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The Gathering Storm (2002 film)

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The Gathering Storm
Teleplay byHugh Whitemore
Story byLarry Ramin
Hugh Whitemore
Directed byRichard Loncraine
StarringAlbert Finney
Vanessa Redgrave
Theme music composerHoward Goodall
Country of originUnited Kingdom
United States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersFrank Doelger
David M. Thompson
CinematographyPeter Hannan
EditorJim Clark
Running time96 minutes
Production companiesHBO Films
BBC Films
Scott Free Productions
Original release
NetworkHBO
Release27 April 2002 (2002-04-27)
NetworkBBC
Release12 July 2002 (2002-07-12)
Related
Into the Storm

The Gathering Storm is a BBC–HBO co-produced television biographical film about Winston Churchill in the years just prior to World War II. The title of the film is that of the first volume of Churchill's largely autobiographical six-volume history of the war, which covered the period from 1919 to 3 September 1939, the day he became First Lord of the Admiralty.

The film, directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Larry Ramin and Hugh Whitemore, stars Albert Finney as Churchill and Vanessa Redgrave as his wife Clementine Churchill ("Clemmie"). The film also features a supporting cast of British actors such as Derek Jacobi, Ronnie Barker (his first role since retiring in 1988), Jim Broadbent, Tom Wilkinson, Celia Imrie, Linus Roache and Hugh Bonneville, and is notable for an early appearance by a young Tom Hiddleston. Lena Headey, Simon Williams, and Edward Hardwicke all make brief appearances amongst the supporting cast. Among the film's executive producers were Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. Originally the film was named The Lonely War.[1]

Finney gained many accolades for his performance, winning both a BAFTA Award for Best Actor and an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor. Ramin and Whitemore won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing. It won a Peabody Award in 2002 for being "a portrait of a 20th Century hero’s return from political obscurity to direct the destiny of a nation."[2] In 2016, Mark Lawson of The Guardian ranked it as the most memorable television portrayal of Churchill.[3] A sequel, Into the Storm, was released in 2009, with Churchill portrayed by Brendan Gleeson, which focuses on the prime minister's days in office during World War II.

Plot

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In 1934, Winston Churchill is deep in his wilderness years, and struggling to complete his biography of his ancestor the Duke of Marlborough, which he hopes will revive his fortunes. Winston is chided by his wife Clemmie for their lack of money and is aware that as a 'man of destiny' his moment may have passed. At the same time he struggles in the House of Commons as a backbencher to get a hearing for his concerns about German re-armament under Hitler and the policy of appeasement. Churchill is also disappointed by the behaviour of his son Randolph Churchill (Tom Hiddleston), which leads to further arguments with Clemmie, who announces she is leaving to go on an extended overseas trip. Churchill is devastated and throws himself into his pet activities: painting, and building walls around the family country house Chartwell. Clemmie eventually returns, and the couple are reconciled.

A young official in the government, Ralph Wigram (Linus Roache) has become concerned about the growth of the German Luftwaffe (air force), and is convinced by his wife to leak information about it to Churchill. Shortly afterwards, Churchill uses Wigram's information to launch an attack on the appeasement policies of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin (Derek Jacobi). In 1936, Wigram is found dead. Even though his death is thought to be suspicious, his death certificate records the cause as a pulmonary haemorrhage.

With Churchill's fortunes restored, by September 1939, with the declaration of war against Germany at the start of World War II, it is announced that Churchill will be taking over command of the Royal Navy again as First Lord of the Admiralty. An impatient Churchill bids farewell to the staff at the country house, and travels to London. Arriving in the middle of the night at the Admiralty, Churchill is met by a Royal Marine corporal who informs him the fleet have already been signalled that "Winston is Back", to which Churchill triumphantly replies, "And so he bloody well is!"

