Churchill movies??

I am currently finding the book Blackout (by Connie Willis) to be HIGHLY entertaining. The series (followed by All Clear) follows the time travels of a group of "historians" who go back to observe pivotal events in history, such as the Blitz in England, the Dunkirk rescues, the saving of St Paul's, and historical events in other geographies, such as Pearl Harbor.

Their observations (at least so far as I have read, half way into Blackout) are of "everyday heroes" who helped make a difference in the historical context.

Some reviewers, who wanted more of the sci-fi aspects of time travel, do not appreciate the "trivial" stories of the "contemps" (people living in those times, experiencing the events first hand.) I am fascinated by the perspectives from "back then." One historian, for example, went back in time to pose as an American reporter interviewing soldiers rescued at Dunkirk. Instead, through a series of time travel mishaps that seem to be characteristic of the tales, he finds himselves on one of the rescue boats, taking part in an actual Dunkirk rescue.

I have read that the book is "deeply rooted in historical events."

With thanks to Larry who introduced me, in this thread, to the books:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/free-exhibit-on-those-who-saved-st-paul-s-during-the-blitz

The darkest hour is a very good movie with Gary oldman playing Churchill and they shot in the Churchill war rooms so you will see those scenes in the movie! The other Churchill movie is not as good in my opinion.

There's also a great book called Garden of Beasts by Eric Larson which is set in the same time period.

Enjoy!

Can't comment on the others, but I thought The Darkest Hour was quite good - some serious acting chops on display there. Worth a watch IMHO (no idea how well regarded it might be by the British). I thought it portrayed Churchill as a bit quirky but admirable. Great speechifying!

One of the best moments in the recent Dunkirk movie is when there is brief glum discussion of how logistical decisions made weeks or months earlier put the gears in place to make this hasty evacuation an inevitability.

Churchill’s Secret is a good watch. The Masterpiece podcast interview with Romola Garai and Michael Gambon is an interesting listen.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/churchills-secret/

Also, Dunkirk, as mentioned above.

British shows, movies, and books I’ve enjoyed? It’s a lifetime’s worth at this point. Too many to mention!

Yes to The Darkest Hour. If your heading to Bletchley Park, then I recommend The Imitation Game.

Another excellent book by Erik Larson (that will give you even more Churchill!) is The Splendid and the Vile. It’s set during the Blitz and is deeply researched. Larson really has a gift for making history come alive.

Loved The Splendid and the Vile. Excellent book.

Oldman won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour.

As an Albert Finney admirer thought he was very good as Churchill in The Gathering Storm. You’ll also have the privilege of seeing Derek Jacobi, Jim Broadbent, Tom Wilkinson as well as a young Tom Hiddleston in the film.

Recommendations:
Inspector George Gently
Line of Duty
Ridley
Scott and Bailey
Luther
Shetland
The Fall
Annika
Vera
DCI Banks

By “the Churchill movie” the other person would have meant The Darkest Hour, I’m almost certain, as that was the big Oscar-nominated cinema release of the last few years.

Your request for books/TV shows and movies about England is endlessly broad.

I don’t know if this is available for you to view, but there’s a very pleasant gentle BBC series called Villages by the Sea in which archeologist Ben Robinson looks at the history, architecture and geology of some of the UK’s coastal villages. Not just England, obviously. Beautifully filmed and always makes me want to visit.

Similarly any of what I like to call Portillo on a Train (I think it might actually be called Great British Railway Journeys?) in which a former unpopular Tory MP has recreated himself as a genial TV host and endlessly takes trains around the UK (and indeed Europe and USA, in other series). Very gentle, informative, nicely filmed.

Churchill the Wilderness Years the TV miniseries from back in the 1980s is still good with the title role played by Robert Hardy but it might be difficult to get hold of now.

I thought it portrayed Churchill as a bit quirky but admirable.

Well maybe because that is appropriate?

You might enjoy The Pursuit of Love, a 3 part miniseries on Amazon Prime based on Nancy Mitford's novel of the same name.

Lily James plays one of the main characters.

I appreciate all the great replies. I apologize for not responding sooner, we had a family emergency of a pleasant kind. A baby granddaughter arrived sooner than expected.

