Into the Storm (2009) Movie Script
WINSTON CHURCHILL:
"Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
'To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods?'"
(PEOPLE CHATTING)
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
This is the BBC Home Service.
The German army invaded Holland
and Belgium early this morning
by land and by landings
from parachute.
The armies of
the Low Countries are resisting.
An appeal for aid has been made
to the allied governments
and allied troops are
moving to their support.
His Majesty's government
and the French government
are taking immediate steps
to come to the assistance
of Holland and Belgium.
The prime minister
Neville Chamberlain,
whose conduct of the war
has been roundly criticized,
has summoned leaders
of his party
to an emergency meeting
at 10 Downing Street.
Now I had hoped to remain
as prime minister through
the current crisis,
but I've just been told
that the Labour Party
will not serve under me.
Therefore I shall
resign immediately.
One of you will lead
the new government.
Winston, would it be
possible for you
to discharge the duties
of minister of defense
under the direction of Edward
Halifax as prime minister?
What is your opinion?
I think Winston would be
the better choice.
Yes, I think so too.
Huh.
- Mr. Churchill has arrived, sir.
- Thank you.
I feel very uneasy about this.
People say he's unreliable.
Is that true?
Impulsive, sir,
Might be a kinder word.
If only it could've
been Lord Halifax.
He would've made the most...
perfect prime minister.
- Perfect.
- WINSTON: At 4:35 this morning,
Hitler's troops invaded
Holland and Belgium
and the Luftwaffe has
been bombing airfields
all across Holland
and northern France.
Panzer divisions are
moving through Luxembourg
towards the Belgium frontier.
Our troops and the French
are marching north
to block
the German advance.
- How many of our men?
- All of them.
The entire army.
It's an extraordinary
coincidence--
Hitler attacking the West
and you becoming prime minister
all on the same day.
(CHUCKLES)
Could be coincidence, sir.
Could be destiny.
And what happens if we fail
to stop Hitler in Belgium?
One must assume
he'll go for France.
Just 21 miles.
Is that enough to save us?
MAN: ...with the Chief
of the Imperial General Staff.
At 10:00, telephone call
to the French prime minister.
Mr. Attlee at 10:30.
Cabinet photograph at 11:00.
- Sawyers.
- SAWYERS: sir.
MAN: A further meeting
of the war cabinet at 5:00.
Drinks with
Lord Beaverbrook at 6:30,
Then dinner with Mr. Bracken,
Sir John Anderson
- and the Duff Coopers.
- And what about my sleep?
Sleep, sir?
I need at least one hour's unbroken
sleep In the afternoon,
otherwise I can't function--
sleep and a bath.
You'd better call
the second meeting
of the war cabinet
for 11:00 tonight.
- Yes, sir.
- Colville-- is that right?
- Yes, sir.
- Related to Lord Crewe?
- My grandfather.
- Mmm, give him my greetings.
I met my wife at his house
on Curzon Street.
It is my intention to form
a national government,
a grand coalition
of all parties
united for the duration
of the war.
Conservatives and Labour
are equal partners.
And as leader
of the Labour Party,
you shall be my deputy.
I shall be both prime minister
and the minister of defense.
We have a heavy burden
to carry, my dear Attlee.
People trust us.
We must tell them the truth.
We must never let them down.
If you could go to the middle, sir, with
the conservative ministers on the right
- and the Labour ministers on the left.
- No no, that's all wrong.
This is a national government.
The photograph must reflect that.
Attlee, sit here next to me.
Come along, everyone.
Halifax, sit next to Attlee.
Hurry up.
Gentlemen.
MAN:
The latest reports indicate
that the Germans are advancing
rapidly towards Calais.
The main thrust was through here--
the Ardennes.
We were trying to stem the invasion
of Belgium to the north.
We've been outmaneuvered,
gentlemen.
So that means
our troops are cut off?
- MAN: Yes, sir.
- And we can't link up
to the main French force
to the south?
Yes, sir.
I'm afraid that's correct.
If the German advance
cannot be stopped,
we might have to order
our troops back to England.
The question is, 365,000 men--
The entire British army--
How many can we get back?
Perhaps 50,000...
- (MURMURING)
- ...if we're lucky.
- Admiral Pound.
- Yes, sir?
As a precautionary measure,
the Admiralty should assemble
as many
small vessels as it can
in readiness
for a large-scale evacuation.
That's already in hand, sir.
Tugboats, yachts, fishing craft,
lighters, barges,
pleasure boats--
Everything must
be called into service.
Well, if we are
forced to evacuate,
We must assume the Germans
will attempt to invade us
very shortly thereafter
beginning, one assumes,
with air attacks.
Unrestricted air attacks
aimed at breaking
public morale.
They'd also try to starve us
by attacking shipping and ports.
- MAN: True.
- POUND: Invasion would follow.
What about tanks? How many
have we got with the army?
- How many are being made?
- The plan is to evacuate
Women and children
from southern coastal towns.
Sounds a bit extreme.
The P.M. wants to know
how much mustard gas we have.
HALIFAX: I had a chat
with the Italian ambassador.
He made it clear
That if we were
to approach his government,
with a view to discussing
a general European settlement,
- We would not be rebuffed.
- What exactly does he mean by that?
That Mussolini is prepared
to act as an intermediary
between us,
the French and Hitler.
Any hint of negotiation would destroy
the morale of our people.
I think perhaps
not in the present circumstances.
The ambassador was
most conciliatory--
Not all all extreme,
very well-mannered.
Of course, they would expect
something in exchange.
- Oh, of course.
- Such as what?
Malta, perhaps.
Gibraltar.
Perhaps Uganda.
Winston?
My dear Edward,
if I thought we could get out
of our present difficulties
by giving up Malta, Gibraltar
or a few of the African colonies,
I'd jump at it,
But Hitler cannot be trusted.
No point in talking
with the eyeties.
The French are very keen
we should give it a try.
To hell with the French.
If they're not prepared to fight,
let them give up.
I will not allow this country to be
dragged down a slippery slope.
What is the point
of becoming a slave state?
Winston, for the love of God,
will you face facts?
We could lose a quarter
of a million men at Dunkirk.
Nations that go down fighting
rise up again.
Those that surrender
tamely are finished.
We cannot win this war
without a devastating loss
of life and resources.
Don't destroy everything
you most want to preserve.
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
This is the BBC Home Service.
Belgium has surrendered.
In preparation for invasion,
15 towns on the...
(ANNOUNCER CONTINUES)
What's the matter?
I've been on the telephone
with general Gamelin.
Bloody French--
They're worse than useless.
"Where is your strategic reserve?"
I asked him.
"There is none," he said.
Can you believe it?
I despair.
Sometimes I despair.
Of course you do. If you didn't,
you wouldn't be human.
I was thinking about
the afternoon I delivered
my statement to the house.
Do you remember?
We came back here for tea.
There were some people
on the pavement outside--
- not many, five or six.
- I remember.
One of them was
a middle-aged man--
A shopkeeper perhaps,
or a bus driver.
He was full
of hope and trust.
"Good luck, Winnie,"
He said.
"God bless you."
- I mustn't let him down.
- You won't.
I might.
Halifax is no fool.
What he says is full
of wisdom and good sense.
I hear his voice,
But the face I see
is that man outside #10.
Whether it was
part of my duty
to consider entering
into negotiations
with Herr Hitler--
but it's idle to think
we'd get better terms
than if we fought it out.
And I'm convinced
that every man of you
would rise up
and tear me down
from my place
if I were for one moment
to contemplate
- parley or surrender.
- MEN: Yes.
If this long
island history of ours
is to end at last,
let it end
only when each one of us
lies choking in his own blood
upon the ground.
- MEN: Hear hear!
- (CLAPPING)
MAN:
Hear hear!
Hear hear!
(KIDS LAUGHING)
WOMAN:
"Early today, the prime minister,
his wife, his youngest daughter
and members of his personal
staff flew to Bordeaux--
His first trip abroad
since the end of the war.
After a hectic month
of electioneering,
Mr. Churchill has gone away
for a well-deserved holiday."
- "Well-deserved" is right.
- "The election results
will not be announced
until july the 26th.
And although Mr. Churchill
is expected to win,
the outcome is
by no means certain."
Oh, this is bad news.
I don't want to hear it.
"A poll in 'The Daily Express' says
the Conservatives will win,
whereas 'The News Chronicle'
predicts a Labour victory."
I don't want
your father to see that.
(PEOPLE CHATTING)
(LIGHTER CLICKS)
The big, unanswerable question is
how the servicemen voted.
We allow
three weeks to enable
the servicemen abroad to cast their
votes, and nobody foresaw
how crucial
those votes might be,
- least of all me.
- Just stop worrying about the election.
- Try to relax.
- Well, it's not my fault, Clemmie.
- I didn't want this blasted election.
- I know. I know that.
Why don't you try
some painting this afternoon?
Oh, I'll have forgotten
how to do it.
Oh, of course you haven't.
- It's like riding a bicycle.
- Riding a bicycle?
- Or swimming.
- What on earth are you talking about?
Once you can do it,
you don't forget.
- Do try, please.
- Well, I might.
Where's the money coming from?
That's what I'd like to know.
For us, I mean, in the unlikely event
of the Labour Party winning.
They won't win.
No one thinks they'll win.
We can't live
on an M.P.'s salary.
Impossible. Where's
the money coming from?
Writing. Surely you're bound
to get lots of offers.
And pay 19/6
in the Pound income tax?
Not bloody likely!
A blasted welfare state--
Who wants it?
Country can't afford it.
Don't they realize that?
We did not fight this damn war
so the Labour Party
could take over
and destroy everything
we believe in.
(LIGHTER CLICKS)
WINSTON:
What about the First Sea Lord?
Has he responded
to my memorandum?
COLVILLE: Yes, sir. He telephoned
earlier, but you were in a meeting.
I believe
he spoke to Robert.
WINSTON:
Robert? Robert who, for God's sake?
Hard enough to know people
by their surnames,
christian names
make life bloody impossible.
- (CLEARS THROAT)
- Yes, Pim?
Sir, Calais has fallen.
- Is this confirmed?
- PIM: Yes, sir.
The evacuation of our troops
from Dunkirk has begun.
Thank you, Pim.
Sir?
Sir, I have a boat moored
in the Isle of Wight.
I think I could
be of use, sir,
If you could do without me
for three or four days.
- Do what you can, Pim.
- Sir.
We must prepare
ourselves, sir.
The loss of life will
almost certainly be immense.
Tell Lord Gort
wounded men to be
evacuated last.
"A week ago today,
Mr. Speaker,
I feared it would
be my hard lot,
umm...
to announce the greatest
military disaster
in our long history.
The whole root, core
and brain
of the British Army
seemed about to perish
upon the field
or to be led into
an ignominious captivity."
Give me it.
"An ignominious
and starving captivity.
Suddenly the scene
has changed--
The scene
has cleared." Good.
"The crash and thunder has,
for the moment..."
I'm terribly sorry, sir.
The prime minister has asked
not to be interrupted.
"...but only for the moment--
died away."
- (FILM PROJECTOR CLICKING)
- "The miracle of deliverance
achieved by valor,
by perseverance,
is manifest to us all.
And the Royal Navy,
with the help of countless
merchant seamen
and using nearly
1,000 ships of all kinds,
have carried
over 335,000 men
out of the jaws
of death and shame
to their native land.
We must be very careful
not to assign to this deliverance
the attributes of a victory.
Wars are not won by evacuations.
