Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

SnoopyStyle It's 1934. Winston Churchill (Albert Finney) is in Chartwell working on a biography of his ancestor Duke of Marlborough. He's a backbencher warning against German rearmament. He despises the decline of the empire but only has a limited group of supporters. He becomes isolated. His wife Clementine (Vanessa Redgrave) discovers that he has suffered great losses and they are struggling financially. Meanwhile, government official Ralph Wigram (Linus Roache) is concerned about Hitler's laws especially with his beloved mentally challenged child. Wigram feels ignored by 10 Downing Street and starts illegally leaking to Churchill.Albert Finney is simply amazing but he's not alone. He's surrounded by some of the best in Britain including the great Vanessa Redgrave. The talent is impeccable. The production looks great for a TV movie. It's compelling history and an interesting behind-the-headlines espionage thriller.

George Wright I found The Gathering Storm to be an excellent historical drama, particularly with the leading characters of Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine ("Clemmie") played by Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave. How wonderful to have such accomplished actors whose performances give such vivid impressions of great characters from the past. Linus Roache gave a splendid performance as the Foreign Office official who puts principle above personal gain, with great risk to his own young family. Derek Jacobi is a great actor who continues to do excellent work. His Stanley Baldwin may not have been a lookalike for the prime minister who dominated so much of public life in the 1920's and 30's but I still found his performance impressive with a very moving scene where the two meet towards the end of the show. Actors Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville, Ronnie Barker, Celia Imrie, Lena Headey and Tom Wilkinson give added depth to the movie. The domestic life of the Churchills at their Chartwell estate sheds light on the difficult relationship between Winston and Clemmie during Churchill's dark period in the 1930's when he felt like a voice in the wilderness against the tyranny of Germany and the threat it posed to Great Britain. Winnie had his dog days and Clemmie told him how much she realized he needed to get back into the fray so he didn't subject the whole household to his moods. Winston took this as a backhand vote of support. The love and affection they share for one another is palpable, despite the strains on the marriage. There is also a strong hint of an affair between Clemmie and another man when she leaves for a lengthy cruise. In any case, the couple reunite and Winston eventually achieves his goal of re-entering public life with her by his side. This is the kind of movie I could watch again and again and the cast is superb.

ulleland Joining in with other recent depictions of great politicians and monarchs, this film describes in an exceptional manner the man Winston Churchill. Backed by such extraordinary talents as Vanessa Redgrave, Albert Finney brings Churchill to life in a most excellent way, giving us a thoroughly realistic image of his speeches, his beliefs, his narcissism - his strengths and his weaknesses. Along with his personal life, the troubling times are at the centre of the plot. Churchill's particular manner made him the perfect opposite to Hitler, and one of the few men in British politics to stand up to German aggression in an era of appeasement. Churchill is one of the great men of history, for better or worse. This film should be viewed by young and old, and its message burned into the minds of all.

northbaychassen I can't endorse this movie enough. It demonstrates the truth of destiny and what one may have to endure to accomplish one's destiny. I.e. that one has to keep trudging on, that one might know one level what their destiny is, but at the same time have to find out where it is in the real world. Also that even great men can suffer from depression. The difference is how it is dealt with.I should add the most important point which is that even when the whole of parliament was against him, Churchill stuck to his guns on his belief of what Germany was about. He was ridiculed, marginalized and not treated well. It was his preparation and his alarm bells despite all of this that saved England.And this is the real last point: it also demonstrates how important the support of those around him was.