"Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years" (1981) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Director:

Ferdinand Fairfax

Writer:

Ferdinand Fairfax (writer)

Release Date:

16 January 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Plot:

The story of Winston Churchill's life between 1929, when he lost his cabinet position, and 1939, when he joined Great Britain's War Cabinet - a period he described as the most difficult in his life.

Plot Keywords:

Prime Minister | British Lord | English Politics | House Of Commons | British Soldier

Awards:

1 win & 8 nominations

Cast

Robert Hardy	...	Winston Churchill
Siân Phillips	...	Clementine Churchill
Nigel Havers	...	Randolph Churchill
Chloe Salaman	...	Sarah Churchill
Tamsin Murray-Leach	...	Mary Churchill, as a child
Katharine Levy	...	Mary Churchill
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Brendan Bracken
David Swift	...	Professor Lindemann
Sherrie Hewson	...	Mrs. Pearman
Moray Watson	...	Major Desmond Morton
Paul Freeman	...	Ralph Wigram
Frank Middlemass	...	Lord Derby
David Quilter	...	Wing-Commander Torr Anderson
Sam Wanamaker	...	Bernard Baruch
Peter Barkworth	...	Stanley Baldwin

Runtime:

60 min (8 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Southern Television

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the first episode, "Down and Out," Churchill is seen giving a speech in the USA in 1929. A US flag is visible to his right, and the field (with the stars) is visible. The stars are in staggered rows, meaning it is a 50 star US flag. A 48-star flag, as in use in 1929, would have even rows of stars (six rows of eight).

Quotes:

[1936: Germany is rapidly re-arming. Yet Britain's leaders continue to ignore Churchill's calls for increased spending on Britain's armed forces]
Neville Chamberlain: If there's any danger to this country, it's *Winston*. He's the war-monger, not Hitler! If this country is ever dragged into another conflict with Germany, it will be precisely because of his irresponsible belligerence!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 28 Up (1985) (TV)

Outstanding drama, shot in THE location

Have to agree with everything that the others have said before me. This is a superb, outstanding drama and the kind of thing that good modern history lessons should be built around in school. One or two others have described it as flawless - I agree: and some of the dramatic touches added by the lighting are almost genius. One thing that some people may not know is that some of it - particularly some of the outdoor scenes but also I suspect, some appropriate indoor scenes - were shot at Chartwell, Churchill's country house which is preserved for the public and has a warm and friendly, home "family" atmosphere. And yes, Churchill did indeed get a kick out of building a wall or two there, as well as painting some interesting pictures - his art is much more highly regarded by the critics than Hitler's!!