Our thankfulness
at the escape
of our army and so many men,
whose loved ones have
passed through an agonizing week
must not blind us to the fact
that what has happened
in France and Belgium
Is a colossal
military disaster.
We are told that
Herr Hitler has a plan
for invading
The British Isles.
This has often been
thought of before.
I have, myself,
full confidence
that if all do their duty,
if nothing is neglected,
and the best
arrangements are made,
as they are being made,
we shall
prove ourselves once more
able to defend
our island home,
to outlive
the menace of tyranny,
If necessary for years,
If necessary alone.
Even though
large tracts of Europe
and many old and famous
states have fallen
or may fall into
the grip of the Gestapo
and all the odious
apparatus of Nazi rule,
we shall not flag or fail.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight
on the seas and oceans.
We shall fight
with growing confidence
and growing strength in the air.
We shall defend our island,
whatever the cost may be.
We shall fight
on the beaches.
we shall fight
on the landing grounds.
We shall fight
in the fields
and in the streets.
We shall fight in the hills.
We shall never surrender."
(DOG BARKING)
WINSTON: Sawyers!
(SIGHS)
(DOOR OPENS)
WINSTON:
Sorry, Clemmie. I need my paints.
This fool left them
on the terrace.
Sorry, Mrs. Churchill,
I didn't realize--
- Come along. Come along.
- (DOOR SLAMS)
- Why on earth did you put them here?
- It's such a nice view, sir.
I thought you might like to paint it.
I'm the one who decides
what view to paint.
Mind your own damn business!
- Where are the other paints?
- SAWYERS: What other paints?
WINSTON:
You've left half of them behind.
For God's sakes, Sawyers,
who told you to bring only these?
SAWYERS:
I haven't touched your paints, sir.
WINSTON: Where's the cobalt?
Where's the hooker's green?
Where's the burnt sienna?
You've left everything at home!
You're an absolute
bloody fool, Sawyers!
(EASEL RATTLES)
WINSTON:
Would you mind that picture,
for God's sakes?!
- Winston.
- We won't disturb you again.
- Promise.
- CLEMMIE: Winston, please.
- What is it?
- Please
- stop behaving like this.
- Like what?
All this fuss
about a few tubes of paint.
Painting was
your idea, remember?
It will take my mind
off the election, apparently.
And you really mustn't speak
to Sawyers like that.
- Like what?
- How would you like to be shouted at?
- He doesn't mind.
- Of course he minds!
- Didn't you see his face?
- He takes it in his stride.
- He knows what I'm like.
- We'd be lost without Sawyers,
- and well you know it.
- Lost? What do you mean, lost?
- He's not going anywhere.
- Just treat him with respect, Winston.
- What are you talking about?
- You treat him like a servant!
- That's what he is!
- It's people like him who won the war!
I see. You're in one
of your left-wing moods.
God, you're a patronizing bully.
Prime minister,
I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
I'm sorry to disturb you
in the evening, sir.
- What's happened?
- The French have surrendered.
- We are alone?
- Yes, sir.
Arrangements have been made
for you, Her Majesty
and the princesses to be
evacuated from London.
We must consider when it would be
prudent to make such a move.
Do you think
an invasion is imminent?
- It all depends on air supremacy.
- (LIGHTER CLICKS)
Hitler needs to control the air
before he launches an invasion,
but we are fully prepared
for any eventuality.
If Hitler uses poison gas,
we shall do the same.
We have the deadliest
gasses in the world--
Mustard, anthrax.
Everything is tested
and ready for use.
When might it happen?
Anytime between now
and the end of September.
After that, the weather and
the tides will be against him.
The Queen and I have
talked about this.
The children could not
possibly go without her,
she won't go without me
and I shall not
leave London
under any circumstances.
Very well, sir.
There is something else.
Now that the French have surrendered,
we must assume that their navy
will soon be in German hands.
That must not happen.
We must keep control
of the Mediterranean.
Without access
to the Suez Canal
our oil supplies
will be cut off,
which would of course
be disastrous.
I've told the French
they must continue to fight,
sail their ships
to a British port
or scuttle the entire fleet.
If they accept none
of these choices,
I've ordered
Admiral Somerville
to bombard the French fleet
in the port of Oran.
We have to show the world,
and in particular
the United States,
that we mean to fight on.
(TICKING)
(SIGHS)
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACH)
Message from
Admiral Somerville, sir.
Since the deadline
has passed,
He's opened fire
on the French ships.
He says he's being
heavily engaged.
MAN:
How many Frenchmen killed?
You know, when Joe Kennedy
came back from London
And delivered his considered
ambassadorial opinion
He said Winston Churchill
is a drunk,
a warmonger, a bully.
Joe Kennedy's an appeaser.
He's bound to say that.
True.
On the other hand,
to be fair to Joe
when I first met Winston,
I didn't like him either.
It was 20 years ago,
a big formal dinner
in London.
He acted like a stinker.
The sort of British snob
I detest.
But as I say,
that was 20 years ago.
And now?
He may be a drunk,
he may be a warmonger,
but he's certainly a fighter.
WINSTON: "Prime Minister to
President, personal and secret."
(AIR RAID SIREN BLARING)
"I trust you realize
that the voice and force
of the United States
may count for nothing
- if they are withheld too long."
- (AUTOMATIC GUNFIRE)
"You may have a completely
subjugated nazified Europe
established with
astonishing swiftness,
and the weight may be
more than we can bear.
We must ask therefore
for whatever help and
reinforcements you can provide
as a matter of life and death.
Mr. President,
with great respect
I must tell you that in the long
history of the world,
this is the thing to do now."
(AIRPLANE ENGINES ROARING)
Good morning, sir.
On your feet, gentlemen--
The prime minister!
- Good morning, gentlemen.
- Good morning, sir.
Have you been in action today,
flight lieutenant?
No, sir. B-flight did
the early patrol.
- Not seen much trade since.
- How about you?
- How many huns have you brought down?
- Four, sir, maybe five.
- I got two on Monday.
- Very good.
The next two days'll be crucial.
If Hitler wins the battle of the air,
he wins the battle for Britain.
- It depends on you.
- Would you like a mug of tea, sir?
Good God, no!
My wife drinks that.
- (ALL LAUGH)
- I'm sure we can find you
something stronger
in the officer's mess, sir.
I wouldn't like to get
anyone into trouble.
Seeing as it's you, sir,
I'm sure it'll be fine.
- Johnny Walker or Haig, sir?
- Scramble!
Angels twelve over Maidstone!
Scramble!
- (ALL SHOUTING)
- (BELL RINGING)
MAN:
Contact!
What reserves do we have?
There are none.
They're so young.
And so few of them.
And yet...
on these few young men,
these boys,
we are entrusting the future
of our entire nation and empire.
Never has so much been owed
by so many to so few.
Make a note, Jock.
"Never on the field
of human conflict
has so much been owed
by so many to so few."
I might use that later.
ROOSEVELT: "The gratitude
of every home in our island
goes out to the British airmen
who, undaunted by odds,
are turning the tide
of the world war
by their prowess
and by their devotion.
Never in the field of human
conflict was so much
owed by so many to so few."
- (PAPER RUSTLES)
- Not bad, eh?
I gather you're making a fuss about
our southern area defenses, is that so?
I wouldn't call it
a fuss, Prime Minister.
That's what I was told. "Major General
Montgomery's been making a fuss,"
they said. I want to know why.
See for yourself, sir.
Sir.
Static guns--
What's the point of that?
It's absurd to try and defend
the coastline of England
with guns in static positions.
The Germans would bypass the whole
lot of them as they did in France.
What we need is mobility.
Might I remind you
that our army vehicles
Are lying in heaps of charred wreckage
on the beaches of Dunkirk?
Busses! Plenty of busses
in the country after all.
My division should be given busses
and transported rapidly
to wherever they're needed.
Hmm.
What we have here
is worse than useless.
Your commanding officer
seems perfectly satisfied
with things as they are.
Well, he's wrong.
- He's wrong and you're right?
- Precisely so.
And if he were here, I would
tell him so to his face.
Very well. Busses you shall have.
Now that that matter is settled,
we'll have lunch.
And a drink. I'm sure you could do
with a drink, Major General.
I neither drink nor smoke
and am 100% fit.
Well, I both drink and smoke
and I'm 200% fit.
(CHURCHILL SNICKERS)
- Everything all right, Bunny?
- Yes, sir. Ready when you are.
Very good.
Come along, everyone.
What does a humble A.T. say to
the Chief of the Imperial General Staff?
"Good luck"
might be appropriate.
I gather you're busy raising
money for the war effort.
I do what I can.
Mama's chairman of the Red Cross Appeal
Committee. We're very proud of her.
I never thought I'd be
married to a chairman.
One expects
she'll come downstairs
in a pin-striped suit
and M.C.C. tie.
(POLITE LAUGHTER)
Come along, Brookie.
Come and sit here.
We have a film show
every weekend.
Special treat today--
My favorite film.
Best film ever made.
All right, Bunny.
Ready when you are.
Switch off the light there, Jock.
- (PROJECTOR CLICKING)
- Sorry. A silly joke.
Mary is quite right--
- We're all very proud of you.
- (BELLS TOLLING)
Ah!
"Alexander Korda presents"--
You see this?
A great friend of mine, Alex.
A brilliant fellow.
Has everybody got a drink?
- Do sit down, Winston.
- Right.
NELSON: Lord Hood
advised me to instruct you--
Instruct--
Quite all right, Captain.
I have no secrets from Lady Hamilton.
MAN: Your indecisive
defeat of the danes...
Ah! Here he comes.
Here he comes now--
Nelson victorious after
the battle of Copenhagen.
NELSON:
A peace with Napoleon Bonaparte--
But, gentlemen, you will never make
peace with Napoleon!
He doesn't mean peace today.
He just wants--
Listen to what he has to say.
Damn clever.
(WHISPERS)
Winston!
Substitute the name Hitler
for Napoleon
and you'll see
what they're getting at.
- Shh!
- ...One purpose: to destroy our empire!
- Clever stuff.
- Shh!
- Napoleon can never be master--
- Very timely.
Years ago I said the same thing.
I begged them, I entreated
them not to give way.
but they wouldn't listen to me
and they paid the price.
You cannot make peace
with dictators!
- SAILOR: England...
- Expects...
- That...
- SAILOR #2: Every...
Man...
Will do...
His...
SAILOR #3: Duty.
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
- (AIR RAID SIREN BLARING)
(MAN SHOUTS)
Here they come, the buggers.
(AIRPLANES FLYING OVERHEAD)
(ARTILLERY FIRING)
Hurry along, sir.
Hurry along, madam.
- (PHONES RINGING)
- (MEN SPEAKING)
Ah! Clemmie,
Do go down to my room.
- I'll be back in a minute.
- Where are you going?
- Back in a minute. Back in a minute.
- Winston!
Mrs. Churchill, please.
- Good evening, Mrs. Churchill.
- Good evening, Captain Pim.
Where's Winston going?
Up to the roof I'm afraid.
He likes to see what's going on.
(BELL RINGING)
CLEMMIE: I was looking
at him at dinner last night
and Winston was
full of plans and ideas.
He was telling jokes,
quoting poetry.
I thought "he's like
a little boy playing
an enormously elaborate game
of make-believe.
and to his great delight,
it's suddenly come true."
- (ARTILLERY FIRING)
- (BOMBS EXPLODING)
(CRICKETS CHRIPING)
(PHONE RINGING)
(RINGING STOPS)
WINSTON: Who was that
on the telephone?
