"The Winds of War" (1983) TV mini-series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

6 February 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

In the late 1930s, world politics begin to head in a dangerous direction. In Europe, Germany expands...

Plot Keywords:

Mussolini | Italy | Germany | Japan | Pearl Harbor

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Robert Mitchum	...	Victor 'Pug' Henry (7 episodes, 1983)
Ali MacGraw	...	Natalie Jastrow (7 episodes, 1983)
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Byron Henry (7 episodes, 1983)
John Houseman	...	Aaron Jastrow (7 episodes, 1983)
Polly Bergen	...	Rhoda Henry (7 episodes, 1983)
Lisa Eilbacher	...	Madeline Henry (7 episodes, 1983)
David Dukes	...	Leslie Slote (7 episodes, 1983)
Topol	...	Berel Jastrow (7 episodes, 1983)
Ben Murphy	...	Warren Henry (7 episodes, 1983)
Peter Graves	...	Palmer 'Fred' Kirby (7 episodes, 1983)
Jeremy Kemp	...	Brigadier General Armin Von Roon (7 episodes, 1983)
Ralph Bellamy	...	President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (7 episodes, 1983)
Victoria Tennant	...	Pamela Tudsbury (7 episodes, 1983)
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Field Marshal Walter von Brauchitsch (7 episodes, 1983)
William Woodson	...	Narrator (7 episodes, 1983)
Günter Meisner	...	Adolf Hitler (6 episodes, 1983)
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	Hermann Goering (6 episodes, 1983)
Werner Kreindl	...	Colonel General Franz Halder (6 episodes, 1983)
Rainer Penkert	...	Grand Admiral Erich Raeder (6 episodes, 1983)
Alexander Kerst	...	Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel (6 episodes, 1983)
Joachim Hansen	...	Field Marshal Alfred Jodl (6 episodes, 1983)
Howard Lang	...	Winston Churchill (4 episodes, 1983)
Anton Diffring	...	Joachim von Ribbentrop (4 episodes, 1983)
Timothy Stack	...	Yeoman Ryan (4 episodes, 1983)
Tom Holland	...	Devilfish Sub Captain (4 episodes, 1983)
Barry Morse	...	Wolf Stoller (3 episodes, 1983)
Michael Logan	...	Alistair Tudsbury (3 episodes, 1983)
John Carter	...	Colonel William Forrest (3 episodes, 1983)
Tom McFadden	...	Hugh Cleveland (3 episodes, 1983)
Roy Poole	...	Harry Hopkins (3 episodes, 1983)
Deborah Winters	...	Janice Lacouture Henry (3 episodes, 1983)
Joseph Hacker	...	Lt. Carter 'Lady' Aster (3 episodes, 1983)
Scott Brady	...	Captain Red Tully (3 episodes, 1983)
Enzo G. Castellari	...	Benito Mussolini (3 episodes, 1983)
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Major General Tillet (2 episodes, 1983)
Edmund Purdom	...	Luigi Gianelli (2 episodes, 1983)
Lawrence Pressman	...	Bunky Thurston (2 episodes, 1983)
Lin McCarthy	...	Blinker Vance (2 episodes, 1983)
Edmund Pegge	...	Air Commodore Burne-Wilke (2 episodes, 1983)
Leo Gordon	...	General 'Train' Anderson (2 episodes, 1983)
Elizabeth Hoffman	...	Eleanor Roosevelt (2 episodes, 1983)
Michael McGuire	...	Fred Fearing (2 episodes, 1983)
Ferdy Mayne	...	Ludwig Rosenthal (2 episodes, 1983)
Sky Dumont	...	Count Galeazzo Ciano (2 episodes, 1983)
Judith Atwell	...	Sally Forrest (2 episodes, 1983)
James Ray	...	Chargé Reese Claremont (2 episodes, 1983)
Stelio Candelli	...	Scarfaced Gestapo Agent (2 episodes, 1983)
Karl-Otto Alberty	...	White-haired Gestapo Agent (2 episodes, 1983)
Eloise Hardt	...	Mrs. Lacouture (2 episodes, 1983)
Henryk Rajfer	...	Groom at Wedding / ... (2 episodes, 1983)
Charles Lane	...	Admiral William Standley (2 episodes, 1983)
Hugh Gillin	...	Captain Jocko Larkin (2 episodes, 1983)
Andrew Duggan	...	Admiral Kimmel (2 episodes, 1983)
Richard X. Slattery	...	Admiral Bull Halsey (2 episodes, 1983)
Mickey Knox	...	Herb Rose (2 episodes, 1983)
Francesco Carnelutti	...	Avram Rabinowitz / ... (2 episodes, 1983)
Vjenceslav Kapural	...	Col. Gondin / ... (2 episodes, 1983)
Damir Mejovsek	...	Russian General in Farmhouse (2 episodes, 1983)
Anatoly Chaguinian	...	Josef Stalin / ... (2 episodes, 1983)
Heinz Weiss	...	Panzer General Guderian (2 episodes, 1983)
Matt Clark	...	Torpedo Man Hansen (2 episodes, 1983)
John Karlen	...	Ed PBY Pilot (2 episodes, 1983)
William Berger	...	Phil Briggs (2 episodes, 1983)
John Sanderford	...	Pierce (2 episodes, 1983)
Ben Astar	...	Rear Admiral Gorshev (2 episodes, 1983)
Ray Blackburn	...	Cinpac Ensign (2 episodes, 1983)
Richard Brent	...	Landing Officer Enterprise (2 episodes, 1983)
Francesco Chianese	...	Father Enrico Spanelli / ... (2 episodes, 1983)
Jerry Fujikawa	...	Yoguchi (2 episodes, 1983)
Laurence Haddon	...	Captain of the Enterprise (2 episodes, 1983)
Felix Nelson	...	F.D.R. Valet (2 episodes, 1983)
Maysie Hoy	...	Anna May (2 episodes, 1983)
James McIntire	...	Coxswain Pearl Harbor (2 episodes, 1983)
Jerry Velasco	...	Salas (2 episodes, 1983)
Tommy Lee Holland	...	Devilfish Sub Captain (2 episodes, 1983)

