I actually paid 12 bucks to subscribe to HBO for a month just so I could watch this movie. I figured that is the price I'd pay to see a new movie in the theaters. While I'm glad I spent the money, I'm kind of lukewarm about the film.
As some have already noted, Gleeson was fantastic. I thought his voice, mannerisms, and even posture was spot on. The rest of the cast was forgettable (save for the King). FDR did not stand out. When Churchill was in the tub, I didn't realize at first that the man sitting outside the bathroom was the President of the United States. He just didn't appear presidential at times. The first half hour of the film was the best part. This was the first time I recall seeing a film profile the conflict between Churchill and Halifax in the early days. The "Fight on the Beaches" speech brought me to tears. It made me wish that the movie had showcased more of his speeches with the same approach. After that, the movie was far too jumbled to enjoy. Consider that Russia was not even mentioned until an hour had passed in the film. This was not due to some timeline being followed. Barbarosa, Pearl Harbor, and other events had passed in the film. All of the sudden, there's a meeting with Stalin. There were portions of the film that were enjoyable, but only to a select audience. For example, at the Yalta Conference, there was a good exchange between Churchill and FDR that showed Churchill's desire to help Poland and FDR's unwillingness. Yet, this was the first mention of Poland in the entire film. If you're not familiar with World War II or Churchill, then this movie is more like a series of non-contextualized discussions. Overall, I give the movie a 3 out of 5. Not horrible. Not amazing. Some good and some bad. It really should have been stretched out into a miniseries like the John Adams series from last year. Scott Manning Philadelphia, PA http://www.digitalsurvivors.com/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/ChurchillChat?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
