When Winston Churchill was voted out of office in the British general election of 1945 his wife Clementine wanted him to retire. Sound advice you would think, after he had led the nation to victory through the five horrific years of World War II. But Winston refused to go, and in 1951 he became Prime Minister again, at the age of 76. 'Churchill's Secret' is set in the year 1953. The Prime Minister is now 78 and his health is failing.
After collapsing at a dinner at 10 Downing Street, his long serving doctor, Charles Moran (Bill Paterson), diagnoses a stroke. His incapacity poses a problem for the government because his heir apparent, Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden (Alex Jennings), is also ill. His cabinet colleagues decide to cover up the PM's health issues until a detailed diagnosis is made.
Clementine insists he is cared for at home, and Fleet Street' s press barons - including Winston's trusted wartime colleague Lord Beaverbrook - are invited there to seek their agreement to keep the PM's illness out of the newspapers.
There is extensive footage of Chartwell, Churchill's country home in the Kentish countryside. It includes beautiful gardens in which he is taken in a wheelchair by his devoted carer, Nurse Appleyard (Romala Garai)), a fictional character but probably true to life bearing in mind the miraculous recovery he ultimately made.
Churchill, played by Michael Gambon, is as feisty as ever and clearly frustrated by the dire effects of his illness. However, his nurse is equally feisty and is in no way fazed by his irritable behaviour. And when Randolph (Matthew Macfadyen), his rude and overbearing son, patronises her with 'You don't know who I am do you?' she replies 'I don't care if you 're the Queen of Sheba you're not seeing my patient at the moment.' At the end of the film, Winston tells her he could never have recovered without her and presents her with a book, with a signed message of thanks.
Like many other leaders in history Churchill doesn't want to lose power. In his case it is particularly motivated by a belief he still has important things to accomplish - notably the attainment of world peace in the light of the development of nuclear weapons. His cabinet colleagues believe he should go, particularly Anthony Eden. In one memorable scene, the old man is seen painting as he informs an exasperated Eden he is staying on. His deputy, R A Butler (Chris Larkin) and long serving PPS Jock Colville (Patrick Kennedy,) also counsel retirement, but Winston is determined to speak at the forthcoming Conservative Party conference.
One by one Churchill's daughters arrive - Sarah (Rachael Stirling), Diana (Tara Fitzgerald) and Mary (Daisy Lewis) - and their conversations reveal their mental health has been substantially strained through living in the shadow of their father's fame and eminence. They fight both amongst themselves and with Randolph. Sarah chides her brother about his failure to win an election, while he positions her as an actress in plays and films that nobody has ever heard of. They all disparage Clementine, beautifully played by Lindsay Duncan. But she takes comfort from Dr Moran's assertion that she is her husband's 'rock'.
Directed by Charles Sturridge, 'Churchill's Secret' is a very well researched movie. Its historical accuracy is complemented by a convincing cast and excellent screenplay by Stewart Harcourt. It contains a lot of aspects of Churchill's life and family that I for one have not been aware until now. One to treasure without doubt.
After collapsing at a dinner at 10 Downing Street, his long serving doctor, Charles Moran (Bill Paterson), diagnoses a stroke. His incapacity poses a problem for the government because his heir apparent, Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden (Alex Jennings), is also ill. His cabinet colleagues decide to cover up the PM's health issues until a detailed diagnosis is made.
Clementine insists he is cared for at home, and Fleet Street' s press barons - including Winston's trusted wartime colleague Lord Beaverbrook - are invited there to seek their agreement to keep the PM's illness out of the newspapers.
There is extensive footage of Chartwell, Churchill's country home in the Kentish countryside. It includes beautiful gardens in which he is taken in a wheelchair by his devoted carer, Nurse Appleyard (Romala Garai)), a fictional character but probably true to life bearing in mind the miraculous recovery he ultimately made.
Churchill, played by Michael Gambon, is as feisty as ever and clearly frustrated by the dire effects of his illness. However, his nurse is equally feisty and is in no way fazed by his irritable behaviour. And when Randolph (Matthew Macfadyen), his rude and overbearing son, patronises her with 'You don't know who I am do you?' she replies 'I don't care if you 're the Queen of Sheba you're not seeing my patient at the moment.' At the end of the film, Winston tells her he could never have recovered without her and presents her with a book, with a signed message of thanks.
Like many other leaders in history Churchill doesn't want to lose power. In his case it is particularly motivated by a belief he still has important things to accomplish - notably the attainment of world peace in the light of the development of nuclear weapons. His cabinet colleagues believe he should go, particularly Anthony Eden. In one memorable scene, the old man is seen painting as he informs an exasperated Eden he is staying on. His deputy, R A Butler (Chris Larkin) and long serving PPS Jock Colville (Patrick Kennedy,) also counsel retirement, but Winston is determined to speak at the forthcoming Conservative Party conference.
One by one Churchill's daughters arrive - Sarah (Rachael Stirling), Diana (Tara Fitzgerald) and Mary (Daisy Lewis) - and their conversations reveal their mental health has been substantially strained through living in the shadow of their father's fame and eminence. They fight both amongst themselves and with Randolph. Sarah chides her brother about his failure to win an election, while he positions her as an actress in plays and films that nobody has ever heard of. They all disparage Clementine, beautifully played by Lindsay Duncan. But she takes comfort from Dr Moran's assertion that she is her husband's 'rock'.
Directed by Charles Sturridge, 'Churchill's Secret' is a very well researched movie. Its historical accuracy is complemented by a convincing cast and excellent screenplay by Stewart Harcourt. It contains a lot of aspects of Churchill's life and family that I for one have not been aware until now. One to treasure without doubt.