The Finest Hours (1964)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Finest Hours |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1964 |
| length | 116 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Peter Baylis |
| script | Victor Wolfson |
| production | Jack Levin |
| music | Ron Grainer |
| camera | Hone Glendinning |
| cut |
Gerry Arbeid , Oliver Cheatle , Roger Pennington , Bryan Tilling |
The Finest Hours is a British documentary from the year 1964 .
action
The film describes the life of the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874–1965). The documentary describes his childhood in Woodstock, Oxfordshire and his school attendance at Harrow School . His professional experience as a journalist and his military service in Cuba, India, Sudan and South Africa are further topics. Churchill's political career up to the Second World War is also illuminated in this way.
The film focuses on Churchill's first term as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945, his political decisions during the war years and his meetings with allied partners US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin . The second term of office (1951 to 1955) is discussed.
Reviews
Bosley Crowther of the New York Times described the documentary as bold and expressive. The film is more than a simple compilation of newsreel recordings. It is an unusual piece of entertainment, compared to an audio-visual symphony.
Awards
In 1965 the film was nominated for an Oscar in the category of best documentary .
background
The basis of the script by Victor Wolfson were Churchill's war memories, which he wrote down in his book The Second World War ( ISBN 3-502-19132-8 ).
Orson Welles was the narrator for the film. Different historical persons were synchronized. Churchill himself was spoken of by actor Patrick Wymark . His parents, Lord Randolph and Jennie Churchill , were voiced by George Baker and Faith Brook . David Healy was featured as a news commentator. The young Winston Churchill was spoken by Marjorie Westbury , who used the pseudonym George Westbury here.
Web links
- The Finest Hours in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Review of the New York Times (English).