Churchill and the Generals

Winston Churchill was no doubt a giant of a man who will never be forgotten; truly one of the great figures of the Second World War. This portrayal of him, however, seems to dwell more on his limitations than on his strengths. As the title would imply, the focus is on Churchill the military leader - there's precious little to be found of Churchill the inspirational orator, who kept up the spirits of the British people when all seemed hopeless. There's a small number of snippets (and very short ones) from some of his speeches, but nothing at all from his great "we shall never surrender" speech after the fall of France. No, the focus is on Churchill the soldier, and it really isn't a very flattering portrayal.

Actually, the thing that kept coming into my mind was how "Hitlerian" Churchill seemed in this regard. Unable to confine himself to the diplomatic or even overall strategic side of the conflict, Churchill constantly inserted himself into operational matters, argued with and often overruled his generals, sacked those who disagreed with him, and focused on objectives of limited strategic value (shown most powerfully by his insistence on invading and occupying the Greek Aegean islands against the wishes of the Americans, only to have to turn to the Americans for help when his plan didn't work out.) Just as Hitler was seemingly fixated on proving to his generals that a former corporal deserved to be their leader, so was Churchill striving to overcome a past that raised doubts - as the Americans astutely noted in observing that Churchill's fixation with the Mediterranean at the expense of Operation Overlord was really an attempt to redeem strategic mistakes he had made during World War I.

Timothy West was convincing as Churchill - but in a limited way, since he didn't have to match Churchill's oratory in this role. He does manage to portray a man both arrogant and sometimes child-like, concerned with his historical legacy and totally convinced of his own abilities, even if few others were. The casting of the various American characters was more problematic. Joseph Cotten handled the role of George Marshall fairly well, but I thought Arthur Hill as FDR and Richard Dysart as Eisenhower were both lacking somewhat. This is a made-for-TV docudrama, and definitely shows that, both in its sets, its overall production values and even its music, so one can't look for something the quality of a big screen epic. I liked the look at this side of Churchill, though, and overall found this very interesting. 7/10

A Well-crafted presentation of Winston Churchill and the interrelationships between the generals and the Prime Minister. The acting is superb, the dialogue captivating, and the war film footage brings back memories of the horrors and deaths of so many fine men and women. If only the memories could stop the future carnage of people.

I remember watching this on PBS. Great series, particularly for a US audience, where there is not much said about the war prior to 12/7/1941. Wavell and Auchinleck did a good job and kept the Nazis and Facists at bay until the US got into the war, but got little credit for it. No stirring war scenes, but the dramatic dialogue between Churchill, his generals is gripping stuff since the fate of the world is at stake. That it is the actual messages between them lend an immediacy and emotional edge to the exchanges. You feel for the Generals, especially Wavell, far from London, at the end of a unsure pipeline of support of all types, logistical, political and moral, trying to soldier on.

I love Churchill and have seen a number of movies on his life. Biograghies and documentaries generally better than fiction.

But this is particularly unsatisfying. First is the childish and almost feminine demeanor of the great wartime leader played by this actor. Hair raising. Next is the British point of view, with overstatement of strategic importance of military power of UK during wartime. Next is almost complete lack of any history except the few encounters they chose to depict. I guess this is in the service of total focus on the generals, per se, which admittedly is the stated goal of the film.

We managed to endure almost 2 hours before agreeing to exit.

This under-rated drama has a classic quality all of its own. It gives a superb insight into the complexities of Churchill as a man and a leader. It also provides an intriguing peek at both military and political thinking on both sides of the Atlantic during the Second World War.

Casting can only be described as brilliant. Not only were the leading characters played superbly by established and fine actors but most had a physical resemblance to the real people they played.

It was released in the States on VHS a long time ago, but currently someone has posted it all on You Tube.

If you are interested in understanding the War from a different perspective, do watch it.