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Winston Churchill - The Wilderness Years

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These wonderful miniseries are every Churchillian's Nirvana, and one inevitably compares them with HBO's acclaimed movie "The Gathering Storm" since they both dwell on the same topic. However there's no match between the two, and this Masterpiece Theater production clearly wins the day.

No offense to Albert Finney -Emmy Award and all- but he doesn't hold a candle to Robert Hardy's Churchill, a tough act to follow if ever there was one. The same can be said for Sian Phillips ("I, Claudius") as Clemmie, Eric Porter as Chamberlain and, for that matter, everyone else in the cast.

The movie covers the ten lonely, frustrating years of Churchill's political comeback. Sacked for his Gallipoli blunder, failed as Chancellor of the Exchequer, he was long considered an embarrassing has-been. Epicurean, pigheaded, politically incorrect at the time, histrionic -even pedantic- he alone, nevertheless, had the guts to cry wolf against the rising Nazi menace and call for rearmament, only to be ignored by hesitant MPs and tremulous PMs. On top of it he suffered bouts of jealousy and depression, family and financial problems and even an automobile accident in New York City. Yet, all through his ordeals he still managed to paint, write, lecture, garden, ride, hunt, build a brickwall by himself, and deliver the finest speeches of the XXth Century!

"Never stop, never weary and never give in!"

...and never give it another thought: don't miss this!

P.S.: Although he never met Churchill personally, Hitler makes a sinister cameo early in the series. He is played by Günther Meisner, a German actor who should enter the Guinness Book of Records as the longest running Hitler bit in history. Honest to God, I've never seen this guy in a role other than Hitler ("Winds of War", "Ace of Aces") -or a Nazi ("Is Paris Burning?", "Boys from Brazil", "Under the Volcano", etc.)! Talk about typecast!

This British miniseries is probably one of the best reconstructions of a dramatic period in history ever put together. It's the story of Winston Churchill, from 1929, out of office with everyone, including himself but not his wife, believing his political career is finished, to 1939 when, in the face of Hitler's invasion of Poland, Neville Chamberlain reluctantly calls on Churchill to become First Lord of the Admiralty. During these ten years Churchill is ignored, feared, plotted against and often disdained by his political foes. He also, as Germany rearms, is seen by some as the only force for realism and action that Britain has. And Churchill? He is a dominating force, by turns petulant, noble, sulking, roaring, overpowering with words, a dangerous opponent in a debate, sometimes outmaneuvered, sometimes quixotic. But more than any of the others, he was right about the things that mattered.

Robert Hardy plays Churchill in a performance that is extraordinary, far better than I've seen other actors' attempts at Churchill. Like so many British productions, the acting depth gives power and nuance to the program. Sian Phillips is Clementine, who loves her husband, believes in him and who knows he at times can be a child. As two prime ministers, Peter Barkworth (Stanley Baldwin) and Eric Porter (Neville Chamberlain) give fascinating portraits of men in power and how they behave. Baldwin, Churchill said once, was the most formidable politician he'd ever met. Baldwin is avuncular, sly, gets what he wants even if it means a bit of betrayal without ruffling a feather. Chamberlain is sincere, prissy, often ineffectual and an ultimately sad failure. There's Edward Woodward as Sir Samuel Hoare, ever ready to compromise except with Churchill; Tim Pigott-Smith as Brendan Bracken, firmly a Churchill man and an advocate for action; Clive Smith as Sir Horace Wilson, a senior civil servant who has far too much influence with Chamberlain; Peter Vaughn as Sir Thomas Inskip, who knows how to make the law work in favor of his party in power; Nigel Havers as Randolph Churchill, overshadowed and frustrated by his father; and so many others.

For those who are interested in the mistakes, the maneuvering, the decisions, the personalities and the plotting that led up to Britain finally intervening on behalf of Poland in 1939 with the declaration of war against Germany, this is a fine place to start. And for those who enjoy the complex and erratic nature of Churchill, this will also be a treat.