Do you really want to know?
- I do.
- It was the local mayor
inviting us to an evening
of Basque folk dancing.
Oh God, how fearful.
- I hope you said no.
- I said yes. Diplomacy, Winston.
(MUTTERS)
Oh Lord.
Perhaps you should join in.
Be good for you--
a bit of exercise.
- Wing Commander Maddox?
- Yes, sir.
- Victoria Cross?
- Yes, sir.
"It is ordained that
the Victoria Cross
shall only be awarded
for most conspicuous bravery,
or some pre-eminent act of valor
or self-sacrifice
or extreme devotion to duty
in the presence of the enemy."
Isn't that what it says
on the royal warrant?
Yes, sir.
The battle of Britain
was won by men like you.
This country owes you
its life and liberty.
You feel very humble
and awkward
in my presence, don't you?
Yes, sir.
Then you can imagine
how humble and awkward
I feel in yours.
- Good news from Bletchley.
- ISMAY: Sir?
The boffins have unbuttoned
a cipher message
from Berlin to the commander
of the 16th army.
All invasion barges are to be returned
to their base in Germany.
- ISMAY: Excellent!
- Herr Hitler has left it too late.
Buggeration!
Can't invade now till the spring.
Who knows what might happen
between now and them?
Shan't tell Roosevelt just yet.
No, sir.
Don't want the Yanks
to think we're out of danger
- until we're sure we are.
- CLEMMIE: Tell them his name.
- (PEOPLE CHUCKLING)
- Puggy-Wuggy.
- You loved that little dog, didn't you?
- I adored him when I was a little girl.
He walked awfully like Papa.
(ALL LAUGH)
Well, when I was a boy, I used
to collect toy soldiers.
I had 1500 of them all arranged
on a long trestle table.
I organized battles,
invasions, entire wars.
I used to pretend I was the greatest
general the world had ever known,
and my brother Jack
always played the enemy.
- Excuse--
- One day
my father came
into the nursery
and obviously impressed with the
orderly ranks of my infantrymen,
"Would you like to enter
the Army?" he said.
"Oh yes, sir," I said.
"That'd be splendid."
So off I went to Sandhurst.
Well, I thought
he'd sent me there
because he had discerned in
me qualities of military genius.
In fact, it was because he thought
I was too stupid for the bar.
- (SAWYERS CLEARS THROAT)
- WINSTON: Yes, Sawyers. What is it?
The Japanese have attacked
The Americans, sir.
- I've been listening on the wireless.
- What?!
Somewhere near Hawaii, sir.
God, why didn't
you say something?
I shall declare war on Japan.
- Excuse me.
- Yes yes.
Prime Minister,
you can't declare war
because of something you've
heard on the wireless.
Don't tell me
what to do, Colville!
If I want to declare war,
I'll bloody well declare it!
- COLVILLE: Please, sir.
- WINSTON OVER PHONE: Mr. President,
- what's all this about Japan?
- It's quite true.
They've attacked us
at Pearl Harbor.
We're all in the same boat now.
This is momentous news,
Mr. President.
Tonight I shall sleep the sleep
of the saved and the thankful.
Where are you taking those?
Mr. Churchill wants
them pressed, madam.
He wants to take them
to Washington.
Is that all right,
Mrs. Churchill?
Yes, of course.
Thank you, Sawyers.
(PEN SCRATCHING)
CLEMMIE: When are you
going to Washington?
Thursday. Sorry-- what?
- Winston.
- I didn't hear what you said.
- Of course you did.
- No need to be cross.
- I was going to tell you later.
- This is madness.
Winston, you'll make yourself ill.
I have to see the President.
Talk to him on the telephone.
I need to meet him
face to face.
Why? You're exhausted.
You're working 16 hours a day.
You cannot--
They have the men.
They have the resources.
So far we've managed
to avoid losing this damn war.
We cannot win it
without the Americans.
That's why.
Now, you know Winston's
going to America.
- Yes, I heard.
- I very much want you to go with him
as his doctor and his friend.
A bit difficult--
he hasn't asked me.
Well, he will. I can arrange that.
Please. He needs someone
to look after him.
He's hopeless with ordinary life--
Hopeless. He knows
nothing about it.
Did you know
he's never been on a bus?
He's only been
on the underground once--
That was during
the general strike.
He went round and round
on the circle line,
didn't know where to get off,
had to be rescued.
- Why don't you go with him?
- Oh, that wouldn't be a good idea.
- More of a hindrance than a help.
- I'm sure that's not true.
I think it is.
I'm afraid I'm not
the ideal wife for him.
I can't keep up with him.
I think you look after him
wonderfully well.
Do you?
That's very kind of you.
The point is,
he was born for this.
I wasn't and I have to cope
with that somehow.
I have to.
But some days, Charles,
I feel totally
and utterly exhausted.
All right.
I'll talk to Winston.
If it's helpful for me
to go with him to America,
then of course I'll go.
And you must
take care of yourself.
You need looking after too.
(YELLING)
ROOSEVELT: I'd been discussing
the situation with General Marshall.
He agrees with
your recommendation.
Our joint strategy
should be Europe first.
Good, I'm delighted to hear it.
The situation
in the Pacific is
nowhere near as bad
as some people think.
Singapore is impregnable--
an island fortress.
I've got a first-class general
in control of the garrison.
- You can rely on Singapore.
- Good. Excellent.
Now regarding Europe--
It's my view
we are in no position
to even consider
an invasion this year.
- Agreed.
- Good man.
The Russians are very unhappy.
One understands why,
of course--
The Red Army's
being butchered.
Stalin desperately
needs a second front.
I've told him
"this is impossible.
We don't have the men
or the equipment."
As you can see,
Mr. President,
I have nothing
to conceal from you.
(CHUCKLES)
My old schoolmaster,
Dr. Peabody,
taught us that
the trend of civilization
- is forever upward.
- Let's hope that's true.
I think it is.
He's been a great influence
throughout my entire life--
Dr. Peabody.
He once said "To believe
is to be strong.
Doubt cramps energy.
Belief is power."
Mmm.
My feelings about belief
tend to change.
I was very antireligious
when I was young.
Exposure to danger
changed that.
No matter what
my intellect told me,
I've always found myself
asking the almighty
for special protection
when facing the enemy.
(CHUCKLES)
- A reluctant believer?
- Perhaps.
The one thing I'm sure of:
whether you believe
or disbelieve,
it is a wicked thing
to take away men's hope.
And what do
you make of him?
I like him. Mmm.
But not, I think,
as much as he likes me.
(WINSTON MUTTERS)
"...the German
and Japanese level.
Anybody likes to play rough,
we can certainly play rough too.
Hitler and his Nazi gang
have sown the wind.
Let them reap the whirlwind."
Don't work too late, sir.
You need your rest--
busy day tomorrow.
"Neither the length of the struggle
nor any form of severity
which it may assume
shall make us weary"--
- Is there anything else you want?
- Where's the brandy?
- On the side table.
- Very good.
Not Hine I'm afraid, sir,
but passable.
Bloody awful Martinis
before dinner.
I can't imagine why the President
likes such a filthy drink.
Each man to his own, sir.
I'll say good night then.
Yes yes, good night.
"There will be no haltings
or half measures.
There will be
no compromise or parley."
Yes.
"When I warned
the French government
that Britain would
fight on alone
no matter what they did,
their generals told
their prime minister
and his cabinet--
and his cab--
and his divided cabinet--
and his divided--
and his divided cabinet
'in three weeks'--
(GRUNTS)
'in three weeks,
England will have her neck
wrung like a chicken.'
Some chicken!
Some neck!
Some chicken!
Some neck!"
(WINDOW RATTLES)
Oh!
(GRUNTS)
- Thompson. Thompson.
- (DOOR OPENS)
- What's the matter, sir?
- Fetch the doctor.
- I'm not feeling well.
- Right.
Here we are, sir.
All right, all right.
I'll go fetch the doctor.
(DOOR OPENS)
- Is he all right?
- He's had a heart attack--
Fairly minor,
but a heart attack nevertheless.
He should be kept in bed
for at least six weeks,
but that's impossible.
If the American
newspapers got wind of it,
the whole damn world
would be told
Winston's an invalid
with a dicky heart
and that'd be disastrous.
Nobody must hear
of this-- nobody.
Not Mrs. Churchill
and not even him.
(SPEAKING FRENCH)
Speak up.
Don't mumble.
This is Mr. Churchill.
I want to speak to
the party chairman.
Then get ahold of him.
Tell him I rang.
I'm in France.
He knows the number.
Get him to
telephone me here at--
(CLEMMIE KNOCKS)
Winston?
No, on second thought
I'll telephone him.
Tomorrow, yes.
Roughly the same time.
(CLEMMIE KNOCKS)
Winston, are you there?
Yes, come in.
We're taking Mary to Biarritz.
Had you forgotten?
- No no, of course not.
- What are you doing?
- Nothing.
- What do you mean, "nothing"?
I could scarcely
make it any clearer.
I'm sitting here
in my room doing nothing.
Are you so bored
with my company?
- Clemmie, for heaven's sake.
- And what about Mary?
She has been so looking forward
to spending time with you
and you have scarcely
spoken to her.
She seems happy enough.
Can't you try
to enjoy this holiday
and forget about
the election just for a bit?
The answer is no, I can't.
If I sit on the terrace or the beach,
I sit there thinking about it.
At least if I come up here,
phone Party H.Q.,
they can tell me the latest news
and I can go back to you
with a clear mind
and no hidden anxieties.
Nothing is going to happen until the
election results are announced.
You know that.
There is nothing you can do.
Yes, I know that,
but I don't feel it.
It may be foolish
And I know it's annoying,
but I like to have
the illusion I'm in control.
Haven't you got a single general
who can win battles?!
- (MEN MURMUR)
- This is beyond belief!
I mean, talk about
bloody incompetence!
Who is responsible?
I told President Roosevelt
Singapore was impregnable!
It seems the garrison is not
as well fortified as we thought.
I gave him my word!
Most of the guns
can only fire seaward,
which leaves our troops vulnerable
to an attack from the north.
Well, why weren't
we told about this?
I'm afraid we were misinformed
by the Joint Intelligence Committee.
Bloody hell. You listen to me,
General Brooke.
I expect every inch
of ground to be defended.
This is the key to our imperial
strength in Southeast Asia.
Send a telegram immediately:
there must be no thought
of saving the troops
or sparing the population.
- (PHONE RINGING)
- WINSTON: "I speak to you all
under the shadow of a heavy
and far-reaching military defeat.
Singapore has fallen.
This is one of those moments
when the British race and nation
can show their quality
and their genius.
This is one of those moments
when it can draw from
the heart of misfortune
the vital impulses of victory.
Here is a moment to display
that calm and poise
combined with grim determination
which not so long ago
brought us out
of the very jaws of death.
- So far..."
- Hear Winston last night?
- I did.
- Hot air, I thought, didn't you?
The country's not in the mood
to be fobbed off
with fine phrases.
"Let us move forward,
steadfastly together
into the storm
and through the storm."
- (MEN YELLING)
- MAN: The Prime Minister
wins debate after debate
and loses battle after battle.
- MAN: hear, hear!
- The country is beginning to say
he fights his debates like a war
and the war like a debate.
What about Dieppe, Winston?
Have you forgotten what
a disaster that was?
4,000 men lost!
And Malaya!
Not a single objective accomplished!
The Prime Minister is exercising
a tremendous dictatorship.
He is the most arrogant
and intolerant member
of this House.
