attenborough, while no Lean, handled the grand-scale story skillfully. Maybe the main reason I resisted this movie was because it plays the young Churchill like an action hero. Well, it's taken me all these years to realize that, indeed, that's what he was!
It's a fine movie, very faithful to the facts, with great performances across the board. What surprises me is how good Simon Ward is. I can't understand why he didn't get an Oscar nomination. Maybe at the time they thought he was just mimicking Churchill, but that would have been wrong. From all I've read, Churchill mimicked himself, that is, he was never out of character, even in private. His beloved wife Clementine had to take yearly vacations from him because, in her words, he couldn't talk to anyone without making a speech. interestingly, Robert Hardy, who had a bit part in the movie, later became the best Churchill of them all-The Wilderness Years-by playing Churchill playing himself and driving Siân Phillips as Clementine to distraction. But I think Ward shows admirable restraint. He doesn't make Churchill a caricature, as even the great man himself did.
Other reviewers are bothered by the interview device. Actually, I rather liked it. It was a kind of interior monologue for Winston and Jennie, fleshing them out without resorting to some kind of voice-over.
Robert Shaw is great as the tortured Lord Randoph. For me Anne Bancroft is slightly miscast. For one, though she favors her, she's not as pretty as Jennie, and she's a bit overly made-up. She seems to try too hard to show us why every man wanted to bed her. Aside from that, the casting is superb. Early ANthony Hopkins is always a treat. Even the young boys playing Winston looked and acted convincing.
As for the directing, Attenborough, while no Lean, handled the grand-scale story skillfully. Maybe the main reason I resisted this movie was because it plays the young Churchill like an action hero. Well, it's taken me all these years to realize that, indeed, that's what he was!