The Gathering Storm

**Note:** this page is a test, to see how a possible expansion of the historical dramas list may look like.

***The Gathering Storm*** is a 2002 television biographical film produced by BBC and HBO about Winston Churchill's activities in the years just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

## Summary

Winston Churchill's wilderness years prior to World War II, when only he could see the threat that Adolf Hitler and a rearmed Germany posed to Europe.

## Historical Events

* Anglo-German Naval Agreement (June 18, 1935)
* German rearmament (1933-1939)
* Appeasement with Nazi Germany (1936-1939)
* United Kingdom declaration of war on Germany (September 3, 1939)

## Production Notes

* Chartwell House was Churchill's real-life family home and was used for the scenes at his house and grounds.
* The cast includes two Oscar winners: Vanessa Redgrave and Jim Broadbent; and two Oscar nominees: Albert Finney and Tom Wilkinson.
* The poem that Churchill recites, beginning "*Who is in charge of the clattering train?*", is *Death and His Brother Sleep* by Edward James Milliken.

## Historical accuracy

### Anachronisms

* The famous speech Churchill wants to revise (and later delivers in the House of Commons) at the beginning of the film ("*To see Mr. Gandhi, a seductive Mid-Temple Lawyer* [...] *posing as a half-naked fakir in a manner quite well known in the East, striding up the steps of the Vice-Regal Palace to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King Emperor...*") was actually delivered in 1930, whereas the film starts in September 1934.
* During the Battle of Blenheim scene, the Union Jack is shown as one of the colors of the English army. The Union Jack was only used as a battle-standard after the Acts of Union of 1707, three years after the Battle of Blenheim. The discrepancy can be explained because the all scene is a dream of Winston Churchill.

### Continuity

* During the Battle of Blenheim scene, the English soldiers are firing their muskets one at a time. Standard practice of the 1700's was to fire muskets in volleys. As said above, the scene is a dream of Winston Churchill, possibly explaining the goof.

## Reactions

* Robert Hardy, who played Churchill in *Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years* (1981) and who was critical of many other actors' portrayals of the British politician (including Timothy Spall in *The King's Speech*), acknowledged that Albert Finney did "*a fine job*" in *The Gathering Storm* because he was "*a through actor*".
* In 2016, Mark Lawson ranked *The Gathering Storm* for The Guardian as the most memorable television portrayal of Winston Churchill and praised Albert Finney's "*meticulous preparation*" for the role.

## Starring

* Albert Finneys as Winston Churchill
* Vanessa Redgrave as Clementine "Clemmie" Churchill
* Jim Broadbent as Desmond Morton
* Linus Roache as Ralph Wigram
* Lena Headey as Ava Wigram
* Derek Jacobi as Stanley Baldwin
* Ronnie Barker as David Inches
* Tom Wilkinson as Sir Robert Vansittart
* Celia Imrie as Violet Pearman
* Hugh Bonneville as Ivo Pettifer
* Gottfried John as Friedrich von Schroder
* Anthony Brophy as Brendan Bracken
* Edward Hardwicke as Mr. Wood
* Tom Hiddleston as Randolph Churchill
* Tim Bentinck as John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Churchill's ancestor
* Dolly Wells as Sarah Churchill
* Emma Seigel as Mary Churchill
* Nancy Carroll as Diana Churchill
* John Standing as Lord Moyne
* Gerrard McArthur as Vic Oliver

## See Also

* List of historical dramas
* List of historical dramas set in the Interwar Period

## External links

* *The Gathering Storm* on iMDB
* *The Gathering Storm* on Wikipedia

## References

1. ↑ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5286299/Churchill-actor-Robert-Hardys-verdict-Winstons.html
2. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/feb/26/winston-churchill-tv-ranked-michael-gambon-richard-burton-albert-finney