The Winds of War (1983– )

In the late 1930s, world politics begin to head in a dangerous direction. In Europe, Germany expands and rearms and proceeds to annex several border countries into the Reich. Meanwhile, ... See full summary »

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Ali MacGraw, Jan-Michael Vincent

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

Cast

Series cast summary:
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)
Dragomir Stanojevic		(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)
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)
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Maj. Gen. Tillet (2 episodes, 1983)
Scott Brady	...	Capt. Red Tully (2 episodes, 1983)
Edmund Purdom	...	Luigi Gianelli (2 episodes, 1983)
Lawrence Pressman	...	Bunky Thurston (2 episodes, 1983)
Lin McCarthy	...	Blinker Vance (2 episodes, 1983)
Enzo G. Castellari	...	Benito Mussolini (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 du Mont	...	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)

Storyline

In the late 1930s, world politics begin to head in a dangerous direction. In Europe, Germany expands and rearms and proceeds to annex several border countries into the Reich. Meanwhile, Italy attempts to establish a Facist Colonial Empire under Mussolini while the Empire of Japan stands ready for a major war with China. Enter the Henry family, headed by career naval officer Victor "Pug" Henry. "Winds of War" thus follows the exploits of Pug and his children, all of which are set against the backdrop of world events leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

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Plot Keywords:

japan | germany | 1930s | italy | luftwaffe | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Italian Polish Portuguese Russian Hebrew

Release Date:

6 February 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Herman Wouk's The Winds of War

Filming Locations:

Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jadran Film, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

883 min 720 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Herman Wouk's script ran 962 pages and contained 1785 scenes. It was shot in 267 locations, in six countries and on two continents, and took 34 months to film and 12 more to edit. There were about 50,000 costumes, and Robert Mitchum alone had 112 changes. When the cameras stopped, producer/director Dan Curtis had one million feet (185 hours) of film, which he cut down to 81000 feet. That was about 15 hours of air time (minus commercials).

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Goofs

During the scene where Captain Henry flies in the RAF bombing raid on Berlin, the aircrew keep calling him 'Admiral' as they were mistakenly told he was an Admiral at the briefing. Even if this had taken place, all officers are addressed as 'Sir' by ranks junior in the RAF. They would have addressed him as 'Sir' not 'Admiral'.

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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.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Robert Mitchum/Simply Red (1987)

User Reviews

Top Television Production

ABC made a very large splash with this production in 1983. It represented a very major project for the network & it drew big ratings. Dan Curtis did a very credible job within the constrictions of this. It has the look & feel of a major film in spite of it's small screen origins.

The total series is done from a world perspective on how things looked in the time leading up to Americas entry into World War 2. While the battle sequences are limited by what the budget could produce, they are effective.

The cast, while good is somewhat our of place. Robert Mitchum is a fine actor but is too old for the role of Pug Henry. Ali Mcgraw is attractive, but has difficulty bringing off the acting in her role. For a network mini series, this is very well done given these leads & a very large cast of supporting players.

As this series does move among several locales involved in the conflict, you get some feeling for things that happened like being in the Kremlin when Germany was bombing it. A short sequence of the German front line within sight of Moscow in 1941 is interesting. A Nazi party in Germany with Hitler & a group of American guests is unique.

The Russian sequences are some of the early feelings of the Russian front given to Americans historically before World War 2. Sadly, Americans were not exposed to what really happened on that front until after the 1980's when the Soviet empire split apart & some of the Russian archives were finally made public. Still, Stalin's portrayal in this is more balanced than some, almost creepy.

This film was the first to present FDR & show physically what a miracle it was that he was leading the US. It showed how he led but how his fragile leadership was hidden from the American public.

Overall, for television a crowning achievement. As far as art, Herman Woulks novel is better in spite of how much work went into this production.