
Churchill Film Review – Out Nationwide from 8th June
To speak up for the fighting men. Or should that be boys? Churchill cannot stand and watch, cannot be stained with yet more blood on his hands.
In Jonathan Teplitzky’s new historical biopic, we are not here to see the great man in all his glory, the illustrious leader we all know. Instead, it is the grave concern and his attempt to quash the D-Day landing that this film centers around.
Brian Cox is fantastic as the 69-year-old Churchill; all whiskey swigging, cigar chomping indeed, but yet, this film focuses on the days leading up to one of the most important decisions made in history, and Churchill’s attempts to stand in its way.
The backstory being his lessons learned from WWI, and most notably Galipolli, and how he now finds himself having led his country through the Blitz and war so far, but times are changing and this is very much, as Britain’s allies, America’s war and will his pride and passion derail their plans for Normandy?
With Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (John Slattery) and Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery (Julian Wadham) planning the Normandy landings by air, sea and land, the struggle for Churchill lies in his view of this sending men, boys even, to their imminent deaths. In his eyes, this being a plan belonging in the First World War; outdated in its approach.
Miranda Richardson takes the role of Churchill’s long-standing wife Clementine. In Richardson’s character, the backbone, perseverance and endurance is clearly there to be seen. Truth-telling, hard-hitting, could Clementine be the person to finally drag Churchill away from the dark memories of the past?
Surrounded by Clementine, his trusted Boer war colleague Jan Smuts (Richard Durden) and his assistant (Ella Purnell), Churchill battles with his need for valour versus listening to those around him.
This film is an interesting and compelling take on the man often regarded as Britain’s greatest ever person. Less focus is applied to the leadership qualities we all know he had, but more so a look at how he operated and how his tight grip on the past could have impacted this particular event, for better or worse.
By Ashley Leszczuk