Product Description

CONTINUING THE STORYLINE OF 'THE GATHERING STORM', THIS IS A LOOK AT THE FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER'S LIFE AND CAREER AT THE END OF WWII.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1652 in DVD
• Brand: HBO HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2009-12-01
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 100 minutes

Features

• INTO THE STORM (DVD MOVIE)

Amazon.com
Into the Storm follows British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Brendan Gleeson, 28 Days Later) as he launches ferociously into World War II. The movie’s greatest strength comes from a shifting back and forth in time, portraying Churchill’s post-war life as well, when the very qualities that made him so effective as a military leader threaten both his career and his marriage. Anyone seeking a detailed analysis of the war will be disappointed; Into the Storm skips through history, less interested in the ebb and flow of combat than the weighing of decisions and the composition of speeches. Although this may sound uncinematic, Gleeson does a remarkable job articulating Churchill’s creative thoughts as he walks to and fro in his bedclothes, mulling over the right phrase to sustain his country’s morale, or facing FDR and Stalin across a table, working to shape an effective alliance. Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds) is even better as Clementine Churchill, a woman who never sought the political life yet strove to support her belligerent, passionate husband as best she could. Written by Hugh Whitemore (author of Breaking the Code and The Gathering Storm, to which this is a sort of sequel), Into the Storm is a complex, well-rounded portrait, capturing how courage and indomitability can, in peacetime, turn brutish and bullying. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Into the Storm (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Splendid, Captivating, Brilliant...
I've never written a review in my life, and at the end of my comments some readers may say they can see why; nonetheless this movie compelled me to share my opinion. A magnificent cinematic portrayal of Winston Churchill's service as Britian's Prime Minister during World War II. Brendan Gleesons performance as Churchill is superb, capturing not only his physical attributes but his careful thought provoking command of vocabulary as well. The casting of Roosevelt and Stalin is remarkable, you would swear you were a fly on the wall at Yalta. Janet McTeer as Clemmie (Mrs. Churchill) is the epitome of a proper British wife, friend and confidante to the Prime Minister. Iain Glen's role as King George VI is as royal as the monarch himself. Historically accurate and brilliantly written. From the Parlimentary debates to the actual war footage and Churchill's relationships with his cabinet, war ministers, family and the King. A great film, entertaining and informative. KBO-HBO!

A Solid Choice, Don't Worry
I was a history major in college and I teach a semester class in US History specializing in 1900 - 1950. I am very familiar with Winston Churchill who is 3 people in 1. The Man, The Myth and The Legend. This film does a very decent job with trying to show things that are not in the old black and white newsreels from history. Churchill was a great man, but he had his share of faults as well. The same as FDR did. History has declared their greatness, but also does not cover up their weakness either.

It's not a point by point documentry on his life, or his time as PM during WWII. It seems to try to capture the spirit of the events of 1940 -45. The British performances are very solid, they needed to do a bit better with FDR and did very well with Stalin.

You should also see "When Lions Roared " an NBC miniseries from years ago. All about the Big 3 with excellent performances.
Winds of War is fine, it's very long and the sequel War and Remembrance is filmed several years after the first one was filmed. but not much Churchill is in it.
The Gathering Storm with Albert Finney is another solid performance.

THE STORM CHASER!!
An excellent HBO production on the life of Churchill during the war years following up on their terrific film, THE GATHERING STORM, leading up to the war years. I didn't think Gleeson was quite as outstanding as Albert Finney in GATHERING STORM or McTeer as Redgrave but they both gave excellent performances. There is no question that Churchill, warts and all, is one of the most fascinating men in modern history. In the GATHERING STORM we learn of Churchill's sense of destiny for his life. In this film we see why he may have indeed been destined for 'such a time as this'. The circumstances are overwhelming for Britain. The future of the country and the empire are literally on the line. The film begins with the very early stages of the war in 1940 and quickly flashes forward to 1945 with Churchill and family vacationing in France by the ocean, waiting for the results of the election for prime minister. These flashbacks and flash forwards are both the strength and weakness of the film. They show us the 'before' and 'after' Churchill but often make it a little confusing at first until you understand what's going on. It also helps to have some knowledge about Churchill and WWII as the scenes are usually fairly short and don't give a lot of context. What you do you get is some very interesting insights into the mind of Churchill in the various war situations. For example, when deciding whether to bomb Dresden, his military advisers are concerned about civilian casualties but Churchill shows no concern for civilians and we learn shortly after the decision that 58,000 civilians are killed and 200,000 lose their occupations due to the destruction of war factories. We learn that he has loved military strategy from a young child and people question whether this might just another 'game' for him. His relationship with 'Clemmy' is also a fascinating one. She is a strong person in her own right and without her, it is doubtful Churchill would have fulfilled his 'destiny' in the way he did. A highly entertaining and informative HBO film.