Churchill is a British movie directed by Jonathan Teplitzky. It stars Brian Cox as Winston Churchill, and Miranda Richardson as his wife, Clementine Churchill. John Slattery portrays General Dwight Eisenhower.
The entire film takes place just before and just after the allied invasion of Normandy, which occurred on June 6, 1944. I'm not a history buff, and I always assumed that D-Day represented a stroke of true military genius. I was never aware that Churchill was vehemently opposed to landing troops in northern France. According to what I've read, Churchill believed that the allies would do better throwing everything they had into the Italian campaign.
In what is apparently historically correct, Churchill fought against the invasion, but he wasn't really in control of the battle against Hitler. Eisenhower was the supreme allied commander, and the ultimate decision was his.
Brian Cox sort of looks like Winston Churchill, and after a while I could believe it. However, I don't think John Slattery looks at all like Eisenhower, so that portrayal just didn't work for me.
Also, given that we all know that D-Day took place, there's not much tension in whether or not Churchill can stop it. So, what we see in the movie is Churchill ranting and raving, bullying his wife and his secretary, and praying that God sends a rainstorm to prevent the invasion from taking place.
What bothered me most is that, according to the movie, Churchill's opposition was based on his own terrible decision to invade Gallipoli in World War I. It's true that the invasion of Gallipoli is considered one of world military history's great blunders. It's true that Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty when that blunder took place. However, this was a different world war, and the conditions and nature of battle were different. It's hard to know, from the film, whether Churchill would have been equally opposed to D-Day if someone else had been First Lord of the Admiralty in World War I.
We saw this film at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester, NY. Because there are no battle scenes and no shots of the D-Day armada, the movie should work as well on the small screen.
It's a must-see if you're interested in the history of WW II, or if you're interested in the role Churchill played towards the end of the war. If neither of these really matters to you, it probably won't work.
I don't think the movie is worth seeing just to see Brian Cox portraying Winston Churchill. He's very good, but I don't believe that the film is worth a special trip.
The entire film takes place just before and just after the allied invasion of Normandy, which occurred on June 6, 1944. I'm not a history buff, and I always assumed that D-Day represented a stroke of true military genius. I was never aware that Churchill was vehemently opposed to landing troops in northern France. According to what I've read, Churchill believed that the allies would do better throwing everything they had into the Italian campaign.
In what is apparently historically correct, Churchill fought against the invasion, but he wasn't really in control of the battle against Hitler. Eisenhower was the supreme allied commander, and the ultimate decision was his.
Brian Cox sort of looks like Winston Churchill, and after a while I could believe it. However, I don't think John Slattery looks at all like Eisenhower, so that portrayal just didn't work for me.
Also, given that we all know that D-Day took place, there's not much tension in whether or not Churchill can stop it. So, what we see in the movie is Churchill ranting and raving, bullying his wife and his secretary, and praying that God sends a rainstorm to prevent the invasion from taking place.
What bothered me most is that, according to the movie, Churchill's opposition was based on his own terrible decision to invade Gallipoli in World War I. It's true that the invasion of Gallipoli is considered one of world military history's great blunders. It's true that Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty when that blunder took place. However, this was a different world war, and the conditions and nature of battle were different. It's hard to know, from the film, whether Churchill would have been equally opposed to D-Day if someone else had been First Lord of the Admiralty in World War I.
We saw this film at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester, NY. Because there are no battle scenes and no shots of the D-Day armada, the movie should work as well on the small screen.
It's a must-see if you're interested in the history of WW II, or if you're interested in the role Churchill played towards the end of the war. If neither of these really matters to you, it probably won't work.
I don't think the movie is worth seeing just to see Brian Cox portraying Winston Churchill. He's very good, but I don't believe that the film is worth a special trip.