Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Brooklynn There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Ed-Shullivan Obviously Churchill never stated what I submitted in my above summary header but the following was one of his real quotes: "In politics when you are in doubt what to do, do nothing ... when you are in doubt what to say, say what you really think."So what I REALLY think about this film is the following:1. It was a heavily lob sided self ingratiating image of a well known political figure before he became just another fat pig at the trough spouting now famous boorish quotations.2. Churchill was born into a privileged lifestyle that 99.9 percent of the rest of the worlds (especially) women and men would never have had an inch of opportunity that the privileged young Winston was able to take advantage of.3. Historically even this film depicts that Churchill wanted power and so he self-promoted himself beyond reason through his books and his documented actions in war. Oh my God! Can you imagine if he were a young man today in 2018? I can only imagine what he would do with a high definition IPhone and IPad camera to take an endless stream of selfie portraits and videos sitting atop his glorious white horse. Puh - leeeese!4. His father was also a politician, and shortly after marrying his American born wife Jennie Jerome, was allegedly a cad suffering from syphilis which was the cause of his death while still in his 40's.5. The film reflects how both his American born mother Jennie Jerome (played by Anne Bancroft) and his father Lord Randolph Churchill (played by Robert Shaw) were not engaged in young Winston's upbringing such that they shipped him off to school with little or no visits by either of his parents. Only his nanny was actually close to young Winston.6. The film totally ignores that Winston had a younger brother named Jack and so in my view, Winston ignored his younger brother Jack, similar to the way Winston's parents ignored him. A cold family upbringing for both children.7. The film certainly reflects young Winston's eagerness to gain fame and a position of great power in the British parliament. But what about friendships? The film does nothing to reflect any inkling of simple friendships which most young people would cherish as their fondest memories. Instead Young Winston only reflects he met with senior leadership figures in politics, military and/or royalty and/or wealthy families. Shallow Young Winston to say the least. I give the film a shallow 3 out of 10 rating.

GusF Based on Winston Churchill's 1930 autobiography "My Early Life: A Roving Commission, this is an excellent and engrossing account of the early life of the future British Prime Minister. It has a very strong script by Carl Foreman, a previously blacklisted American screenwriter whose other works include "High Noon", "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "The Guns of Navarone", which hues closely to the historical facts. I have seen several reviews criticising the film for being confusing for jumping around in time but I had no such problem. It begins with a depiction of Churchill's service as a cavalry officer in India in 1897 before dealing with his childhood. I have not read "My Early Life" but I have read other autobiographies and biographies which begin with an exciting moment from the subject's life before dealing with his/her life in a more linear fashion so I don't see what the problem is, frankly. The film is very well directed by Richard Attenborough, my favourite director of all time. It makes great use of the locations from Churchill's birthplace Blenheim Palace (which I have visited) to Morocco and the action scenes, particularly the armoured train escape, are very exciting.In his first leading role and his biggest film role overall, Simon Ward gives a fantastic performance as the title character. He is exactly as you would expect Churchill to be and, in fact, was at that age: enthusiastic, extroverted, determined, arrogant and full of vaulting ambition. The film portrays Churchill as a good and decent young man but he is far from perfect as he occasionally gets in over his head and make impulsive decisions, a trait that he inherited from his father. The older Churchill, voiced by Ward in a very good impersonation, serves as the narrator and openly says at one point that his military service and work as a war correspondent were designed to increase his profile so that he would ever a better chance of being elected to Parliament. I don't know if this is a direct quote but, in any event, it is a refreshingly honest tact for the film to take. During two speeches, one to a reporter and one in Parliament, Ward perfectly captures Churchill's inflections and the theatrical manner in which he often spoke in public.Robert Shaw is excellent as his father Lord Randolph Churchill (a role originally offered to Attenborough himself), who is depicted as an emotionally distant father who spends little time with Winston. The older Churchill says that they only had three or four in-depth conversations in their lives and I have no trouble believing that. While Randolph would be considered neglectful in an emotional sense these days, this was a pretty common state of affairs among the British upper class in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. At the beginning of the film, Randolph is a young and strong man who has a bright future ahead of him and speaks very well in the House of Commons. However, after he is diagnosed with syphilis, he goes into a steep mental and physical decline and his final speech in Parliament is very moving as he repeats himself and stumbles over his words constantly due to his condition. Anne Bancroft has the largest role of any woman in the film as Churchill's mother Lady Randolph and is likewise extremely strong. Lady Randolph is depicted as a supportive mother but the older Churchill says that he loved her from a distance like the sun. She does her best to keep him on the straight and narrow when he spends more money than he has and tries to stop him from throwing his career away as his father did.As is typical of Attenborough's films, the film has a very strong supporting cast such as Pat Heywood as Churchill's devoted nanny Mrs. Everest (who was more of a mother to him than Lady Randolph), John Mills as Lord Kitchener (as in Attenborough's first film "Oh! What a Lovely War", Mills is cast against type as the closest thing that the film has to an individual antagonist), Ian Holm as "The Times" editor George E. Buckle, Anthony Hopkins as Lloyd George, Edward Woodward as Captain Aylmer Haldane, Patrick Magee as General Bindon Blood and Laurence Naismith as Lord Salisbury. It also features many great actors in smaller roles such as Peter Cellier, John Woodvine, Basil Dignam, John Stuart, Attenborough's brother-in-law Gerald Sim, Colin Blakely, Julian Holloway, Thorley Walters, Norman Rossington and Robert Flemyng. The director's then daughter-in-law Jane Seymour has a very early role as Churchill's love interest Pamela Plowden while the film features one of the final roles of Jack Hawkins, who died the next year. As was often the case in his later years, he was cast in a role that did not require him to speak as he had unfortunately lost his voice due to throat cancer and the removal of his larynx.Overall, this is an excellent film which does a great job of exploring the early life of the one of the most important politicians of the 20th Century.