Also Known As:

Herman Wouk's The Winds of War (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

USA:883 min | West Germany:720 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Italian | Polish | Portuguese | Russian | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Jadran Film

Trivia:

Logan Ramsey who played isolationist Senator Ike Lacouture and Warren Henry's father-in-law, is actually Logan Ramsey, the son of Logan Ramsey Sr. who sent out one of the more famous messages in history: "Air raid Pearl Harbor. This is no drill".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Byron and Natalie pull up to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, the shadow of the camera crane is visible on the stone gate.

Quotes:

Wolf Stoller: There are certain conversations that have to be forgotten. And in Germany we have a phrase for such delicate matters. We say, "under four eyes."
Victor 'Pug' Henry: I believe I've heard that phrase.
Wolf Stoller: What transpires next is under four eyes. You and Armin had a conversation about this lend-lease bill. Did he make sense to you? You prefer not to say, eh? Of course. You are a diplomat.
Victor 'Pug' Henry: I'm a gunnery expert, misplaced in diplomacy, and hoping to get the hell out of it.
Wolf Stoller: A man of honor wants to serve on the field.
[offers him a cigar]
Wolf Stoller: Would you?
Victor 'Pug' Henry: No, thank you.
Wolf Stoller: That you sympathize with England is only natural. I do. I love England. After all, I spent two years at Oxford. But we know that in your Army and Navy, there is serious opposition to this lend-lease giveaway. Which will strip you of armaments, by the way. No, in war plans, you will be in a key position to foster this wise and patriotic opposition. Frankly, Germany needs friends in influential positions, to offset the Morgenthaus and the Lehmans.
Victor 'Pug' Henry: Herr Stoller...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinemania: I anodos kai i ptosi tou Nazismou" (2008)

Holy COW!

POWERFUL! POWERFUL! POWERFUL! Herman Wouk's novel is nearly as good adapted to the screen as it was a novel. The mini series was perfectly cast and superbly acted. I'd forgotten how beautiful Polly Bergen and Ali McGraw are in this film! Robert Mitchum's performance is absolutely flawless. I recall seeing this several years ago and I loved it then. I love it even more on DVD! I am now trying to find the sequel, War and Remembrance. If I recall, it is every bit as good! Back to this one, however. Ali McGraw does a fantastic job as a jewish woman trapped in a Europe dominated by the jew-hating Nazis. She is trapped because of the trepidation of her uncle, who hates to leave his beloved Italy. As a consequence, she ends up stuck as well. There are many complications, not the least of which is that she is married to an American Naval Officer, Byron Henry, superbly played by Jan Michael-Vincent. This is a long one (>15 hours!) but is well worth the time it takes to watch it.