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World War II - When Lions Roared
 
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World War II - When Lions Roared (1994)

Starring: Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins Director: Joseph Sargent Rating: NR (Not Rated) Format: DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Product Details

  • Actors: Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, John Lithgow, Ed Begley Jr., Jan Triska
  • Directors: Joseph Sargent
  • Writers: David W. Rintels
  • Producers: Bruce M. Kerner, David W. Rintels, Ethel Winant, Victoria Riskin
  • Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Rating: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: Koch Vision
  • DVD Release Date: February 13, 2007
  • Run Time: 194 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000KJTG0G
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,718 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
  • For more information about "World War II - When Lions Roared" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's hard to imagine more compelling material than the backroom machinations between FDR, Winston Churchill, and Josef Stalin that led to the precarious alliance of these three leaders against Hitler. World War II--When Lions Roared is an unusual mixture of scenes dramatized from speeches and diplomatic correspondence and archival newsreel footage. The three main actors--John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun, Kinsey) as Roosevelt, Bob Hoskins (Mrs. Henderson Presents, Mona Lisa) as Churchill, and Michael Caine (Alfie, The Quiet American) as Stalin--all deliver strong performances. Hoskins, even under heavy make-up, doesn't look much like Churchill, but he's got the man's gruff, stern cadences nailed. Caine's make-up is more effective, but the key to Caine's performance is in his mysterious, gimlet eyes. The script is oddly cobbled together from speeches and diplomatic correspondence and so thick with high-flown rhetoric and pontification, which certainly fits the mini-series' romantic view of WWII but can be a bit much to stomach after an hour or two of stirring declamation. When Lions Roared, as you might guess from the title, suffers from unapologetic hero worship of FDR and Churchill, presenting them as wise and resolute throughout, wily codgers the likes of which we shall not see again, etc.. Also strange are split-screen scenes of the leaders in their various lairs, from which they speak to each other as if in mid-conversation--obviously intended to depict the decision-making process economically, but the effect is uncomfortably chummy and glib. Nonetheless, history buffs will enjoy the wary regard in which these world leaders held each other as they negotiated the fate of the world. --Bret Fetzer


Product Description

Michael Caine, John Lithgow, Bob Hoskins and Ed Begley Jr. star in this award-winning mini-series shot in hi-def. At the Tehran and Yalta Conferences, the strong personalities of three of the world’s most powerful leaders threaten their fragile alliance. This riveting historical drama portrays the precarious relationship between Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin at the pivotal moments when the final strategies of the war hung in the balance.

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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
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 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful. History comes alive! Great entertainment., May 22, 2003
By Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
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This is great entertainment and great historical drama. It is based upon actual cables between Washington, London, and Moscow during the Second World War, and deals almost exclusively with the relationship between the leaders of these countries throughout the war. Franklin Roosevelt (played by John Lithgow), Winston Churchill (Bob Hoskins) and Josef Stalin (Michael Caine) spring to life as real but imperfect people who nevertheless are great leaders fighting a great war. Incidentally, the film focuses almost solely on the European war--the war against Japan is largely in the background, which has the effect of causing the film to somewhat diminish America's contribution to the war. This is a minor quibble, however. This is a wonderful film.

The miniseries does a wonderful job of juxtaposing dialog between the great war leaders with actual footage of combat scenes from the war. It tells a great story in a highly entertaining fashion, and does a splendid job of showing the viewer some of the problems, controversies, and arguments between the allied powers while the three leaders struggled to hold together the greatest coalition of nations in history.

The striking thing about this film is that it never deviates from its theme--to tell the story of the allied war leaders and the problems they faced. No bogus "love interest" material--this is historical drama with emphasis on the "historical." In fact, only a few actors in this film even have speaking parts--Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Molotov, and Henry Hopkins are the only ones I can recall.

The acting is very fine. I thought Lithgow did a great job as Roosevelt--although he looks and speaks differently than FDR did, he nevertheless pulled it off very well in my opinion. Bob Hoskins was quite literally perfect as Churchill, and as far as I am concerned is virtually indistinguishable from him. Michael Caine was taller and better-looking than Stalin ever was, but nevertheless did a great job in the role. Ed Begley Jr. did well playing Henry Hopkins, although since I have never even seen a photo of the real Hopkins I have no idea if he were true-to-life. Ditto Jan Triska as Molotov.

Wonderful historical drama that will draw and retain the interest of viewers interested in World War 2.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Words Cannot Describe How Incredible This Movie Is, February 10, 2006
By Kevin D. Wroblewski (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This movie is quite literally my all time favorite movie. I saw it originally air on NBC way back when I was in 10th grade and I was awestruck by it. The acting alone blows me away and since I have become an actor and director in my own life, I look to this movie quite frequently for inspiration. The fact that a three hour movie where only five people even speak and every line of dialogue is historical accuracy can so captively hold an audience's attention alone speaks for its greatness. That being said, I can understand that this movie wouldn't be for everyone. In this age of dumbed-down, attention-deprived American culture, I doubt most people would be interested in this movie for more than 5 minutes. But, those who enjoy history or just fine acting, this movie speaks volumes. I actually intend to adapt this as a stage-play in the future. I can only hope that someday it get's released on DVD.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars when lions roared, March 20, 2007
This was a very good movie. It gave us a chance to see behind the scenes of policy making in World War II even if there was a little dramatic license taken. I recommend this movie highly to anyone interested in this time period in history
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I thought it was
This is not a movie by no means. It is like a play with original clips from WWII. I was expecting this great drama. Instead I got this below standard skit.
Published 3 months ago by Matthew R. Morrison

3.0 out of 5 stars WWII History in 3 Hours +
I like this movie, but was surprised to find out it was a video production not tape.

A little short on detail it still entertained me... Read more
Published 7 months ago by RW

5.0 out of 5 stars Dave
An excellent reflection of just how sensetive and fragile political allies of different countris can be. Read more
Published 7 months ago by David D. Brezinski

3.0 out of 5 stars History in the Making
From a historial point of view this DVD is interesting. From an artistic video point of view it is disppointing. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Gerardine O'Hare

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable historical movie.
This mini-series was very enjoyable. Not really traditional Hollywood style though. Several of the shot compositions were a bit cheesy. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Malli22

4.0 out of 5 stars Far better than the Amazon review would have you believe
It is perhaps the nature of the medium that on the internet we continually get reviews which complain that the product would be much better if only it were something completely... Read more
Published 18 months ago by arucuan

5.0 out of 5 stars HIstory Comes To Life
This is by far the best docudrama I have ever seen. Once in a lifetime certain actors were born to play certain roles, and this is one of those times. Read more
Published on July 17, 2007 by William Jurgens

5.0 out of 5 stars A Docudrama that Entertains and Informs
It is good to see this 1994 television miniseries finally come out on DVD. Be prepared for a long evening (the running time for the two discs is three hours 23 minutes) but it is... Read more
Published on March 21, 2007 by Grady Harp

5.0 out of 5 stars World War II - When Lions Roared
Remarkable, seen from an entirely different aspect of most war movies
Published on March 17, 2007 by Norine M. Christian

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Writing, Good Acting, Historically Sound
The make up artists deserve all the praise they can get, but this series, while it has taken some historical liberties, is absolutely fabulous, and timeless. Read more
Published on October 23, 2006 by Daniel J. Morlan

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