The Gathering Storm

In the 1930s, Sir Winston Churchill (Albert Finney) was out of government, sitting as a backbench Member of Parliament. His was a lonely voice warning about German rearmament and the coming of a second major war on the continent. He lost a great deal of money in the Wall Street crash and now writes a biography of his ancestor the Duke of Marlborough, a newspaper column, and it's his only means of support. He has a close-knit group of supporters, not the least of whom is his wife Clementine (Vanessa Redgrave), who he loves very dearly. As he continues to press his concerns about Hitler, he is cast as a warmonger and frequently shouted down in Parliament by members on both sides of the aisle. With reliable information from a Foreign Office civil servant who feels the government is not accurately reporting on rearmament, he provides accurate figures to Parliament and the tide begins to turn. With the on-set of World War II in September 1939, Churchill returns to government as the First Lord of Admiralty.

Winston Churchill is named Prime Minister on the very day the Nazis launch their invasion of the low countries and France. The immediate concern is the fate of the British Expeditionary Force now trapped with their back to the sea. The evacuation at Dunquerque saved most of them. Churchill formed a unified government with the Labour party and was steadfast in refusing to negotiate with the Germans. He developed a personal relationship with U.S. President Roosevelt but England (as Churchill always referred to the UK) stood alone until the U.S. entered the war. By war's end however, Labour won the election and Churchill was out of office.