Review by nw-17

Although Orson Welles, Patrick Wymark, and Sir Winston Churchill merit top billing for this fine documentary, not to be forgotten is the writer of the screenplay, Victor Wolfson. Mr. Wolfson also played a major role in selecting the documentary footage that is so skillfully woven through this film. In the art of movies and television it's easy to forget - as my father used to say - that without a writer to deliver a good screenplay you have nothing. In THE FINEST HOURS, the voice-over narrative is concise and dramatic. The language of the screenplay enhances but never gets in the way; it works seamlessly with the film's often stunning and rare visuals, and achieves an excellent harmony with the words of Churchill himself. The film is a fast-moving, dramatic, economical but complete overview of Churchill's marvelous life and times.