| The Gathering Storm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Teleplay by | Hugh Whitemore |
| Story by | Larry Ramin Hugh Whitemore |
| Directed by | Richard Loncraine |
| Starring | Albert Finney Vanessa Redgrave |
| Music by | Howard Goodall |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers | Frank Doelger David M. Thompson |
| Cinematography | Peter Hannan |
| Editor | Jim Clark |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Production companies | HBO Films BBC Films Scott Free Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | 27 April 2002 (2002-04-27) |
| Network | BBC |
| Release | 12 July 2002 (2002-07-12) |
| Related | |
| Into the Storm | |
The Gathering Storm is aBBC–HBO co-produced television biographical film aboutWinston Churchill in the years just prior toWorld War II. The title of the film is that of the first volume of Churchill's largely autobiographicalsix-volume history of the war, which covered the period from 1919 to 3 September 1939, the day he becameFirst Lord of the Admiralty.
The film, directed byRichard Loncraine and written by Larry Ramin andHugh Whitemore, starsAlbert Finney as Churchill andVanessa Redgrave as his wifeClementine Churchill ("Clemmie"). The film also features a supporting cast of British actors such asDerek Jacobi,Ronnie Barker (his first role since retiring in 1988),Jim Broadbent,Tom Wilkinson,Celia Imrie,Linus Roache andHugh Bonneville, and is notable for an early appearance by a youngTom Hiddleston.Lena Headey,Simon Williams, andEdward Hardwicke all make brief appearances amongst the supporting cast. Among the film's executive producers wereRidley Scott andTony Scott. Originally the film was namedThe Lonely War.[1]
Finney gained many accolades for his performance, winning both aBAFTAAward for Best Actor and anEmmy forOutstanding Lead Actor. Ramin and Whitemore won theEmmy forOutstanding Writing. It won aPeabody Award in 2002 for being "a portrait of a 20th Century hero’s return from political obscurity to direct the destiny of a nation."[2] In 2016,Mark Lawson ofThe Guardian ranked it as the most memorable television portrayal of Churchill.[3] A sequel,Into the Storm, was released in 2009, with Churchill portrayed byBrendan Gleeson, which focuses on the prime minister's days in office during World War II.
In 1934, Winston Churchill is deep in his wilderness years, and struggling to complete his biography of his ancestor theDuke of Marlborough, which he hopes will revive his fortunes. Winston is chided by his wife Clemmie for their lack of money and is aware that as a 'man of destiny' his moment may have passed. At the same time he struggles in theHouse of Commons as abackbencher to get a hearing for his concerns aboutGerman re-armament underHitler and thepolicy of appeasement. Churchill is also disappointed by the behaviour of his sonRandolph Churchill (Tom Hiddleston), which leads to further arguments with Clemmie, who announces she is leaving to go on an extended overseas trip. Churchill is devastated and throws himself into his pet activities: painting, and building walls around the family country houseChartwell. Clemmie eventually returns, and the couple are reconciled.
A young official in the government,Ralph Wigram (Linus Roache) has become concerned about the growth of the GermanLuftwaffe (air force), and is convinced by his wife to leak information about it to Churchill. Shortly afterwards, Churchill uses Wigram's information to launch an attack on the appeasement policies of Prime MinisterStanley Baldwin (Derek Jacobi). In 1936, Wigram is found dead. Even though his death is thought to be suspicious, his death certificate records the cause as apulmonary haemorrhage.
With Churchill's fortunes restored, by September 1939, with thedeclaration of war against Germany at the start of World War II, it is announced that Churchill will be taking over command of theRoyal Navy again asFirst Lord of the Admiralty. An impatient Churchill bids farewell to the staff at the country house, and travels to London. Arriving in the middle of the night at theAdmiralty, Churchill is met by aRoyal Marinecorporal who informs him the fleet have already been signalled that"Winston is Back", to which Churchill triumphantly replies,"And so he bloody well is!"
Churchill's real-life family homeChartwell was used for the scenes at his house and grounds. Indoor scenes were not filmed inside the house itself, but in replicas of its rooms built on Chartwell's lawn.[4]
In 2016,Mark Lawson ofThe Guardian choseThe Gathering Storm as the most memorable television portrayal of Churchill. He wrote: "This BBC-HBO account of Churchill's return from exile to save his nation will always be the one to beat. Finney doesn’t take many roles, and his meticulous preparation is apparent: he uncannily walks and talks almost exactly as Churchill did, while also vividly suggesting – especially in a scene where the leader, nude in his bathroom, dictates a speech to a secretary – the character’s battles between body and mind."[3]
The review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes gave the film a 83% approval rating based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 6.60/10.[5]