He appointed himself
Minister of Defense.
The responsibility
for the current sad state
of military affairs is his.
So far as I am concerned,
had I to choose between Hitler
and the Prime Minister,
I should not know exactly on
which the choice had to fall.
(MEN YELLING)
(OPERA MUSIC PLAYING)
You must stop brooding.
- I'm not brooding.
- You are. (MUSIC STOPS)
You're brooding about
that wretched debate.
Ignore it, Winston.
Nobody takes them seriously.
It's left-wing
labourite nonsense.
- Is it?
- You know it is.
I knew I'd get the blame,
and in many ways I deserve it.
You once said to me--
Do you remember?
--when you first
became Prime Minister,
"I was born for this."
You were, Winston.
Too many disasters.
I feel I must assure you, sir,
that if you wish me to
hand over my responsibilities
to some other person, I would feel,
in many ways, it is the right
and proper thing to do.
If you're trying
to offer your resignation,
please don't.
I'd be awfully glad if you didn't.
The people need you, Winston.
Perhaps, sir. Perhaps not.
Of course they do. So do I.
No. No, you'll just have
to buckle down and--
What's your phrase?
--keep buggering on.
That's right, sir-- K.B.O.
Of course the loss of Singapore
came as a dreadful shock.
I hadn't expected it
to fall so quickly.
None of us did, sir.
If our army can't fight
any better than this,
we shall lose the Empire.
Thank you, sir.
The situation in the North Atlantic
is even more worrying.
Admiral Donitz and his U-boats
are wreaking havoc.
Unless we can find a way
of protecting our supply convoys,
we'll be starved to death.
K.B.O., Winston.
K.B.O., Sir.
Bloody U-boats.
Some of the chaps have
had a brilliant idea.
- And what's that?
- Icebergs.
Icebergs?
We disguise our merchant
ships as icebergs.
Think of the Titanic.
Enormous icebergs floating
throughout the North Atlantic.
U-boat commander would look
through his periscope
and see only icebergs.
Icebergs travelling
in formation, sir,
at a steady eight knots?
Yes, well, we'd have to
work on the details.
And with smoke coming
out of a funnel?
Well, think about it.
I'm sure it could work.
It just needs a little bit
of ingenuity.
- There was something else as well.
- Oh, yes.
Yes yes, floating harbors
for the invasion of Europe.
Isn't that
a little premature, sir?
We've got to think ahead.
The huns'll blow
everything to buggery.
We need a floating harbor.
No invasion can work
without a harbor.
The Americans think otherwise,
but they're wrong.
Eisenhower has no idea
how to fight a battle.
He's never even seen
active service.
- Are you off?
- Yes, sir.
- Best wishes to your wife.
- Thank you, sir.
I was thinking of having a long
weekend in the country.
Would that be all right?
A holiday.
Holidays are
a peacetime concept.
A change is
as good as a rest,
and as we're off to see
Joe Stalin next week,
I'd advise
against the country.
A waste of time.
Yes, sir. Good night.
The first thing I did when I was
assigned to bomber command
was to examine the effect
of night raids on Germany.
The results are
most discouraging.
It seemsv our night bombing
is so inaccurate
that it's scarcely doing
any damage at all.
Most of the bombs drop
on empty fields.
- We're killing more cows than Germans.
- And your solution?
Either we abandon
night bombing altogether
or the objectives of night bombing
should be radically changed.
Obviously we can't
give up night bombing,
It's the only thing
we can do to hurt Germany.
We've got to show Stalin
we're doing something
to ease the pressure
on the Red Army.
- And so...?
- At the moment
we aim our bombs at specific
targets and usually miss them.
If we were to drop bombs
on a much wider area--
An area, say, that we knew
contained factories,
railway lines, important roads--
we'd stand a much greater
chance of success.
Wouldn't such an area
also contain houses--
houses for the civilians
who work in the factories?
A certain number of people
would be dehoused, it's true.
- "Dehoused"?
- Like the people of Coventry,
Portsmouth, the East End.
- That's a feeble argument, Harris.
- Feeble? In what way?
You're talking
of the deliberate slaughter
of civilian men, women and children.
There's bound to be
moral objections.
Well, bugger that, Attlee.
Everybody used gas in the last war
without a word of complaint from
the Somme-seeking defeatists.
On the other hand,
the bombing of open cities
was regarded as forbidden.
Now everybody does it.
It's simply a matter
of fashion changing,
like long or short skirts
for women. War is war, Attlee.
Let them have it, Harris.
Never maltreat the enemy by halves.
- How do I make it work?
- Just switch it on, sir.
There's a switch on the back.
- Off. On.
- Fuck!
(MAN SPEAKING RussiaN)
INTERPRETER:
Marshal Stalin proposes a toast
to the health of his friend
Prime Minister Churchill
on this, his birthday!
ALL:
Prime Minister Churchill!
WINSTON:
I'd like to propose to the health
of Marshal Stalin.
He will, I know, be ranked amongst
the most illustrious heroes
of Russian history.
He has already
earned the title
- of "Stalin the Great"!
- (SPEAKING RussiaN)
ALL:
Stalin the Great!
I also drink
to the proletarian masses.
ALL:
The proletarian masses!
(SPEAKING RussiaN)
Marshal Stalin drinks
to the Conservative Party!
ALL:
The Conservative Party!
To the people of France
and French champagne.
Marshal Stalin drinks
to the health
of Mr. Churchill's valet.
(STALIN SPEAKING)
He is a noble example
of the British working man.
ALL:
Churchill's valet.
I drink to Marshal Stalin.
(INTERPRETER SPEAKS)
How much nicer a man
than I thought he'd be.
ALL:
Marshal Stalin.
(STALIN CHUCKLING)
(CHATTING)
INTERPRETER:
Your invasion of northern France
should not be delayed.
The Red Army is
suffering heavy losses.
We need the support
of a second front in Europe.
Marshal Stalin is anxious
that Operation Overlord
should not be delayed.
Marshal Stalin must realize
that our forces will not be ready
- until the summer of 1944.
- (INTERPRETER SPEAKING)
That's six months away.
The situation might change.
(STALIN SPEAKING)
Marshal Stalin is not prepared
to discuss any delay.
There's no question of a delay.
(INTERPRETER SPEAKING)
The governing factor is
the timing put forth by you.
Overlord will be launched
at the prescribed time.
INTERPRETER:
This is good.
It would be unwise, I think,
to agree now to such
a rigid timetable.
(STALIN SPEAKING)
Marshal Stalin says
the British are afraid of fighting.
You should not think
the Germans are supermen.
You cannot win a war
without fighting.
We are fighting--
and fighting fiercely--
on land, on the sea
and in the air.
The invasion of France is
our topmost priority.
It will be our stern duty
to hurl every sinew
of our strength
against the Germans.
- (INTERPRETER SPEAKING)
- (MUTTERS) Bloody man.
INTERPRETER:
I beg your pardon?
Nothing.
(RussiaN FOLK MUSIC PLAYING)
WINSTON:
Thompson.
What is it, sir?
What do you want?
I can't find them anywhere.
- Can't find what, sir?
- The little red sleeping pills.
Shall I ask Mr. Sawyers, sir?
Perhaps he knows where they are.
No no, he'll be asleep.
(SIGHS)
Bloody music.
(GRUNTS, SIGHS)
Stay with me, Thompson.
Certainly, sir. Of course.
I'm tired out.
Tired in body,
soul and spirit.
Well, you've had
a very strenuous time, sir.
All these conferences,
all the travelling,
it's an exhausting business.
It is.
Do you know how far
I've travelled
since the war began?
110,000 miles.
Somebody worked it out.
A total of 33 days at sea
and 14 days in the air.
Time you took it easy, sir.
Sometimes I think man
will destroy man,
wipe out civilization.
Europe will be desolate
and I shall
be held responsible.
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACH)
- Thank you.
- If there's anything more, madam--
No.
Sometimes when he's asleep
you can see what
he must've looked like
when he was a little boy.
(CHUCKLES)
His parents ignored him.
Did you know that?
He loved them deeply.
They ignored him.
People say he's a figure
from the past,
that the Labour Party
represents the future.
It seems timeless to me,
his love of England.
It's an ideal,
It's a vision--
Something he's determined
to protect at all costs.
His Camelot.
Yes, if you like.
Perhaps that England
never really existed.
But if he hadn't believed in it,
he never would have found
the strength to win the war.
- Ah.
- BROOKE: Afternoon, Harris.
That's a fine-looking car you've got.
Four and a quarter liter,
Vanden Plas body--
drives like a dream.
I was on my way home
the other evening.
I got stopped for speeding.
"You might've killed someone,"
said the copper.
"My dear young man,"
I said,
"I kill thousands
of people every night."
Evening, Pug.
Evening.
Have a good journey?
On D-day minus eight
the entire coastal area here
will be sealed and all troops
confined to their camps.
Foreign embassies
will not be allowed
to communicate with
the outside world.
Everything is being done to prevent
any sort of security breach,
which would, of course,
be catastrophic.
I need to speak to Admiral Cunningham
about my accommodation
- on H.M.S. Belfast.
- Accommodation?
I've decided to go
with the troops on D-day.
- What?
- Morale, you see. That's the thing.
Morale up, victory assured.
I'm good at morale.
Everybody says so.
- Sir, if I may say so--
- Mind made up.
Change the subject.
The Prime Minister
seems determined
to go to France with the troops.
- On D-day?
- Yes.
Well, I might've guessed.
Put him anywhere near
a dangerous situation
and you can be
absolutely sure
he'll go straight towards it.
Thank you for telling me, Jock.
I'll see what I can do.
Prime Minister, would you
like to come this way?
KING GEORGE VI:
Thank you for coming to see me
at such short notice.
I've made an important decision
and I want you
to arrange things for me.
Of course, sir.
What can I do?
I think it's only right
that I, as king,
should go to France
with our invading force...
- You mean--
- ...on D-day
with the first wave of troops.
I shall travel on one of our
landing craft with the men.
I'm sorry, sir,
but that's impossible.
- Why?
- You'd almost certainly be killed.
And I have
a replacement, Winston.
You do not.
- So let's hear no more about it. Hmm?
- (GRUNTS, SIGHS)
(FILM PROJECTOR CLICKING)
(CLICKS)
That's it, sir.
That's all there is.
Got the buggers
on the run now, sir.
Our boys'll soon be in Berlin.
Tell me, Bunny, do you believe
in life after death?
Life after death, sir?
Well, I suppose I do.
I envy you that.
(MEN CHATTING)
Ah. There he is.
Franklin, my good man,
we must have a private talk
about the future of Poland.
We can't do that with Joe Stalin
breathing down our necks.
How about lunch?
My dance card's
quite full, I'm afraid.
And, frankly, I have a distant
view of the Polish problem.
I don't think a conversation
with Uncle Joe
would be advantageous to
the long-range prospect for peace.
- MAN: Gentlemen, please be seated.
- (INTERPRETER SPEAKING)
Forgive me, Winston. I have to get
myself ready for this damn picture.
Harry.
We ought to do something.
It's a matter of honor.
What is?
- The Polish problem.
- Here we go, sir.
People are saying
we declared war on Germany
because they invaded Poland.
We can't just stand by and
watch Russia do the same.
For God's sake, what do people expect
us to do, start another bloody war?
Over here, gentlemen.
(DISTANT TYPING)
The latest briefing, sir.
WINSTON:
I can't understand Franklin's behavior.
Roosevelt and Joe Stalin--
They have the power.
