REBEL. SOLDIER. HUSTLER. PRISONER. FUGITIVE. FIREBRAND.

After his directing debut, Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Richard Attenborough turned his attention to Winston Churchill and a David Lean-style epic blending politics with military battles.

We learn what an adventurous life young Winston led even before his great political career, serving as a daring correspondent and soldier, leading up to the moment when he could do his father justice in the House of Commons with a speech against military buildup that became an ironic footnote in his life.

First-rate production values. Simon Ward’s narrating voice as the elder Churchill is contrived; he’s far more effective as the younger version.

1972-U.K. 157 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced by Richard Attenborough, Carl Foreman. Directed by Richard Attenborough. Screenplay: Carl Foreman. Book: Winston Churchill (”My Early Life: A Roving Commission”). Music: Alfred Ralston. Art Direction: John Graysmark, William Hutchinson. Costume Design: Anthony Mendleson. Cast: Simon Ward (Winston Churchill), Robert Shaw (Lord Randolph Churchill), Anne Bancroft (Lady Randolph Churchill), Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, Anthony Hopkins, Patrick Magee, Edward Woodward, John Mills, Robert Hardy, Jane Seymour. 

Trivia: James Fox and Malcolm McDowell were reportedly considered for the lead.

BAFTA: Best Costume Design. Golden Globe: Best English-Language Foreign Film. 

Last word: “In the scenes where he’s younger, I wanted him to be less distinctive, more like just another young man. But as he grew older, I wanted to show his character and mannerisms gradually developing. You have to remember that even at the end of the movie Churchill is just at the beginning of his career in politics, and the mannerisms, the famous World War II trademarks, were decades ahead of him.” (Ward, RogerEbert.com)