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Churchill in Film and Video: Part 2, Documentary Productions
- By GWEN THOMPSON, DAVE TURRELL AND RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
- | March 12, 2024
- Category: Resources
Part 1 of “Churchill in Film and Video” comprised dramatizations—fiction based on Churchill’s life. Part 2 presents documentary productions. Both compilations constitute a work on progress, always subject to amendment and addition. Comments or corrections are most welcome. Please contact us via email.
WHERE TO FIND THEM: We have linked films available on the Internet. For others, check streaming video suppliers such as Netflix. Excerpts come and go on YouTube, so check there first. Older videotapes may be available on eBay and other intent sales sites.
Part 2: Documentary Productions
1960: The Valiant Years
BBC and ABC, twenty-seven 30 min. episodes. Produced by Gary Merrill, directed by Anthony Bushell and John Schlesinger, score by Richard Rodgers. Segments of Churchill’s memoirs are read by Richard Burton. Anecdotes feature Eisenhower, Truman, Attlee and de Gaulle.
This documentary received ten million views and two Emmy awards: Victor Wolfson for Outstanding Writing Achievement in the Documentary Field and Richard Rodgers for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music for Television. Entirely uncritical, but unrivaled for depth of material on Churchill and the Second World War.
1964: The Finest Hours
Le Vien Films, 115 mins., Produced by Jack Le Vien, directed by Peter Baylis, narrated by Orson Welles, with voiceovers by actors for the recreated scenes, including Patrick Wymark for Churchill.
For many years this was the standard film account of Winston Churchill, portrayed through recreations and actual footage. Factual and not hagiographic, but entirely positive: WSC’s only stated fault is opposing women’s suffrage in his youth, before he entered Parliament. Generally a tour de force. Available on YouTube.
1964: The Other World of Winston Churchill
Le Vien Films, 48 mins., produced by Paul Scofield, directed by Louis Clyde Stoumen, written by Caryl Brahms. Based on Churchill’s book Painting as a Pastime, with commentary on many of his over 500 oil paintings by friends and colleagues and the historical background of events and settings that inspired his work.
Extensive commentary by President Dwight Eisenhower and actress Merle Oberon, whom WSC befriended in the south of France after the war and greatly admired his art.
1973: Churchill the Man
Shell Oil and Statesman Films for BBC, 51 mins. Produced by William Mooney, directed and written by Peter Lambert. A documentary with newsreels and stills, prepared for the 1974 Churchill Centenary.
Commentaries by Sarah Churchill, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., historian A.J.P. Taylor, and a 1930s interview with former head master of Harrow and Churchill’s Harrow head master and longtime friend, Dr. James Welldon.
1980: Churchill: The Private War
HBO, 30 mins. In the “Warlords” series including Hitler, MacArthur and Patton. Produced by Arthur Holch, narrated by Hal Holbrook. Hyperbolically billed as “the secret story of a man haunted by his desire to succeed.”
Holch addressed controversial topics, including race relations in America, Hitler Youth, and life in Cuba under Castro’s Communism. Won the 1982 CableAce award for best Program Series—Documentary. Re-released by HBO Home Video, 1995.
1988: Late Great Britons: Churchill
Brook Productions for BBC1, 30 mins., directed by Peter Swain, narrated by Martin Gilbert. Third in a series of six argumentative episodes seeking to reassess famous reputations of famous Britons. Nevertheless it is in good hands: Sir Martin focuses on the more obscure aspects of Churchill’s career, including his views on social reform and international relations.
1988: Winston Churchill: Against the Odds
Films for the Humanities, 17 mins. We have no information about this documentary and welcome reader contributions; email The Churchill Project.
1989, 1995: Churchill: A Man of Our Time
Granada Television, 50 mins., in the series “Heroes and Villains of the 20th Century” (WSC is in the hero category). Reproduced 1995 by MPI Home Video in the series “Heroes and Tyrants of the 20th Century.”
A documentary using archival footage from two British Pathé productions. The first, “There Was a Man,” intones those words over stills and newsreels, mostly from the Second World War. High quality production the annoying scratches and poor sound so often encountered in old newsreels. The color funeral coverage could have spared us the syrupy language so common during public events at that time.
1988: The Speeches Collection: Winston Churchill
MPI Home Video, 30 or 60 mins. (sources vary). A collection of speech excerpts from original newsreels narrated by newsman Ed Herlihy. Beginning with the 1940 war broadcasts, we see high moments of speeches to Congress, Fulton (1946), MIT (1949) and the “Europe Unite” Zurich speech (1946), etc.
Despite its limitations, this is a valuable documentary for students of Churchill’s rhetoric, showing his flawless sense of timing and delivery. He knew exactly how to play an audience with the loaded pause, wry aside or powerful exhortation.