No lover ever studied
the whims of his mistress
more assiduously
Than I did those of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
(FILM PROJECTOR CLICKING)
NEWSREEL ANNOUNCER: It was an air
assault without parallel in history.
The target was Dresden.
Terror rained down
from the skies.
Dresden is now
a heap of ruins.
It has been smashed to atoms.
Utral sources report that
more than 58,000 people
lost their lives
and 180,000 lost their jobs.
That's nearly a quarter
of a million German war workers
less than a week ago.
A brilliant tribute to the allied
knights of the air.
WINSTON: War...
which used to be cruel
and magnificent,
has now become
cruel and squalid.
Once there was a small number
of well-trained professionals
who championed their country's cause.
These men,
brave men, were sustained
at every moment
by the applause of their nation.
Now we have entire communities--
woman and children included--
pitted against one another
in brutish mutual extermination,
with only a set
of bleary-eyed clerks
left to add up
the butchers' bills.
I'm sorry, Attlee,
you were saying something?
I was going to suggest
a little discussion--
An item on
our peacetime agenda:
"The Uthwatt Report
on town and country planning."
The what report on what?
- Uthwatt, sir.
- Never heard of it.
I sent you a memorandum concerning
back-bench reaction last week--
Last week?
What happened last week?
I can't remember last week.
Isn't it appalling?
Can't even remember
what I had for breakfast.
Got a match? Thank you.
When I was a boy,
when I was at school
I had a phenomenal memory.
Phenomenal.
I got a prize for reciting
"The Lays of Ancient Rome,"
Macaulay.
Mmm, the whole of it.
I knew the whole damn thing,
word perfect, start to finish.
Got a prize for it.
"Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
'To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods?'"
Well, right.
Let's move on.
You were saying, Attlee?
(TELETYPE CLATTERING)
(PANTING)
PIM:
Sorry to waken you, sir!
Captain bloody Pim!
What the hell do you want?
Message from General Eisenhower's
headquarters, sir.
The instrument of
unconditional surrender
was signed at 2:41 A.M. this morning.
- The war in Europe is over.
- Let me see.
For five years you've brought me
nothing but bad news.
With one stroke, you have
redeemed yourself.
Sir.
(CROWD CHEERING)
Come along, Winston.
WINSTON:
This is unexpected,
and I have to say,
unwelcome news.
If I could just explain--
Nothing to explain. You want to
disband the national government
before we have
defeated Japan.
I wouldn't say I want it personally.
My party wants it.
Left-wing buggers.
Well, if they want an election,
let 'em have it. Fuck 'em.
Not just left-wingers,
Winston, as well you know.
The British people want
a different sort of future.
They want full employment;
they want a proper welfare state.
And if they want
to vote for these things,
then I think an election
should be called.
Very well.
Do as you please.
Well?
Have you read my speech?
I have, yes.
And what do you think?
- Not one of your best.
- What's wrong with it?
Rather dull, I thought.
- Dull?
- And there's one bit
I don't like at all.
(CLEARS THROAT)
When you talk about the socialists
not allowing free speech
or "violently-worded expressions
- of public discontent."
- What's wrong with that?
"They would have to fall back
on some form of Gestapo."
I think it is a huge mistake
to use that particular word.
It is the right word
in this context.
This is going to be
broadcast, Winston.
Thousands of Labour Party
supporters will hear it,
Men and women who have
been fighting the Nazis
and the Gestapo for five years!
This will make them very angry.
Clemmie, I know what
this country needs.
For a start we're bankrupt--
In debt to the tune
of 3,000 million
on top of that, there is
the threat of communism--
as big a threat as Hitler was
in 1940, if not worse!
The people trusted me then,
they'll trust me now.
Things are different now. The war
has changed everything.
Certain things may change,
I do not.
- (PAPERS RUSTLE)
- That's what people want:
the strength and security
of experienced government.
Thank you for
your advice, Clemmie.
In this instance
I shall not heed it.
WINSTON:
"My friends I must tell you
that a socialist policy is abhorrent
to the British ideas of freedom.
No socialist government
could afford
To allow free, sharp
or violently-worded expressions
of public discontent.
They would have
to fall back on some
form of Gestapo--
no doubt very
humanely directed--"
- That's bollocks! Bollocks.
- "--in the first instance.
And this would nip
opinion in the bud.
Leave these socialist
dreamers to their utopias--
or their nightmares.
Let us make sure
that the cottage home
to which the warrior
will return is blessed
with modest
but solid prosperity,
well fenced and guarded
against misfortune,
and that Britons remain
free to plan their lives
for themselves
and for those they love."
ATTLEE: "When I listened to the Prime
Minister's speech last night,
in which he gave such a travesty
of the policy of the Labour Party,
I realized at once what was his object.
He feared lest those who
had accepted his leadership at war
might be tempted out of gratitude
to follow him further.
I thank him
For having disillusioned them
so thoroughly."
(CHATTING)
Ah, good. There he is.
Where's Mama?
She must have
forgotten something.
I'll go and have a look. Clemmie!
Clemmie!
Clemmie!
(DOOR OPENS)
What are you doing?
I'm just saying goodbye
to the view.
- It looks lovely this morning.
- Ah.
Yes.
(HUMPHS)
Everything's packed.
Everyone's ready and waiting.
Right.
- What's wrong?
- Nothing.
- What is it?
- Nothing.
Tell me, please.
I dread going back.
I dread it.
We'll come again.
I promise.
We'll come back
next autumn.
We can go to the Riviera
or Monte Carlo,
borrow somebody's villa.
- Winston.
- Or we can come back here.
You like it here, don't you?
It doesn't matter where we go.
Yes. You're right, it doesn't.
We could stay at Chartwell--
Even better.
(CHUCKLES) You really don't
understand, do you?
Another five years in Downing
Street could kill you...
Nonsense. I've never felt better.
...and me.
Why?
Are you saying you want me
to lose the election?
No no, of course not.
- I don't believe it.
- I don't.
I look into the future
and it frightens me.
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
Hammersmith south-- Labour gain.
Wigan-- Labour gain.
Leeds south--
Labour, no change.
Barrow-In-Furness--
Labour gain.
Newcastle-Under-Lyne--
Labour gain.
Fulham east--
Labour gain.
COLVILLE:
I'm dreadfully sorry, sir.
They're perfectly entitled
to vote as they please.
This is democracy, after all.
That's what we've been fighting for.
It is my duty, sir,
formally to tender my resignation
as your minister,
and to advise you
to invite Mr. Attlee
to form
a new government.
Thank you,
Prime Minister.
- Please.
- Thank you, sir.
Winston, I would like you to accept
the Order of the Garter.
It is, as you know,
The highest order of chivalry
a monarch can bestow.
Your Majesty,
I am deeply honored
and very moved,
but I must refuse.
How can I accept
the most noble
Order of the Garter
when the British people
have given me
the order of the boot?
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
Well, I shall--
I shall miss our--
our meetings, our talks.
I feel we have--
I feel we've become friends.
Thank you, sir.
I feel that too.
SAWYERS:
Look who's here, sir.
Sir!
- COLVILLE: Hello, sir.
- Ah! Jock!
What a treat!
Wonderful to see you.
I hope
I'm not interrupting.
No no. I've been bidding
farewell to the chiefs of staff.
Never again shall
I look out of this window.
I shall miss it.
Scotch, Sawyers.
Dear old Jock!
How are you?
How's the new
Prime Minister?
Greatly surprised that
he won the election.
(LAUGHS)
Yes.
So was uncle Joe Stalin.
He couldn't understand why
we hadn't fixed the results.
Scotch, Sawyers, please.
The car's coming
in a minute, sir.
All right, all right.
- Where are you going?
- Where am I going?
To the theater. he knows, really.
He's just being awkward.
Mrs. Churchill's taking him
to the Noel Coward play.
- It's a real treat.
- Tell her I'm not going.
- Of course you're going.
- I don't feel like it.
You'll enjoy it
when you get there.
I hope you don't think
I'm being disloyal, sir.
"Disloyal"?
- Working for Mr. Attlee.
- Of course you're working for him.
Private secretary to the Prime
Minister-- that's your job.
Huh.
Actually, he was very decent
about it-- Attlee.
Said we could stay here
until Chartwell was ready.
I refused--
I hope graciously.
I think the army was
against me.
Their votes were
cast against me.
Well, I don't think
you can say--
Sure of it. Sure of it.
I thought
I served them well.
I had a letter
from Jack Seely,
Secretary of State
for war, 1914--
Retired now, of course.
It was such a darling letter.
Mmm.
Very upset
about the election.
He said it was
the end of the world--
Our world.
He may be right.
All the things
I cherish most
seem to be
slipping away--
The Empire,
respect
for the old order.
We were at school together,
Jack and I.
A genuinely good man.
I remember seeing him
in South Africa
during the Boer War.
I was a correspondent
of "The Morning Post."
Dawn-- A beautiful sunrise.
I was riding across
the veldt on my pony
and I saw a column of British
cavalry approaching.
And there, alone,
20 yards ahead of his men
riding a black horse
was Jack Seely--
Colonel Seely
as he was then.
He seemed to embody
all that was magnificent
in British imperial power.
I feel very lonely without a war.
I could live it all over again.
The whole war?
Just 1940.
WINSTON: I'm not in the mood
for some idiotic play.
Why on earth
did you suggest it?
Bloody nightmare.
- (CAR DOOR OPENS, CLOSES)
- I'm not going.
What?
Tell the driver
to take me home.
Please, Clemmie.
It was your idea to come
to the damn theater.
Tell the driver
to take me home. You go.
- Please don't.
- (DOOR OPENS)
MAN:
Good evening, Mrs. Churchill.
I can't go on like this.
I can't
And I won't.
Hope you have
a pleasant evening, sir.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
What have you
been doing lately,
- during these last years?
- Travelling about a bit.
I went round the world,
you know, after you--
- Yes. Yes, I know.
- (AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
WOMAN:
China must be very interesting.
Very big, China.
And Japan?
Very small.
# Someday I'll find you #
# Moonlight behind you #
# True to the dream #
# I am dreaming #
# As I draw near you #
# You'll smile a little smile #
# For a little while... #
Ladies and gentlemen,
we are very privileged.
With us in the theater tonight
we have the savior of our nation--
Winston Churchill.
(MURMUR)
(CHEERING)
- Bravo!
- Bravo!
Bravo!
- Bravo!
- Bravo!
(CLASSICAL INTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)
"Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
'To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods?'"
(PEOPLE CHATTING)
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
This is the BBC Home Service.
The German army invaded Holland
and Belgium early this morning
by land and by landings
from parachute.
The armies of
the Low Countries are resisting.
An appeal for aid has been made
to the allied governments
and allied troops are
moving to their support.
His Majesty's government
and the French government
are taking immediate steps
to come to the assistance
of Holland and Belgium.
The prime minister
Neville Chamberlain,
whose conduct of the war
has been roundly criticized,
has summoned leaders
of his party
to an emergency meeting
at 10 Downing Street.
Now I had hoped to remain
as prime minister through
the current crisis,
but I've just been told
that the Labour Party
will not serve under me.
Therefore I shall
resign immediately.
One of you will lead
the new government.
Winston, would it be
possible for you
to discharge the duties
of minister of defense
under the direction of Edward
Halifax as prime minister?
What is your opinion?
I think Winston would be
the better choice.
Yes, I think so too.
Huh.
- Mr. Churchill has arrived, sir.
- Thank you.
I feel very uneasy about this.
People say he's unreliable.
Is that true?