The production is first class, from the bespoke-looking suits of the politicians to the incredibly substantial-looking and detailed recreation of the House of Commons, where much of Churchill's genius is shown. Location shooting took place at Chartwell, Blenheim Palace, Clivenden and the U.S. Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years - 1929-1939 runs to eight 60-minute episodes over two discs. The video transfer is a bit soft but otherwise is just fine. There are a few extras.

This is THE most compelling mini-series dealing with Winston Churchill and the period in his life that carved a political rebirth of a man who believed his time was past, and life was soon to end. Little does he realize that while he can sense the fate of his nation, and Europe under the growing shadow of Nazi Germany's potential, Winston can little determine what life has awaiting him in the 20th century's most tumultuous era. Spanning from 1929 to 1939, these 8 hour long episodes detail the amazing journey of Britain's outspoken mastiff during a time of political abuses and short sighted,ineffectual, liberal strategies. In some ways, Winston is the modern Job who loses his vitalities one piece at a time. He is shoved backwards, politically, by his own party, loses his money in the Amercian stock market crash, loses battles against his own government's abuse of priviledge, becomes crippled in a car accident, witnesses the empire carved apart as it lets free India, then helplessly barks as Britain slowly disarms and appeases the burgeoning German juggernaut. But as faithful hound who can smell evil and not be swayed by gestures he sinks his teeth in and refuses to let go of issues that are corrupting the world about him; forces luring his domain into the catastrophic World War II. After years of being forced into political wilderness, Churchill finds meek voices warning him of the dangers looming on all fronts confirming his fears of disaster. In the final moments, his stalwart determination win him the admiration of his country who recognize his merit and empower his rebirth into political control and save Britain from invasion.

While the audio and video are rather unenhanced, and contain all the hallmarks of something primitive and emphatic from the early eighties, the story and acting excel this DVD set. Robert Hardy portrays a definitive Churchill, Timothy Pigott-Smith is brilliant as Brendan Bracken, Sian Phillips, Nigel Havers, Eric Porter, Edward Woodward and the long list of supporting cast are all excellent in their roles as Winston's family and contemporaries. This is one of the finest historical TV mini-series made. While sad and deteriorating for the majority it ends with the victorious emergence of hope as Britain takes arms against a foe it has ignored. If Britain's leaders had been vigilant during the 30's the Nazi war machine might never have advanced. Wishful, idealistic thinking is no alternative for prudent action; a valuable lesson for today's starry eyed society.

Robert Hardy is wonderful in the role of Winston Churchill. This rendition of Churchill's perceptive battle in the 30's to combat Hitler and awaken Britain from it's torpor is infinitely better than the recent HBO film "The Gathering Storm". The supporting cast is superb, particularly Peter Barkworth as Baldwin, Edward Woodward as the slippery Sam Hoare, Eric Portman as Chamberlain and Sian Phillips as Clemmy. It covers all of the major political controversies that Churchill was involved with, India, the abdication in addition to the battle over re-armament. A MUST buy.

Anyone with an interest in Churchill MUST VIEW this series. It is history at it's best. I viewed this series and taped in on VHS and treated myself over the years by rewatching it. In fact, based on this series I named my son after Churchill, with Winston as his middle name.

In short I can't say enough about the quality of this series. It will hold your attention for every minute, educate you on the main events and political drama affecting England in the 30's, and more importantly, give you the insight into how the politcal elite can lead themselves to craven acts of national destruction AND, how one man standing on principal can still save a nation from itself. The lessons here are timeless.

I would also echo the sentiments of the other reviewer who noted that this is far superior to "A Gathering Storm" which, though a good effort,is cartoonish in its characterization of Churchill, compared to Robert Hardy's performance. Hardy deserves the equivalant of the oscar for "Best Televison Performance of the 20th Century".

Get it, then watch it at least once a year. Each time, you'll come away with new insights, and new respect for what Churchill accomplished, and sacrificed, to save England from those willing to choose shame over war, only to get both.