1991: The Complete Churchill
A&E Network and BBC, four 50 min. episodes, narrated by Sir Martin Gilbert. Subtitled “The Maverick Politician” (aka “Renegade and Turncoat”), “To Conquer Or To Die,” “Beginning of the End,” “Never Despair.”
Features newsreel clips and interviews with colleagues, supporters and opponents. Particularly valuable are extensive interviews with the Churchills’ daughter Lady Soames and longtime secretary to Winston and Clementine, Grace Hamblin.
1995: Chartwell
Meridian Pictures for the National Trust and History Channel, 50 mins., narrated by Lady Soames. No one was better qualified to conduct this guided tour of Churchill’s home of forty years, with intimate recollections of furnishings, pictures and memorabilia.
Lady Soames lingers in the dining room, “my favourite,” with its view over the Weald of Kent, remembering its many famous visitors and conversations. Outdoors we meet Jock the cat, the golden rose garden, the “Marycot” playhouse, the lakes and fishpond. Short sequences of Blenheim provide reminders of WSC’s birthplace.
1995: Rivals: Churchill vs. Hitler
Republic Pictures; 46 mins. Produced by Bob Jaffe and Gerald Abrams. Combines rare footage, interviews and historical documents to “capture the personalities and conflicts of the 20th Century’s most famous adversaries.” We have limited information about this documentary and welcome reader contributions; email The Churchill Project.
1996: The Churchills
WGBH for PBS, three 50 min. episodes, narrated by David Starkey. This documentary uncovers links between two great war leaders, both called Churchill: Winston, who defeated Hitler, and his ancestor John Churchill First Duke of Marlborough, who faced down another threat to Britain from Louis XIV of France. Starkey tells the life stories of each, including the abortive 1932 meeting of Churchill with Hitler. Available on YouTube: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3.
1996: The Churchills
Brook Associates and WGBH for PBS in two parts, 150 mins., narrated by Ian Holm. Another documentary of the same name, produced by Adriana Bosch, Cate Haste and Gregg Lanning. Combines newsreel and other archival footage with interviews with Martin Gilbert, Mary Soames and Celia Sandys. A New York Times review says it’s mostly about Winston, though no one has a bad thing to say about Clementine. The Los Angeles Times said it was marketed “as if it were dynastic soap.”
1997: Churchill and the Cabinet War Rooms
History Channel, 50 mins., narrated by James Faulkner. released in Germany as Churchill: Kriegsführung aus dem Bunker [Churchill: War Leadership from the Bunker]. Produced by Taylor Downing, directed by Andrew Johnston, written by Robert Sinclair.
A drama-documentary showing what Churchill’s working life was like in the Cabinet War Rooms during the Blitz. Adds scene recreations in the actual War Rooms to archival footage.
1998: Walden on Heroes; Churchill
Juniper Communications and BBC, 30 mins., narrated by former Labour MP Brian Walden. Produced by Michael Flood Page, directed by David Cox. First of six television episodes of Walden on Heroes.
Walden characterizes the memory of Churchill leading a gallant war against evil as a British “national myth,” arguing that “we must get past that to see a stubborn, arrogant imperialist unable to listen to criticism.” Evidently Walden never read F.E. Smith’s or Clementine’s criticisms, to most of which WSC listened.
2002: Great Britons: Churchill
BBC, 30 mins., presented by Mo Mowlam with Alex Jennings providing Churchill voiceovers. Produced by Jenny Abbott and Tom Archer, directed by Edward Bazalgette and Charlotte Moore, general presenter Anne Robinson.
One of ten episodes of nominees for the “Greatest Briton.” Following a poll of 30,000 UK viewers, Churchill won with 25% of the vote against a field including Sir Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare and John Lennon. Received one BAFTA nomination for graphic design.
2003: Churchill
BBC, three 60 min. episodes, narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, with Graham Walker as WSC and John Baddeley providing voiceovers. Directed by Lucy Carter, written by Carter, Polly Bide and Alastair Waddington.
Lady Soames and Celia Sandys offer their memories, and Sandys served as advisor to the program. Features much archival footage, attempting to “go behind the myths” to examine Churchills character and personality.
2005: Churchill’s Bodyguard
Acorn Media, thirteen 30 min. episodes, narrated by Robert Powell. Directed and produced by Martin and Philip Nugus, written by Jonathan Martin. This documentary is based on the diaries of Detective Inspector Walter Thompson, who is portrayed by John Tradewell with some voiceovers by Dennis Waterman.
Thompson was sometimes the only security Churchill took with him on journeys. Although he published four books on his experiences, publicity claimed his diaries were “classified for decades.”