Cast

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Locations

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Churchill's real-life family home Chartwell was used for the scenes at his house and grounds. Indoor scenes were not filmed inside the house itself, but in replicas of its rooms built on Chartwell's lawn.[4]

Reception

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In 2016, Mark Lawson of The Guardian chose The Gathering Storm as the most memorable television portrayal of Churchill. He wrote: "This BBC-HBO account of Churchill's return from exile to save his nation will always be the one to beat. Finney doesn’t take many roles, and his meticulous preparation is apparent: he uncannily walks and talks almost exactly as Churchill did, while also vividly suggesting – especially in a scene where the leader, nude in his bathroom, dictates a speech to a secretary – the character’s battles between body and mind."[3]

The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 83% approval rating based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 6.60/10.[5]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2002
 Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Won [6]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Albert Finney Won
Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Vanessa Redgrave Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Jim Broadbent Won
Tom Wilkinson Nominated
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Won
Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best New Theme Song in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best New Titles Sequence in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Sound in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Julie Payne, Tracey Scoffield,
Lisa Ellzey, Frank Doelger, and David M. Thompson 		Won [7]
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Albert Finney Won
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Vanessa Redgrave Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Jim Broadbent Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Richard Loncraine Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Larry Ramin and Hugh Whitemore Won
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Irene Lamb Nominated
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Jenny Beavan, Anna Kot, and Clare Spragge Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie David Stephenson, Rick Ash, John Hayward, and Richard Pryke Nominated
2003
 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Best Grownup Love Story Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave Won [8]
American Film Institute Awards Top 10 Television Programs Won [9]
British Academy Television Awards Best Actor Albert Finney Won [10]
Best Actress Vanessa Redgrave Nominated
British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Costume Design Jenny Beavan Nominated [11]
Best Make-Up and Hair Design Daniel Parker, Frances Hannon, and Stephen Rose Won
Best Original Television Music Howard Goodall Nominated
Best Production Design Luciana Arrighi Won
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Single Drama Won [12]
Best Actor Albert Finney Won
Best Actress Vanessa Redgrave Won
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television – Movies of the Week and Mini-Series David Stephenson, Rick Ash, John Hayward, and Richard Pryke Nominated [13]
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries Richard Loncraine Nominated [14]
Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Television Film Won [15]
Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film Albert Finney Won
Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Vanessa Redgrave Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Jim Broadbent Nominated
Peabody Awards Scott Free Productions,
in association with HBO Films and BBC Films 		Won [16]
Producers Guild of America Awards David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Julie Payne, and
Frank Doelger 		Nominated [17]
Royal Television Society Awards Actor (Male) Albert Finney Nominated [18]
Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated [19]
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Albert Finney Nominated
Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Vanessa Redgrave Nominated
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Jim Broadbent Nominated
Linus Roache Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Albert Finney Nominated [20]
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Vanessa Redgrave Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards Long Form – Original Larry Ramin and Hugh Whitemore Won [21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Lonely War". TCM Turner Classic Musics.
  2. ^ 62nd Annual Peabody Awards, May 2003.
  3. ^ a b Lawson, Mark (26 February 2016). "Close but no cigar: TV's Winston Churchills – ranked". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  4. ^ Kent Film Office (4 February 2010). "Burke & Hare Film Focus".
  5. ^ "The Gathering Storm". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  6. ^ "6th Annual TV Awards (2001-02)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  7. ^ "The Gathering Storm". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Movies for Grownups Awards 2003 with Bill Newcott".
  9. ^ "AFI Awards 2002". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  10. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Television in 2003". BAFTA. 2003. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  11. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Television Craft in 2003". BAFTA. 2003. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  12. ^ "2003 Awards". Broadcasting Press Guild. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  14. ^ "61st DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  15. ^ "The Gathering Storm – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  16. ^ "The Gathering Storm". Peabody Awards. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  17. ^ McNary, Dave (16 January 2003). "Big pix click with PGA". Variety. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  18. ^ "RTS Programme Winners 2003". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  19. ^ "International Press Academy website – 2003 7th Annual SATELLITE Awards". Archived from the original on 1 February 2008.
  20. ^ "The 9th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  21. ^ "Awards Winners". wga.org. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
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