Impulsive, sir,
Might be a kinder word.
If only it could've
been Lord Halifax.
He would've made the most...
perfect prime minister.
- Perfect.
- WINSTON: At 4:35 this morning,
Hitler's troops invaded
Holland and Belgium
and the Luftwaffe has
been bombing airfields
all across Holland
and northern France.
Panzer divisions are
moving through Luxembourg
towards the Belgium frontier.
Our troops and the French
are marching north
to block
the German advance.
- How many of our men?
- All of them.
The entire army.
It's an extraordinary
coincidence--
Hitler attacking the West
and you becoming prime minister
all on the same day.
(CHUCKLES)
Could be coincidence, sir.
Could be destiny.
And what happens if we fail
to stop Hitler in Belgium?
One must assume
he'll go for France.
Just 21 miles.
Is that enough to save us?
MAN: ...with the Chief
of the Imperial General Staff.
At 10:00, telephone call
to the French prime minister.
Mr. Attlee at 10:30.
Cabinet photograph at 11:00.
- Sawyers.
- SAWYERS: sir.
MAN: A further meeting
of the war cabinet at 5:00.
Drinks with
Lord Beaverbrook at 6:30,
Then dinner with Mr. Bracken,
Sir John Anderson
- and the Duff Coopers.
- And what about my sleep?
Sleep, sir?
I need at least one hour's unbroken
sleep In the afternoon,
otherwise I can't function--
sleep and a bath.
You'd better call
the second meeting
of the war cabinet
for 11:00 tonight.
- Yes, sir.
- Colville-- is that right?
- Yes, sir.
- Related to Lord Crewe?
- My grandfather.
- Mmm, give him my greetings.
I met my wife at his house
on Curzon Street.
It is my intention to form
a national government,
a grand coalition
of all parties
united for the duration
of the war.
Conservatives and Labour
are equal partners.
And as leader
of the Labour Party,
you shall be my deputy.
I shall be both prime minister
and the minister of defense.
We have a heavy burden
to carry, my dear Attlee.
People trust us.
We must tell them the truth.
We must never let them down.
If you could go to the middle, sir, with
the conservative ministers on the right
- and the Labour ministers on the left.
- No no, that's all wrong.
This is a national government.
The photograph must reflect that.
Attlee, sit here next to me.
Come along, everyone.
Halifax, sit next to Attlee.
Hurry up.
Gentlemen.
MAN:
The latest reports indicate
that the Germans are advancing
rapidly towards Calais.
The main thrust was through here--
the Ardennes.
We were trying to stem the invasion
of Belgium to the north.
We've been outmaneuvered,
gentlemen.
So that means
our troops are cut off?
- MAN: Yes, sir.
- And we can't link up
to the main French force
to the south?
Yes, sir.
I'm afraid that's correct.
If the German advance
cannot be stopped,
we might have to order
our troops back to England.
The question is, 365,000 men--
The entire British army--
How many can we get back?
Perhaps 50,000...
- (MURMURING)
- ...if we're lucky.
- Admiral Pound.
- Yes, sir?
As a precautionary measure,
the Admiralty should assemble
as many
small vessels as it can
in readiness
for a large-scale evacuation.
That's already in hand, sir.
Tugboats, yachts, fishing craft,
lighters, barges,
pleasure boats--
Everything must
be called into service.
Well, if we are
forced to evacuate,
We must assume the Germans
will attempt to invade us
very shortly thereafter
beginning, one assumes,
with air attacks.
Unrestricted air attacks
aimed at breaking
public morale.
They'd also try to starve us
by attacking shipping and ports.
- MAN: True.
- POUND: Invasion would follow.
What about tanks? How many
have we got with the army?
- How many are being made?
- The plan is to evacuate
Women and children
from southern coastal towns.
Sounds a bit extreme.
The P.M. wants to know
how much mustard gas we have.
HALIFAX: I had a chat
with the Italian ambassador.
He made it clear
That if we were
to approach his government,
with a view to discussing
a general European settlement,
- We would not be rebuffed.
- What exactly does he mean by that?
That Mussolini is prepared
to act as an intermediary
between us,
the French and Hitler.
Any hint of negotiation would destroy
the morale of our people.
I think perhaps
not in the present circumstances.
The ambassador was
most conciliatory--
Not all all extreme,
very well-mannered.
Of course, they would expect
something in exchange.
- Oh, of course.
- Such as what?
Malta, perhaps.
Gibraltar.
Perhaps Uganda.
Winston?
My dear Edward,
if I thought we could get out
of our present difficulties
by giving up Malta, Gibraltar
or a few of the African colonies,
I'd jump at it,
But Hitler cannot be trusted.
No point in talking
with the eyeties.
The French are very keen
we should give it a try.
To hell with the French.
If they're not prepared to fight,
let them give up.
I will not allow this country to be
dragged down a slippery slope.
What is the point
of becoming a slave state?
Winston, for the love of God,
will you face facts?
We could lose a quarter
of a million men at Dunkirk.
Nations that go down fighting
rise up again.
Those that surrender
tamely are finished.
We cannot win this war
without a devastating loss
of life and resources.
Don't destroy everything
you most want to preserve.
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
This is the BBC Home Service.
Belgium has surrendered.
In preparation for invasion,
15 towns on the...
(ANNOUNCER CONTINUES)
What's the matter?
I've been on the telephone
with general Gamelin.
Bloody French--
They're worse than useless.
"Where is your strategic reserve?"
I asked him.
"There is none," he said.
Can you believe it?
I despair.
Sometimes I despair.
Of course you do. If you didn't,
you wouldn't be human.
I was thinking about
the afternoon I delivered
my statement to the house.
Do you remember?
We came back here for tea.
There were some people
on the pavement outside--
- not many, five or six.
- I remember.
One of them was
a middle-aged man--
A shopkeeper perhaps,
or a bus driver.
He was full
of hope and trust.
"Good luck, Winnie,"
He said.
"God bless you."
- I mustn't let him down.
- You won't.
I might.
Halifax is no fool.
What he says is full
of wisdom and good sense.
I hear his voice,
But the face I see
is that man outside #10.
Whether it was
part of my duty
to consider entering
into negotiations
with Herr Hitler--
but it's idle to think
we'd get better terms
than if we fought it out.
And I'm convinced
that every man of you
would rise up
and tear me down
from my place
if I were for one moment
to contemplate
- parley or surrender.
- MEN: Yes.
If this long
island history of ours
is to end at last,
let it end
only when each one of us
lies choking in his own blood
upon the ground.
- MEN: Hear hear!
- (CLAPPING)
MAN:
Hear hear!
Hear hear!
(KIDS LAUGHING)
WOMAN:
"Early today, the prime minister,
his wife, his youngest daughter
and members of his personal
staff flew to Bordeaux--
His first trip abroad
since the end of the war.
After a hectic month
of electioneering,
Mr. Churchill has gone away
for a well-deserved holiday."
- "Well-deserved" is right.
- "The election results
will not be announced
until july the 26th.
And although Mr. Churchill
is expected to win,
the outcome is
by no means certain."
Oh, this is bad news.
I don't want to hear it.
"A poll in 'The Daily Express' says
the Conservatives will win,
whereas 'The News Chronicle'
predicts a Labour victory."
I don't want
your father to see that.
(PEOPLE CHATTING)
(LIGHTER CLICKS)
The big, unanswerable question is
how the servicemen voted.
We allow
three weeks to enable
the servicemen abroad to cast their
votes, and nobody foresaw
how crucial
those votes might be,
- least of all me.
- Just stop worrying about the election.
- Try to relax.
- Well, it's not my fault, Clemmie.
- I didn't want this blasted election.
- I know. I know that.
Why don't you try
some painting this afternoon?
Oh, I'll have forgotten
how to do it.
Oh, of course you haven't.
- It's like riding a bicycle.
- Riding a bicycle?
- Or swimming.
- What on earth are you talking about?
Once you can do it,
you don't forget.
- Do try, please.
- Well, I might.
Where's the money coming from?
That's what I'd like to know.
For us, I mean, in the unlikely event
of the Labour Party winning.
They won't win.
No one thinks they'll win.
We can't live
on an M.P.'s salary.
Impossible. Where's
the money coming from?
Writing. Surely you're bound
to get lots of offers.
And pay 19/6
in the Pound income tax?
Not bloody likely!
A blasted welfare state--
Who wants it?
Country can't afford it.
Don't they realize that?
We did not fight this damn war
so the Labour Party
could take over
and destroy everything
we believe in.
(LIGHTER CLICKS)
WINSTON:
What about the First Sea Lord?
Has he responded
to my memorandum?
COLVILLE: Yes, sir. He telephoned
earlier, but you were in a meeting.
I believe
he spoke to Robert.
WINSTON:
Robert? Robert who, for God's sake?
Hard enough to know people
by their surnames,
christian names
make life bloody impossible.
- (CLEARS THROAT)
- Yes, Pim?
Sir, Calais has fallen.
- Is this confirmed?
- PIM: Yes, sir.
The evacuation of our troops
from Dunkirk has begun.
Thank you, Pim.
Sir?
Sir, I have a boat moored
in the Isle of Wight.
I think I could
be of use, sir,
If you could do without me
for three or four days.
- Do what you can, Pim.
- Sir.
We must prepare
ourselves, sir.
The loss of life will
almost certainly be immense.
Tell Lord Gort
wounded men to be
evacuated last.
"A week ago today,
Mr. Speaker,
I feared it would
be my hard lot,
umm...
to announce the greatest
military disaster
in our long history.
The whole root, core
and brain
of the British Army
seemed about to perish
upon the field
or to be led into
an ignominious captivity."
Give me it.
"An ignominious
and starving captivity.
Suddenly the scene
has changed--
The scene
has cleared." Good.
"The crash and thunder has,
for the moment..."
I'm terribly sorry, sir.
The prime minister has asked
not to be interrupted.
"...but only for the moment--
died away."
- (FILM PROJECTOR CLICKING)
- "The miracle of deliverance
achieved by valor,
by perseverance,
is manifest to us all.
And the Royal Navy,
with the help of countless
merchant seamen
and using nearly
1,000 ships of all kinds,
have carried
over 335,000 men
out of the jaws
of death and shame
to their native land.
We must be very careful
not to assign to this deliverance
the attributes of a victory.
Wars are not won by evacuations.
Our thankfulness
at the escape
of our army and so many men,
whose loved ones have
passed through an agonizing week
must not blind us to the fact
that what has happened
in France and Belgium
Is a colossal
military disaster.
We are told that
Herr Hitler has a plan
for invading
The British Isles.
This has often been
thought of before.
I have, myself,
full confidence
that if all do their duty,
if nothing is neglected,
and the best
arrangements are made,
as they are being made,
we shall
prove ourselves once more
able to defend
our island home,
to outlive
the menace of tyranny,
If necessary for years,
If necessary alone.
Even though
large tracts of Europe
and many old and famous
states have fallen
or may fall into
the grip of the Gestapo
and all the odious
apparatus of Nazi rule,
we shall not flag or fail.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight
on the seas and oceans.
We shall fight
with growing confidence
and growing strength in the air.
We shall defend our island,
whatever the cost may be.
We shall fight
on the beaches.
we shall fight
on the landing grounds.
We shall fight
in the fields
and in the streets.
We shall fight in the hills.
We shall never surrender."
(DOG BARKING)
WINSTON: Sawyers!
(SIGHS)
(DOOR OPENS)
WINSTON:
Sorry, Clemmie. I need my paints.
This fool left them
on the terrace.
