Courtesy: Cohen Media Group
World War II is one of the most powerful eras in the history of human civilization. That is because it displayed the absolute best and worst of humanity. Because the two polar opposites were so extreme in their differences, they also led to the creation of some of the greatest and most memorable movies of all time. Movies such as Patton, Tora Tora Tora, the Longest Day and so many others have gone on to become cinematic masterpieces despite being movies based on actual events. On June 2, 2017, yet another movie added itself to that list of movies certain to become unforgettable works centered on WWII when Salon Pictures debuted Churchill. Churchill, while being another movie based on actual events, is still a WWII-centric cinematic experience that is certain to engage and entertain audiences across the board. That is due in part to its central story, which will be discussed shortly. The work of the movie’s cast cannot be ignored either. It is just as notable as the movie’s story, and will be discussed later. Last but hardly least of note here is the work of those responsible for the cast’s costumes and makeup as well as finding sets that would make the movie even more realistic. Each element is undeniably important in its own right to the movie’s whole. All things considered, they make Churchill a movie that lovers and students of history and military history alike will appreciate.
Salon Pictures’ new WWII-centric movie Churchill is not the first time that a movie studio has ever focused on a famed figure from that awful war. Even with this in mind, it still proves itself a biopic/based on actual events story that lovers and students of history and military history alike will appreciate. That is due in part to the movie’s central story. The story focuses on British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s difficult decision whether or not to have British forces take part in the Normandy invasion that the world now knows as D-Day. Throughout the course of the story, audiences see a side of Churchill that has rarely, if ever, been shown in movies or on television. Rather than the strong, confident man that history has presented Churchill as being, he is shown here as an emotionally fragile man. A man who is struggling to come to terms with the death of so many British soldiers during WWI. That struggle leads him to struggle with the decision of whether or not British forces should take part in D-Day and the impact that it has on not only him, but those around him, too. Those around him include his own wife, who according to this story, nearly leaves him as a result of his internal struggle, his secretary, whose fiancé is scheduled to take part in the D-Day invasion and his fellow British and even American counterparts. Keeping all of this in mind, the man vs. himself storyline is really nothing new to the cinematic world (and the literary world). Even with that in mind, audiences will find themselves completely pulled into the story, waiting to see how long it takes Churchill (played expertly by Brian Cox – Braveheart, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy) to finally come to his epiphany and to come to terms with the past. Cox’s work and that of his cast mates will be discussed shortly. Keeping all of this in mind, even though Churchill’s story is essentially another based-on-actual events story with a familiar man vs. himself center, it is still a work that the previously noted audiences will appreciate because it is a story that has rarely if ever, been told. It is only one of the movie’s key elements. The work of the movie’s cast is just as important to note in examining the movie as its story.
The work put in by Churchill’s cast is so important to note in examining the movie’s whole because it is just as much to thank for audiences’ maintained engagement and entertainment throughout the movie. As already noted, Cox’s take on the movie’s titular figure leads the way. From one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, Cox makes Churchill a strong sympathetic figure for which viewers will feel so much emotion throughout the movie. Whether in his powerful arguments with his British officers and American Gen. Ike Eisenhower, his equally moving moments in which he is forced to confront the past or even his own personal moments with his wife Clemmie (Miranda Richardson – Empire of the Sun, Sleepy Hollow, The Phantom of the Opera), Cox handles every moment expertly, keeping viewers fully engaged. While Richardson does not appear on screen as much as Cox, she still adds her own depth to the movie as she takes on Clemmie’s own emotional struggle in dealing with Winston. While the pair are the movie’s main stars, they are not the movie’s only notables. John Slattery (Mad Men, Iron Man 2, Captain America: Civil War) and Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, Kick-Ass 2, Never Let Me Go) add their own touch to the movie, too as Gen. Eisenhower and as Churchill’s secretary Helen Garrett. Between their performances, those of Cox and Richardson, and the rest of the cast, the work put in by all involved forms a solid foundation for Churchill. The foundation formed by the cast’s work is really the movie’s most critical element considering the familiarity of the story’s style and approach. Whether or not Cox, Richardson or any of their cast mates are deserving of awards for their performances can be debated for days. Awards or not, one cannot argue how impressive the cast is on screen. Keeping that in mind, it becomes clear why the work of Churchill’s cast is so important to the movie’s whole. Even with its clear importance, it still is not the last of the movie’s most crucial elements. The work of those behind the cameras – most notably those responsible for the movie’s look – deserves its own credit.
The work put in by Churchill’s costume, makeup and set departments put the finishing touch to the movie’s presentation. It is thanks to their work that while the movie overall has a very streamlined look, it also boasts a look similar to its forebears. Audiences will marvel at the vintage military uniforms worn by Slattery and Danny Webb, who plays Field Marshall Alan Brooke. Much the same can be said of Mr. and Mrs. Churchill’s attire. The backdrops used for each scene do just as much to take viewers back in time as do the camera lenses and other visual tools used throughout the movie. The whole of those visual tools and effects leaves the movie’s visual presentation just as solid as the work of the movie’s cast. When the two elements are coupled with the movie’s story that is given, basic and familiar especially for war movies, the whole of those elements makes the movie worth at least one watch by lovers and students of history and military history.
Salon Films’ recently released WWII-centered human drama Churchill is a movie that is certain to appeal to lovers and students of history and more specifically military history. That is thanks in part to a story that while not exactly anything new to the military history genre (or drama genre) is still an interesting new take on one of the most famed figures of the war. The work of the movie’s cast forms the movie’s foundation. If for no other reason than the cast’s work, audiences will want to watch this movie. The movie’s look puts the finishing touch on Churchill’s presentation. The work put in by the movie’s costume and makeup department couples with the work put in by those responsible for choosing the movie’s sets and those behind the lenses to put the finishing touch on the movie. That work and that of the movie’s cast are what make suspension of disbelief in this otherwise average modern war movie possible. In turn, they are what make the movie appealing at least to lovers and students of history and military history. Churchill is available now in stores and online. More information on this and other titles from Cohen Media Group is available online now at:
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