2008: Chasing Churchill: In Search of My Grandfather
PBS and the Discovery Channel, narrated by Celia Sandys, starring Nick Clark Windo as young Winston. Produced by Stewart Binns, directed by Stephen Moore. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani appears in the episode “Wanted Dead or Alive” on WSC’s escapades in South Africa.
Tracing Churchill’s travels around the world, Celia Sandys considers his character, personality, anxieties and personal thoughts against the background of events.
2010: Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny
Moriah Films, 101 mins., narrated by Sir Ben Kingsley. Produced and written by Marvin Hier, directed by Richard Trank. The documentary examines Churchill’s political wilderness years, his early battle against Nazism, his support for the endangered German Jews, and his return to power in 1940. Sir Martin Gilbert, Churchill’s official biographer, was historical consultant. The production won an award at the 2011 Jerusalem Film Festival.
2013: Churchill’s First World War
Aenon Ltd. and BBC4, 93 mins., with Adam James as WSC. Written, produced and directed by Adam Kemp, commentary by Richard Lintern, an actor who has narrated many successful documentaries.
This documentary features archival footage and highlights letters between Winston and Clementine (Verity Marshall), telling their story in their own words. Their poignant exchanges when Winston was at the front make for dramatic moments. Adam James’s best-known appearance was a small one in 2001’s Band of Brothers.
2014: The World Wars
Stephen David Entertainment for History Channel, three 60-90 min. episodes, starring Tom Vickers as a young Winston and Ian Beyts as an older one. Directed by John Ealer, written by David C. White, narrated by Jeremy Renner.
Sensational in tone, the documentary examines the “Thirty Years’ War” between 1914 and 1945, combining archival footage and stills with dramatic reenactments. Includes pre-recorded introduction by Barack Obama with commentary by John McCain, Colin Powell, John Major, Dick Cheney, Stanley McChrystal, Leon Panetta, David Miliband, Prime Minister Mario Monti and others. Nominated for three Emmys including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
2017: Hitler vs. Churchill: The Eagle and the Lion
Roche Productions (France), 120 mins. Directed by David Korn-Brzoza. A film for television, first released in Japan and France. Attempts to highlight “the remarkable parallels” between the careers of Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill, “as well as their personal rivalry and animosity.” Further information requested. The only review we can find online complains that it refers to Britain as England, omitting the Irish, Scots and Welsh.
2019: Churchill and the Movie Mogul
January Pictures, 60 mins., narrated by John Fleet, with WSC voiceovers by Ian Beyts (who played WSC in The World Wars). Trailer online. Featuring a great deal of archival footage, this documentary examines the relationship between Churchill and the Hungarian refugee filmmaker Alexander Korda.
They enjoyed a close friendship and together produced many pro-English, semi-propaganda films. This production won a Master of Art Film Festival for Best Documentary in Art and Power. John Fleet discussed the work at Hillsdale College in 2019.
2021: Winston Churchill’s War
BBC Select, four 50 min. episodes, narrated by Liam James and Jon Rand. Produced by Serge Ou and Michael Tear, directed by Edmund Duff, written by Michael Cove, Rebecca Fleming and Mike Kenneally.
A four-part miniseries examining Churchill’s entire life and career, assessing the Great Man theory of history and considering his failures and accomplishments.
2022: Winston Churchill: The Unknown Story
ITN Productions and the History Center, six 45 min., narrated by Aaron Neil. Produced and directed by Chris Durlacher and Stephanie Seabrook. Extensive archival video and stills, plus commentaries by his friends, family and Churchill historians, tell a generally accurate story. Viewable on YouTube.
There are the inevitable lurches to trendy commentary, some by writers who despise him. Not everyone admired him, we are reminded—”what an incredibly contentious figure he was…. So hard to pull his whole career, good and bad, into perspective.” At his funeral, the dock cranes were allegedly lowered reluctantly, and only for money.
The overall impression is positive. The state funeral, in the words of Chartwell’s Katherine Carter, sent him off “with the pageantry of an age long gone.” Britain returned that day to is glory years, and Churchill personified that glory. —RML
The authors
Gwen Thompson is a junior economics major at Hillsdale College and a Winston Churchill Fellow. She studies in the Center for Military History and Grand Strategy, which includes helping staff the Center’s events. She has been a Koch Fellow and is currently Vice President of the Delta Phi Alpha German honorary.
Dave Turrell is happily retired from a lifetime career in Information Technology. A longtime Churchill bibliophile and collector, he is proud to have been a deputy editor of Finest Hour. His days are spent in arranging his books on his own plan and, even on the rare occasions where he cannot be friends with them, he is at least content to make their acquaintance.
Richard Langworth is Senior Fellow for the Hillsdale College Churchill Project and author or editor of ten books by or about Sir Winston.
Impressive research. Richard Cohen Founder of the Facebook Group entitled “Winston Churchill” with over 23,000 members.