The Winds of War 

The trials of the Henry and Jastrow families in the early years of World War II.

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Ali MacGraw, Jan-Michael Vincent

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 6 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
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
Dragomir Stanojevic		5 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	...	Major General Tillet 2 episodes, 1983
Scott Brady	...	Captain 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 Ciano 2 episodes, 1983
Judith Atwell	...	Sally Forrest 2 episodes, 1983
James Ray	...	Chargé Reese Claremont 2 episodes, 1983
Stelio Candelli	...	Scarfaced Gestapo / ... 2 episodes, 1983
Karl-Otto Alberty	...	White-Haired Gestapo / ... 2 episodes, 1983
Dick Armstrong	...	Franz the Butler 2 episodes, 1983
Eloise Hardt	...	Mrs. Lacouture 2 episodes, 1983
Felix Nelson	...	F.D.R. Valet 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:

1930s | italy | germany | epic | 1940s | 

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Taglines:

The first theatrical motion picture made for television

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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:

Podolje Mansion, Samobor, Croatia

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jadran Film,Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

720 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Mitchum was ill during filming and spoke of retiring from acting.

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Goofs

The series takes place in the late 1930s. At the horse race in Italy, people are wearing Adidas shoes and 1970s clothing. Most of the women in Warsaw have 1970s and 1980s dresses and hairstyles; only Ali McGraw and other speaking characters are in period clothing. At Warren's wedding, all of the bridesmaids have late '70s/early '80s dresses and feathered hair.

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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 The 55th Annual Academy Awards (1983)

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.