I enjoyed 'Churchill' with Brian Fox.

Timothy Spall plays Churchill in The King's Speech.

Rod Taylor has a cameo as Churchill in Inglorious Basterds.

The Wolf Hall trilogy is the best thing I've read in years (twice), and the TV series is excellent.
Though a much less physically imposing man than Cromwell was, Rylance is first class.

The Singing Detective, if you can get it, is outstanding. Michael Gambon.

Congratulations jules m and family!

We enjoyed the book Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village. Here's a review of it that explains its appeal better than I could: https://thebookbindersdaughter.com/2015/09/24/review-akenfield-portrait-of-an-english-village-by-ronald-blythe/

There's also a movie, which I didn't know existed until 5 minutes ago.

If you watch Grantchester on your PBS station and like the lead, actor Robson Green, you might enjoy watching his Amazon Prime series; Tales From The Coast. Travel series about the Northumberland area of the UK.

The ultimate Churchill biography is the 3 volume set by William Manchester, The Last Lion. One volume is 900 pages or so, so not a quick read but very well written.

Wow, so many suggestions, I can't keep up!

I have seen Imitation Game a few times, now. Wonderful movie with the wonderful Benedict Cumberbatch. However, it makes me deeply sad, this man made tremendous contributions yet died from suicide because his lifestyle wasn't accepted. He didn't do any harm, in fact, was a genius, and should have been admired.

We've been watching "Heartbeat". Took a while to get into it. Later seasons seem to have more substance and now we just enjoy the music and play "Name that Tune".

Also, a plug for the BBC program, "Patience" based in York. Not that it needs a plug. It is utterly amazing, and I look forward to future seasons. Worth watching whether you are going to York, or know someone with autism, or not.

@Left Gone, thanks for the clarifications. I wasn't aware that the interior shots were filmed in Belgium (and my google search said some in France) but the fictional series is set or based in York, England. Where I live it is currently showing on PBS and available on Passport.

Agree with The Darkest Hour. It's a great and inspiring film to watch. I had seen it myself on a British Airways flight heading back to the US in 2018.

After visiting Bletchley Park, I realized that The Imitation Game was an extremely simplified version of the story of intercepting and decoding messages during WWII.

Both the Darkest Hour and Imitation Game are excellent. For Churchill and the lead up to WWII, watch the Gathering Storm (2002) starring Albert Finney as Churchill.

Wanderer is right – If you visit Bletchely park you get a completely different idea about decoding during WWII. It was intelligence at an industrial scale with a workforce of around 9,000 workers at the peak of codebreaking efforts. Enigma is the most famous, but wasn’t the only code to break. It’s really impressive how everything was organized and carried out. The movie doesn’t represent well how it really was, nevertheless I enjoy watching it.

"Patience" is a remake of the very good French series, "Astrid", whuch was retitled "Astrid et Raphaelle in Season 2 due to the prominence of a second character. I haven't had a chance to see "Patience", but I've watched at least the first two seasons of "Astrid" via PBS Passport (subtitled in English). "Astrid" has a rating of 8.2 on IMDb, vs. 7.5 for "Patience", so I encourage anyone who likes "Patience" to go looking for "Astrid" as well.

I have heard Astrid is excellent. I was a little turned off that it was subtitled. I'm usually doing something when I watch tv which makes subtitles difficult. Plus, I have the same issues that I have with audiobooks, at some point, my mind wanders. Sounds like I should give Astrid another try. Actually, wish I could watch it on a plane, where I always use the subtitles. Lightbulb moment--If Astrid is on passport, I could download for travel.

Wow, thanks everyone, some great ideas here! Prequel to 'Into the Storm' is the 'Gathering Storm' about Churchill's time as more or less an outcast for criticizing Hitler between the Wars.

PS, There's a thread just above your question with an INCREDIBLE variety of information about English movies & TV shows. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/time-for-another-round-of-name-your-favorite-british-tv-show

The Darkest Hour was the movie that caused an increase in visitors to the war rooms.
The only inaccuracy that I know of was his secretary saying her brother died. In real life, her brother lived thru the war.
There's talk of a sequel being filmed soon too.
-Aly