Terry Martin

Winston Churchill's Wilderness Years was a period of about 10 years (1928-1939) when the man was out of office and generally at odds with his own political party's leadership over such questions as re-armament, granting independence to India, and the scandal surrounding Edward VIII's plans to marry an American divorcee. This miniseries - 8 episodes of 50 minutes - covers this time in an entertaining and informative matter. Granted, the first couple episodes give the feeling that they are plodding from plot point to plot point, but the series settles down into the smooth and enjoyable story of a passionate man whose ideas are not shared by his peers (nor the country in general).

Part of the difficulty of the early episodes is that there is a vast array of characters who are introduced with little or no background. For audiences outside Britain, this may present a problem. Those that don't already know Lord Beaverbrook, Prof. Lindemann, or Stanley Baldwin are likely to spend much of the early episodes trying to keep the characters straight. To the filmakers' credit, however, distinctive actors (they all look different and adopt distinctive mannerisms) are used for the parts, easing the transition into the Churchillian world. Especially noteworthy is Peter Barkworth as Baldwin and "The Equalizer" himself, Edward Woodward, as Samuel Hoare.

Unfortunately, there are some unfortunate portrayals. This is not the fault of the actors, but rather the director and scriptwriters. Hitler, for example, is portrayed as a sunken-cheeked angry man, which is the stereotypical Hitler but far removed from his public persona at the height of his popularity in the mid-30's. Likewise, Churchill's political opponents (Chamberlain, Ramsay Macdonald, etc.) are portrayed as callow, stupid, or bumbling, when by all accounts they were genuine, intellegent men whose only fault was trusting too readily the promises of those more politically cynical and sinister. Churchill's wife Clemmie is also portrayed in the least favourable light possible, as a selfish and cold wife, jetting off on cruises at a moment's notice caring only for her own comfort. While she did take numerous trips, they were to get away from an overbearing and selfish husband, the truth of which was well understood by that husband.

But, ultimately, the core of any miniseries about Churchill is the portrayal of Churchill. Robert Hardy makes a convincing Churchill, capturing his halting speech pattern, his slouching walk, his grimaces, etc. Comparisons with HBO's "The Gathering Storm," and Albert Finney's portrayal, are inevitable. For my money, the latter film is more "truthful" in that it better captures the essence of Churchill and his extended family (both blood and political). The Wilderness Years is much more factual - both because it's longer and has time to show more, but also because it makes a greater effort to put things in context and in order. Both are enjoyable in their own right, and of sufficiently different tone and pace that you're likely to enjoy both on their own merits without noticing that they cover the same material.