pawebster What an excellent cast. Anybody who was anybody in the British acting world in 1972 was in this film. In addition, there was the little known Simon Ward doing a fantastic, difficult, turn as Churchill. The one thing lacking here - and it is due to the script - is Churchill's impish and often self-deprecating humour, which he brilliantly used to counterbalance the overweening ambition he was rightly accused of.The trouble is the poorish script and the plodding direction. Richard Attenborough had many great moments as a director, but this wasn't one of them. The pace is often slow and exciting moments are somehow rendered almost dull. Read Churchill's own account of his imprisonment and escape and compare it to this lame version.It has dated more than Churchill's true story and his own writings. The thing that has dated most is Anne Bancroft's ludicrous thick early 1970s makeup. If she had worn that makeup in 1900, she would have been for ever shunned as a harlot.I wish someone would have another go at this subject.

blanche-2 Simon Ward is "Young Winston" in this 1972 film, directed by Richard Attenborough with a all-star cast including Anne Bancroft, Robert Shaw, Jack Hawkins, John Mills, Pat Heywood, Ian Holm, Patrick Magee, Anthony Hopkins, Edward Woodward, Laurence Naismith, Robert Hardy, and Colin Blakely.The film is based on Churchill's book about his early life, which is far superior to the film because it encompasses so much more detail. We see Churchill in his early life going off to a series of schools, an original thinker who could do well in school if he put his mind to it. He adores his parents from a distance; his father (Shaw), a controversial figure in Parliament, dies a slow death from syphilis. His mother, Jenny (Bancroft), a great beauty, has a series of lovers, which is not covered here. Not considered a great scholar, rather than following his father into political life, he seems destined for a military career. His soldiering leaves something to be desired, though he acquits himself well when, as a journalist, he is caught in battle. He writes books about the war campaigns and becomes known - and sometimes not liked. Churchill does enter politics at a young age and loses. Undaunted, he keeps going, finally entering Parliament.Young Winston captures the different eras beautifully and is absolutely huge in its scope. The battle scenes are tremendous, and there are plenty of them for lovers of adventure films. The film was made in an era of the big, sweeping epic, and it doesn't disappoint.It's also helped by the fabulous performances. We have all seen the heavy, bald Winston Churchill, but of course he wasn't born that way. Simon Ward is the absolute picture of the young Churchill and does a brilliant job portraying a hard-working, ambitious, proud and sometimes haughty youth. Robert Shaw is wonderful as Lord Randolph, showing a powerful man and his slow decline. Anne Bancroft's performance may have raised a question or two. She speaks with a British accent, yet Jenny was an American, from Brooklyn, no less. Her accent is actually an informed choice - and who could expect less from such a stunning actress. Firstly, as the daughter of a millionaire, she attended the best schools, where upper class people were taught to speak with a British affectation; secondly, having lived in England, she naturally took on a stronger version of the accent. Bancroft gives Jenny the vivaciousness, intelligence and charm that the actual Jenny possessed.Some of the greatest British actors of the day have small roles, truly elevating the film. Notable is John Mills as the irascible General Kitchener, who emphatically does not want Churchill serving under him. Anthony Hopkins pops up as David Lloyd George; Patrick Magee as General Blood. Jane Seymour has an early small role as Pamela Plowden.I'm not sure audiences have the patience any longer to sit through a sometimes slow, historical epic like this that isn't riddled with special effects. I highly recommend reading the book "My Early Life" and then seeing the film for a more complete look at one of the most important figures of the 20th Century.