Sorry, Mrs. Churchill,
I didn't realize--
- Come along. Come along.
- (DOOR SLAMS)
- Why on earth did you put them here?
- It's such a nice view, sir.
I thought you might like to paint it.
I'm the one who decides
what view to paint.
Mind your own damn business!
- Where are the other paints?
- SAWYERS: What other paints?
WINSTON:
You've left half of them behind.
For God's sakes, Sawyers,
who told you to bring only these?
SAWYERS:
I haven't touched your paints, sir.
WINSTON: Where's the cobalt?
Where's the hooker's green?
Where's the burnt sienna?
You've left everything at home!
You're an absolute
bloody fool, Sawyers!
(EASEL RATTLES)
WINSTON:
Would you mind that picture,
for God's sakes?!
- Winston.
- We won't disturb you again.
- Promise.
- CLEMMIE: Winston, please.
- What is it?
- Please
- stop behaving like this.
- Like what?
All this fuss
about a few tubes of paint.
Painting was
your idea, remember?
It will take my mind
off the election, apparently.
And you really mustn't speak
to Sawyers like that.
- Like what?
- How would you like to be shouted at?
- He doesn't mind.
- Of course he minds!
- Didn't you see his face?
- He takes it in his stride.
- He knows what I'm like.
- We'd be lost without Sawyers,
- and well you know it.
- Lost? What do you mean, lost?
- He's not going anywhere.
- Just treat him with respect, Winston.
- What are you talking about?
- You treat him like a servant!
- That's what he is!
- It's people like him who won the war!
I see. You're in one
of your left-wing moods.
God, you're a patronizing bully.
Prime minister,
I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
I'm sorry to disturb you
in the evening, sir.
- What's happened?
- The French have surrendered.
- We are alone?
- Yes, sir.
Arrangements have been made
for you, Her Majesty
and the princesses to be
evacuated from London.
We must consider when it would be
prudent to make such a move.
Do you think
an invasion is imminent?
- It all depends on air supremacy.
- (LIGHTER CLICKS)
Hitler needs to control the air
before he launches an invasion,
but we are fully prepared
for any eventuality.
If Hitler uses poison gas,
we shall do the same.
We have the deadliest
gasses in the world--
Mustard, anthrax.
Everything is tested
and ready for use.
When might it happen?
Anytime between now
and the end of September.
After that, the weather and
the tides will be against him.
The Queen and I have
talked about this.
The children could not
possibly go without her,
she won't go without me
and I shall not
leave London
under any circumstances.
Very well, sir.
There is something else.
Now that the French have surrendered,
we must assume that their navy
will soon be in German hands.
That must not happen.
We must keep control
of the Mediterranean.
Without access
to the Suez Canal
our oil supplies
will be cut off,
which would of course
be disastrous.
I've told the French
they must continue to fight,
sail their ships
to a British port
or scuttle the entire fleet.
If they accept none
of these choices,
I've ordered
Admiral Somerville
to bombard the French fleet
in the port of Oran.
We have to show the world,
and in particular
the United States,
that we mean to fight on.
(TICKING)
(SIGHS)
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACH)
Message from
Admiral Somerville, sir.
Since the deadline
has passed,
He's opened fire
on the French ships.
He says he's being
heavily engaged.
MAN:
How many Frenchmen killed?
You know, when Joe Kennedy
came back from London
And delivered his considered
ambassadorial opinion
He said Winston Churchill
is a drunk,
a warmonger, a bully.
Joe Kennedy's an appeaser.
He's bound to say that.
True.
On the other hand,
to be fair to Joe
when I first met Winston,
I didn't like him either.
It was 20 years ago,
a big formal dinner
in London.
He acted like a stinker.
The sort of British snob
I detest.
But as I say,
that was 20 years ago.
And now?
He may be a drunk,
he may be a warmonger,
but he's certainly a fighter.
WINSTON: "Prime Minister to
President, personal and secret."
(AIR RAID SIREN BLARING)
"I trust you realize
that the voice and force
of the United States
may count for nothing
- if they are withheld too long."
- (AUTOMATIC GUNFIRE)
"You may have a completely
subjugated nazified Europe
established with
astonishing swiftness,
and the weight may be
more than we can bear.
We must ask therefore
for whatever help and
reinforcements you can provide
as a matter of life and death.
Mr. President,
with great respect
I must tell you that in the long
history of the world,
this is the thing to do now."
(AIRPLANE ENGINES ROARING)
Good morning, sir.
On your feet, gentlemen--
The prime minister!
- Good morning, gentlemen.
- Good morning, sir.
Have you been in action today,
flight lieutenant?
No, sir. B-flight did
the early patrol.
- Not seen much trade since.
- How about you?
- How many huns have you brought down?
- Four, sir, maybe five.
- I got two on Monday.
- Very good.
The next two days'll be crucial.
If Hitler wins the battle of the air,
he wins the battle for Britain.
- It depends on you.
- Would you like a mug of tea, sir?
Good God, no!
My wife drinks that.
- (ALL LAUGH)
- I'm sure we can find you
something stronger
in the officer's mess, sir.
I wouldn't like to get
anyone into trouble.
Seeing as it's you, sir,
I'm sure it'll be fine.
- Johnny Walker or Haig, sir?
- Scramble!
Angels twelve over Maidstone!
Scramble!
- (ALL SHOUTING)
- (BELL RINGING)
MAN:
Contact!
What reserves do we have?
There are none.
They're so young.
And so few of them.
And yet...
on these few young men,
these boys,
we are entrusting the future
of our entire nation and empire.
Never has so much been owed
by so many to so few.
Make a note, Jock.
"Never on the field
of human conflict
has so much been owed
by so many to so few."
I might use that later.
ROOSEVELT: "The gratitude
of every home in our island
goes out to the British airmen
who, undaunted by odds,
are turning the tide
of the world war
by their prowess
and by their devotion.
Never in the field of human
conflict was so much
owed by so many to so few."
- (PAPER RUSTLES)
- Not bad, eh?
I gather you're making a fuss about
our southern area defenses, is that so?
I wouldn't call it
a fuss, Prime Minister.
That's what I was told. "Major General
Montgomery's been making a fuss,"
they said. I want to know why.
See for yourself, sir.
Sir.
Static guns--
What's the point of that?
It's absurd to try and defend
the coastline of England
with guns in static positions.
The Germans would bypass the whole
lot of them as they did in France.
What we need is mobility.
Might I remind you
that our army vehicles
Are lying in heaps of charred wreckage
on the beaches of Dunkirk?
Busses! Plenty of busses
in the country after all.
My division should be given busses
and transported rapidly
to wherever they're needed.
Hmm.
What we have here
is worse than useless.
Your commanding officer
seems perfectly satisfied
with things as they are.
Well, he's wrong.
- He's wrong and you're right?
- Precisely so.
And if he were here, I would
tell him so to his face.
Very well. Busses you shall have.
Now that that matter is settled,
we'll have lunch.
And a drink. I'm sure you could do
with a drink, Major General.
I neither drink nor smoke
and am 100% fit.
Well, I both drink and smoke
and I'm 200% fit.
(CHURCHILL SNICKERS)
- Everything all right, Bunny?
- Yes, sir. Ready when you are.
Very good.
Come along, everyone.
What does a humble A.T. say to
the Chief of the Imperial General Staff?
"Good luck"
might be appropriate.
I gather you're busy raising
money for the war effort.
I do what I can.
Mama's chairman of the Red Cross Appeal
Committee. We're very proud of her.
I never thought I'd be
married to a chairman.
One expects
she'll come downstairs
in a pin-striped suit
and M.C.C. tie.
(POLITE LAUGHTER)
Come along, Brookie.
Come and sit here.
We have a film show
every weekend.
Special treat today--
My favorite film.
Best film ever made.
All right, Bunny.
Ready when you are.
Switch off the light there, Jock.
- (PROJECTOR CLICKING)
- Sorry. A silly joke.
Mary is quite right--
- We're all very proud of you.
- (BELLS TOLLING)
Ah!
"Alexander Korda presents"--
You see this?
A great friend of mine, Alex.
A brilliant fellow.
Has everybody got a drink?
- Do sit down, Winston.
- Right.
NELSON: Lord Hood
advised me to instruct you--
Instruct--
Quite all right, Captain.
I have no secrets from Lady Hamilton.
MAN: Your indecisive
defeat of the danes...
Ah! Here he comes.
Here he comes now--
Nelson victorious after
the battle of Copenhagen.
NELSON:
A peace with Napoleon Bonaparte--
But, gentlemen, you will never make
peace with Napoleon!
He doesn't mean peace today.
He just wants--
Listen to what he has to say.
Damn clever.
(WHISPERS)
Winston!
Substitute the name Hitler
for Napoleon
and you'll see
what they're getting at.
- Shh!
- ...One purpose: to destroy our empire!
- Clever stuff.
- Shh!
- Napoleon can never be master--
- Very timely.
Years ago I said the same thing.
I begged them, I entreated
them not to give way.
but they wouldn't listen to me
and they paid the price.
You cannot make peace
with dictators!
- SAILOR: England...
- Expects...
- That...
- SAILOR #2: Every...
Man...
Will do...
His...
SAILOR #3: Duty.
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
- (AIR RAID SIREN BLARING)
(MAN SHOUTS)
Here they come, the buggers.
(AIRPLANES FLYING OVERHEAD)
(ARTILLERY FIRING)
Hurry along, sir.
Hurry along, madam.
- (PHONES RINGING)
- (MEN SPEAKING)
Ah! Clemmie,
Do go down to my room.
- I'll be back in a minute.
- Where are you going?
- Back in a minute. Back in a minute.
- Winston!
Mrs. Churchill, please.
- Good evening, Mrs. Churchill.
- Good evening, Captain Pim.
Where's Winston going?
Up to the roof I'm afraid.
He likes to see what's going on.
(BELL RINGING)
CLEMMIE: I was looking
at him at dinner last night
and Winston was
full of plans and ideas.
He was telling jokes,
quoting poetry.
I thought "he's like
a little boy playing
an enormously elaborate game
of make-believe.
and to his great delight,
it's suddenly come true."
- (ARTILLERY FIRING)
- (BOMBS EXPLODING)
(CRICKETS CHRIPING)
(PHONE RINGING)
(RINGING STOPS)
WINSTON: Who was that
on the telephone?
Do you really want to know?
- I do.
- It was the local mayor
inviting us to an evening
of Basque folk dancing.
Oh God, how fearful.
- I hope you said no.
- I said yes. Diplomacy, Winston.
(MUTTERS)
Oh Lord.
Perhaps you should join in.
Be good for you--
a bit of exercise.
- Wing Commander Maddox?
- Yes, sir.
- Victoria Cross?
- Yes, sir.
"It is ordained that
the Victoria Cross
shall only be awarded
for most conspicuous bravery,
or some pre-eminent act of valor
or self-sacrifice
or extreme devotion to duty
in the presence of the enemy."
Isn't that what it says
on the royal warrant?
Yes, sir.
The battle of Britain
was won by men like you.
This country owes you
its life and liberty.
You feel very humble
and awkward
in my presence, don't you?
Yes, sir.
Then you can imagine
how humble and awkward
I feel in yours.
- Good news from Bletchley.
- ISMAY: Sir?
The boffins have unbuttoned
a cipher message
from Berlin to the commander
of the 16th army.
All invasion barges are to be returned
to their base in Germany.
- ISMAY: Excellent!
- Herr Hitler has left it too late.
Buggeration!
