By the time The Gathering Storm went into production, it seemed like we had seen every possible story of Winston Churchill told in some way or another, whether in biographical dramas centred on the great British leader who led his country through the challenges of the Second World War, or where he is a supporting player in a larger examination of this world-altering conflict, where he is regularly viewed as one of the iconic figures in terms of the valiant efforts to conquer the malignant villains that terrorized the world based on their putrid ideologies. However, this has not stopped countless attempts to explore his leadership in subsequent years, and Richard Loncraine (a director who is rarely cited as being one of our great journeyman filmmakers, but someone who has been at the helm of many terrific films) sets out to join these ranks with this film. Adapted from the first parts of Churchill’s expansive autobiographical works, The Gathering Storm looks at the years immediately preceding his ascension to the position of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, focusing on his frustrating years as a backbencher, fighting against various issues, but having his voice deafened by the detractors who viewed him as an old curmudgeon past his prime and whose views were outdated beyond the point of parody, despite his fervent efforts to have his opinion not only heard but ratified into law since he genuinely believed he had more to say than his peers would have ever acknowledged. A compelling but traditional biographical drama that doesn’t add anything particularly revolutionary to his story, but still has an abundance of charm that makes it easily digestible and often quite funny, The Gathering Storm is quite an effective work that takes a look at one of history’s most famous leaders, exploring different facets of his life, especially in those years leading up to his role in leading Britain to victory over destructive forces.

When discussing Churchill, it is unlikely that we will ever find a work that covers his entire life and career – arguably this is because his early life is not nearly as interesting as the period for which he is most known (although on a political and historical level, there is some intrigue, but not enough to warrant too much time in biographical works on his past), and it is usually more efficient to choose a particular era and explore his efforts in detail, rather than providing a sweeping account of his experiences and encounters. The Gathering Storm is not an exception – what we have is a film that looks at the period between 1934 and 1939, commonly referred to as Churchill’s “wilderness years”, since this was between holding prominent office in positions like Secretary of State for the Colonies and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and his eventual election as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the era in which he was still heavily involved in politics, but as a back-bencher, and someone who was not taken particularly seriously, his political ambitions being dismissed as nothing more than ramblings of a man who was best viewed as a remnant of the past (with the knowledge that he was yet to make his most lasting contribution to world history being a source of a lot of the film’s humour), but who still held a lot of sway as a veteran of the political elite. However, the aspect that this film is most focused on exploring is how his domestic life functioned in conjunction with his political career – the moments when we are given glimpses into his personal experiences, whether his relationship with his longtime wife Clementine, or the bonds he formed with his children and grandchildren, or his regular pastimes, are undeniably the most memorable aspects of this film since it gives us a chance to peer behind the curtain and see an artistic representation of this well-regarded iconoclast, which does offer a slightly different perspective on his experiences and efforts to bring his political ambitions to life, while also balancing his domestic affairs, which we can see was immensely impacted by his work, the balance of the two being the primary source of tension throughout this film.

For decades, it has seemed like something of a rite of passage for every British actor of a certain age to play Churchill at some point – it wasn’t even necessary for them to be pug-like or rotund in appearance, as we have seen in portrayals by the likes of Richard Burton and Gary Oldman. However, the only negative aspect of having him be one of the most portrayed characters in the history of film, television and the theatre is that it feels oddly over-saturated, and there is often very little that distinguishes these performances from one another – they all seem to descend into the same territory, relying on identical tics and physical quirks that may be indicative of their immense research into Churchill and his distinctive behaviour, but ultimately coalesce into an almost homogeneous mass of performances. There is never any consensus as to who delivered the finest portrayal of Churchill, but it seems appropriate that a lot of attention is given to Albert Finney, who is indeed quite possibly the most compelling example of an actor taking on the role. The main difference between what Finney is doing in comparison to those who also played the role in other projects is that it doesn’t feel like a caricature – Finney is quite a close physical match for Churchill (so there was not any need to transform him), and outside of adopting his distinctive speech pattern and personal style, the performance was relatively lacking in those common quirks, and instead we have a portrayal that feels vibrant, energetic and often quite charming, much more than just an actor playing the role based on mimicry. Finney was not always an actor who could avoid excess, and he often went over the top in ways that felt quite bizarre. The Gathering Storm is one of the rare instances where this intensity and slight artifice feels genuine and earned, and when surrounded by a cast that includes Vanessa Redgrave as his loving but feisty wife Clementine, and a range of other familiar actors plucked from all corners of the industry, it proves that this film has a solid understanding of how to work with its actors, rather than just giving them recognizable characters and asking them to simply exist in whatever period setting the film decides to focus on at any given moment. 

The very nature of The Gathering Storm makes it abundantly clear that this is not supposed to be some artistically-resonant work (although it is very well made, which is something that was always going to be a factor when hiring as competent a director as Loncraine, who may not be an exciting filmmaker but one who is deeply reliable in delivering solid, meaningful work), but rather a detailed character-study of Churchill, whose experiences are central to the narrative. It was vitally important that the approach taken in characterizing the esteemed leader was not trivial or limiting – after all, we have seen enough undulation and praise heaped on him over the past few decades, and while he was a valiant and effective leader, he was not without his flaws, and as we have become more comfortable critiquing even the most famed figures, we have discovered traits and beliefs that slightly erode his heroic legacy. The Gathering Storm is a film that exists squarely in the middle of critiquing and celebrating Churchill, showing him as someone who was not by any means a perfect or particularly endearing figure, but who also had enough merit embedded within to make it clear that he was not someone who should be easily dismissed. His politics in particular become the focus – at the start of the film, Churchill is on a crusade against Indian independence (showing that he was not nearly as progressive in all areas of his career as some may think), but whose entire purpose was about maintaining British strength, even if that meant supporting its colonial project and promoting imperialism. The film doesn’t ask us to make too strong of an assessment of Churchill, but it does its best to make sure that we understand that he was someone who had his flaws and merits in equal measure, and it makes for quite a compelling character study, from which the entire film can thrive.

As a whole, expecting too much from The Gathering Storm is going to lead to nothing but disappointment on the part of the over-enthusiastic viewer, since this is a relatively straightforward, by-the-numbers biographical drama that doesn’t have much in terms of artistic resonance or any cinematic quality outside of a few well-designed sequences (it came at a time when HBO was grinding out decent but limited television films based on real subjects, so it was never a priority to be particularly revolutionary in the traditional sense), which can be slightly underwhelming for those seeking a film that is more nuanced in its perspective or worldview. However, what this film lacks in creativity it more than makes up for in heart and soul – this is a narrative centred on one of history’s most important political figures, who is brought to life with sincerity and honesty by Albert Finney, delivering one of his most spirited and compelling performances, proving that some actors are tailor-made for certain roles. Striking in how it strives to explore the psychological nuances of its subject in the same way that it sought to capture his political and historical significance, The Gathering Storm offers us some unfettered insights into the life and times of Churchill, looking at both his political career and domestic life, weaving them together to create a vibrant and masterful character study that aims to show that this iconic figure of 20th-century history was just as complex as any other human, and it succeeds wholeheartedly, being a deeply compelling and profoundly moving exploration of life from the perspective of one of the most fascinating individuals of the past century.