WINSTON CHURCHILL: THE WILDERNESS YEARS is an eight-part mini-series tracing the career of Winston Churchill (Robert Hardy) in the pivotal decade spanning the years 1929-1939.
1- Down and Out - 1929. Churchill visits America, wherein he conducts a successful, and remunerative, lecture tour only to invest and lose his money in the stock market crash.
2- Politics Are Foul - 1930-1932. Parliament wrangles over India. Stanley Baldwin convinces WC to make intemperate speech and is ousted. WC out of government and embarks on a second trip to America.
3- In High Places - 1932-1934. Churchill opposes the India bill and loses. Long digression to explain the behind the scenes maneuvers. Samuel Hoare, then Secretary of State for India, coerces evidence and invokes Privilege to steer India bill through Parliament. Invoking privilege and telling the investigating committee that "he (Hoare) is not a crook" of course evokes memories of Richard Nixon.
4- A Menace in the House - 1934. Churchill concludes his fight against corruption in Parliament and meets Ralph Wigram, an official in the Foreign Office, who begins feeding him top secret information on German fighting strength and rearmament.
5- The Flying Peril - 1934-1936. Churchill, armed with accurate and secret information on Nazi Germany, begins to rally the country to alertness, much to the consternation of the MacDonald government. MacDonald government falls and is replaced with Baldwin government, which excludes Churchill.
6- His Own Funeral - 1936. Hitler invades the Rhineland. Churchill supports the King in congress during the Abdication Crisis, advises against abdication, and loses a great deal of support and popularity.
7- The Long Surrender - 1937-1938. Hitler's armies stand on the border of Czechoslovakia. Prime Minister Chamberlain wavers and follows a policy of appeasement, much to the consternation of the vociferous Churchill.
8- What Price Churchill? 1938-1939. Chamberlain meets with Hitler and signs a pact, returns and declares he has negotiated "peace in our time."
THE WILDERNESS YEARS will appeal to C-SPAN junkies and political wonks. I've never visited England, know little or nothing of the workings of their political systems, and I've read Martin Gilbert's biographies on Churchill long enough ago to forget most of the particulars, but I found episode 3 and 4 the most interesting. This is a series that takes its politics seriously, and Churchill's battle against Hoare and the India Bill was fascinatingly detailed. And clocking in at a total of nearly 7 hours it has the luxury of going into many details indeed.
I've seen Churchill in old newsreels and have heard him on old recordings, not a lot but enough to be satisfied that Hardy was an excellent choice for the part. It didn't take me long to buy his performance. A bit unfortunately, this biography is something of a hagiography as well, and Churchill is glorified at the expense of almost every one of his political opponents. Perhaps it's a true recording, but the bias is pronounced at times and detracts from the reality of things. Otherwise a highly enjoyable and educational mini-series.

This is a mini-series of epic proportions. If you enjoyed the HBO movie, "The Gathering Storm," then this is a must see, and a more detailed oriented movie. The philosophical battle between Churchill, Baldwin, MacDonald, and finally Chamberlain keeps one glued to the chair. It is no wonder that Churchill went down in history as a lion proclaiming freedom and liberty over tyranny and terror. Every Churchill fan should own both "The Gathering Storm" and this movie; no Churchill collection would be complete without these DVD's.

I don't know which is worse, the sound or the picture. It's astounding that the copyright holders of this remarkable series was so hard up that they had to hand "The Wilderness Years" over to Lance Entertainment. This sorry outfit gives Madacy a run for the money as the worst mutilator of film since nitrate.

Robert Hardy is the most convincing imitator of Churchill I've seen. He is wisely depicted here with his foibles - his rashness and ineptitude in areas beyond his ken, such as the stock market and raising offspring - as well as strengths. And it's a treat to see Siân Phillips and Tim Pigott-Smith supporting.

Here's a story well-told, with interesting locations, too, from Churchill's home at Chartwell, in UK, to the Arizona desert. For anyone with an appreciation of the titanic events that shaped World War II, "The Wilderness Years" provides invaluable background, not only for Churchill as a major player, but for the others - Baldwin, Beaverbrook, Chamberlain, as well as movers and shakers with unfamiliar names, like the Sir Samuel "Iago" Hoare, who manipulated and connived on behalf of appeasement, and Horace Wilson, Chamberlain's oily doorkeeper.

Despite the vandalism of the print by Lance Entertainment, I give 5 Stars because "The Wilderness Years" is such an indespensible document that demands viewing.

While much has been made of A Gathering Storm, and Albert Finney's splendid portrayal of Churchill in that riveting film, Robert Hardy's Churchill in The Wilderness Years is as good, and more consistent, than Finney's, and this mini-series is better history. Hardy was arguably too young to play Churchill here, but his acting is superb, and one forgets the age disparity. This DVD--originally a TV mini-series from 1983, and the picture quality suffers for it--is engrossing, and with more time gives a fuller picture of the 1930s, up through the declaration of war in 1939. While A Gathering Storm omitted some things (and some people, with Neville Chamberlain unforgiveably absent), The Wilderness Years explores much more, and is much more accurate. A Churchill fan would need both DVDs, but if you are required to choose only one, this is the one to get.