Can't invade now till the spring.
Who knows what might happen
between now and them?
Shan't tell Roosevelt just yet.
No, sir.
Don't want the Yanks
to think we're out of danger
- until we're sure we are.
- CLEMMIE: Tell them his name.
- (PEOPLE CHUCKLING)
- Puggy-Wuggy.
- You loved that little dog, didn't you?
- I adored him when I was a little girl.
He walked awfully like Papa.
(ALL LAUGH)
Well, when I was a boy, I used
to collect toy soldiers.
I had 1500 of them all arranged
on a long trestle table.
I organized battles,
invasions, entire wars.
I used to pretend I was the greatest
general the world had ever known,
and my brother Jack
always played the enemy.
- Excuse--
- One day
my father came
into the nursery
and obviously impressed with the
orderly ranks of my infantrymen,
"Would you like to enter
the Army?" he said.
"Oh yes, sir," I said.
"That'd be splendid."
So off I went to Sandhurst.
Well, I thought
he'd sent me there
because he had discerned in
me qualities of military genius.
In fact, it was because he thought
I was too stupid for the bar.
- (SAWYERS CLEARS THROAT)
- WINSTON: Yes, Sawyers. What is it?
The Japanese have attacked
The Americans, sir.
- I've been listening on the wireless.
- What?!
Somewhere near Hawaii, sir.
God, why didn't
you say something?
I shall declare war on Japan.
- Excuse me.
- Yes yes.
Prime Minister,
you can't declare war
because of something you've
heard on the wireless.
Don't tell me
what to do, Colville!
If I want to declare war,
I'll bloody well declare it!
- COLVILLE: Please, sir.
- WINSTON OVER PHONE: Mr. President,
- what's all this about Japan?
- It's quite true.
They've attacked us
at Pearl Harbor.
We're all in the same boat now.
This is momentous news,
Mr. President.
Tonight I shall sleep the sleep
of the saved and the thankful.
Where are you taking those?
Mr. Churchill wants
them pressed, madam.
He wants to take them
to Washington.
Is that all right,
Mrs. Churchill?
Yes, of course.
Thank you, Sawyers.
(PEN SCRATCHING)
CLEMMIE: When are you
going to Washington?
Thursday. Sorry-- what?
- Winston.
- I didn't hear what you said.
- Of course you did.
- No need to be cross.
- I was going to tell you later.
- This is madness.
Winston, you'll make yourself ill.
I have to see the President.
Talk to him on the telephone.
I need to meet him
face to face.
Why? You're exhausted.
You're working 16 hours a day.
You cannot--
They have the men.
They have the resources.
So far we've managed
to avoid losing this damn war.
We cannot win it
without the Americans.
That's why.
Now, you know Winston's
going to America.
- Yes, I heard.
- I very much want you to go with him
as his doctor and his friend.
A bit difficult--
he hasn't asked me.
Well, he will. I can arrange that.
Please. He needs someone
to look after him.
He's hopeless with ordinary life--
Hopeless. He knows
nothing about it.
Did you know
he's never been on a bus?
He's only been
on the underground once--
That was during
the general strike.
He went round and round
on the circle line,
didn't know where to get off,
had to be rescued.
- Why don't you go with him?
- Oh, that wouldn't be a good idea.
- More of a hindrance than a help.
- I'm sure that's not true.
I think it is.
I'm afraid I'm not
the ideal wife for him.
I can't keep up with him.
I think you look after him
wonderfully well.
Do you?
That's very kind of you.
The point is,
he was born for this.
I wasn't and I have to cope
with that somehow.
I have to.
But some days, Charles,
I feel totally
and utterly exhausted.
All right.
I'll talk to Winston.
If it's helpful for me
to go with him to America,
then of course I'll go.
And you must
take care of yourself.
You need looking after too.
(YELLING)
ROOSEVELT: I'd been discussing
the situation with General Marshall.
He agrees with
your recommendation.
Our joint strategy
should be Europe first.
Good, I'm delighted to hear it.
The situation
in the Pacific is
nowhere near as bad
as some people think.
Singapore is impregnable--
an island fortress.
I've got a first-class general
in control of the garrison.
- You can rely on Singapore.
- Good. Excellent.
Now regarding Europe--
It's my view
we are in no position
to even consider
an invasion this year.
- Agreed.
- Good man.
The Russians are very unhappy.
One understands why,
of course--
The Red Army's
being butchered.
Stalin desperately
needs a second front.
I've told him
"this is impossible.
We don't have the men
or the equipment."
As you can see,
Mr. President,
I have nothing
to conceal from you.
(CHUCKLES)
My old schoolmaster,
Dr. Peabody,
taught us that
the trend of civilization
- is forever upward.
- Let's hope that's true.
I think it is.
He's been a great influence
throughout my entire life--
Dr. Peabody.
He once said "To believe
is to be strong.
Doubt cramps energy.
Belief is power."
Mmm.
My feelings about belief
tend to change.
I was very antireligious
when I was young.
Exposure to danger
changed that.
No matter what
my intellect told me,
I've always found myself
asking the almighty
for special protection
when facing the enemy.
(CHUCKLES)
- A reluctant believer?
- Perhaps.
The one thing I'm sure of:
whether you believe
or disbelieve,
it is a wicked thing
to take away men's hope.
And what do
you make of him?
I like him. Mmm.
But not, I think,
as much as he likes me.
(WINSTON MUTTERS)
"...the German
and Japanese level.
Anybody likes to play rough,
we can certainly play rough too.
Hitler and his Nazi gang
have sown the wind.
Let them reap the whirlwind."
Don't work too late, sir.
You need your rest--
busy day tomorrow.
"Neither the length of the struggle
nor any form of severity
which it may assume
shall make us weary"--
- Is there anything else you want?
- Where's the brandy?
- On the side table.
- Very good.
Not Hine I'm afraid, sir,
but passable.
Bloody awful Martinis
before dinner.
I can't imagine why the President
likes such a filthy drink.
Each man to his own, sir.
I'll say good night then.
Yes yes, good night.
"There will be no haltings
or half measures.
There will be
no compromise or parley."
Yes.
"When I warned
the French government
that Britain would
fight on alone
no matter what they did,
their generals told
their prime minister
and his cabinet--
and his cab--
and his divided cabinet--
and his divided--
and his divided cabinet
'in three weeks'--
(GRUNTS)
'in three weeks,
England will have her neck
wrung like a chicken.'
Some chicken!
Some neck!
Some chicken!
Some neck!"
(WINDOW RATTLES)
Oh!
(GRUNTS)
- Thompson. Thompson.
- (DOOR OPENS)
- What's the matter, sir?
- Fetch the doctor.
- I'm not feeling well.
- Right.
Here we are, sir.
All right, all right.
I'll go fetch the doctor.
(DOOR OPENS)
- Is he all right?
- He's had a heart attack--
Fairly minor,
but a heart attack nevertheless.
He should be kept in bed
for at least six weeks,
but that's impossible.
If the American
newspapers got wind of it,
the whole damn world
would be told
Winston's an invalid
with a dicky heart
and that'd be disastrous.
Nobody must hear
of this-- nobody.
Not Mrs. Churchill
and not even him.
(SPEAKING FRENCH)
Speak up.
Don't mumble.
This is Mr. Churchill.
I want to speak to
the party chairman.
Then get ahold of him.
Tell him I rang.
I'm in France.
He knows the number.
Get him to
telephone me here at--
(CLEMMIE KNOCKS)
Winston?
No, on second thought
I'll telephone him.
Tomorrow, yes.
Roughly the same time.
(CLEMMIE KNOCKS)
Winston, are you there?
Yes, come in.
We're taking Mary to Biarritz.
Had you forgotten?
- No no, of course not.
- What are you doing?
- Nothing.
- What do you mean, "nothing"?
I could scarcely
make it any clearer.
I'm sitting here
in my room doing nothing.
Are you so bored
with my company?
- Clemmie, for heaven's sake.
- And what about Mary?
She has been so looking forward
to spending time with you
and you have scarcely
spoken to her.
She seems happy enough.
Can't you try
to enjoy this holiday
and forget about
the election just for a bit?
The answer is no, I can't.
If I sit on the terrace or the beach,
I sit there thinking about it.
At least if I come up here,
phone Party H.Q.,
they can tell me the latest news
and I can go back to you
with a clear mind
and no hidden anxieties.
Nothing is going to happen until the
election results are announced.
You know that.
There is nothing you can do.
Yes, I know that,
but I don't feel it.
It may be foolish
And I know it's annoying,
but I like to have
the illusion I'm in control.
Haven't you got a single general
who can win battles?!
- (MEN MURMUR)
- This is beyond belief!
I mean, talk about
bloody incompetence!
Who is responsible?
I told President Roosevelt
Singapore was impregnable!
It seems the garrison is not
as well fortified as we thought.
I gave him my word!
Most of the guns
can only fire seaward,
which leaves our troops vulnerable
to an attack from the north.
Well, why weren't
we told about this?
I'm afraid we were misinformed
by the Joint Intelligence Committee.
Bloody hell. You listen to me,
General Brooke.
I expect every inch
of ground to be defended.
This is the key to our imperial
strength in Southeast Asia.
Send a telegram immediately:
there must be no thought
of saving the troops
or sparing the population.
- (PHONE RINGING)
- WINSTON: "I speak to you all
under the shadow of a heavy
and far-reaching military defeat.
Singapore has fallen.
This is one of those moments
when the British race and nation
can show their quality
and their genius.
This is one of those moments
when it can draw from
the heart of misfortune
the vital impulses of victory.
Here is a moment to display
that calm and poise
combined with grim determination
which not so long ago
brought us out
of the very jaws of death.
- So far..."
- Hear Winston last night?
- I did.
- Hot air, I thought, didn't you?
The country's not in the mood
to be fobbed off
with fine phrases.
"Let us move forward,
steadfastly together
into the storm
and through the storm."
- (MEN YELLING)
- MAN: The Prime Minister
wins debate after debate
and loses battle after battle.
- MAN: hear, hear!
- The country is beginning to say
he fights his debates like a war
and the war like a debate.
What about Dieppe, Winston?
Have you forgotten what
a disaster that was?
4,000 men lost!
And Malaya!
Not a single objective accomplished!
The Prime Minister is exercising
a tremendous dictatorship.
He is the most arrogant
and intolerant member
of this House.
He appointed himself
Minister of Defense.
The responsibility
for the current sad state
of military affairs is his.
So far as I am concerned,
had I to choose between Hitler
and the Prime Minister,
I should not know exactly on
which the choice had to fall.
(MEN YELLING)
(OPERA MUSIC PLAYING)
You must stop brooding.
- I'm not brooding.
- You are. (MUSIC STOPS)
You're brooding about
that wretched debate.
Ignore it, Winston.
Nobody takes them seriously.
It's left-wing
labourite nonsense.
- Is it?
- You know it is.
I knew I'd get the blame,
and in many ways I deserve it.
You once said to me--
Do you remember?
--when you first
became Prime Minister,
"I was born for this."
You were, Winston.
Too many disasters.
I feel I must assure you, sir,
that if you wish me to
hand over my responsibilities
to some other person, I would feel,
in many ways, it is the right
and proper thing to do.
If you're trying
to offer your resignation,
please don't.
I'd be awfully glad if you didn't.
The people need you, Winston.
Perhaps, sir. Perhaps not.
Of course they do. So do I.
No. No, you'll just have
to buckle down and--
What's your phrase?
--keep buggering on.
That's right, sir-- K.B.O.
Of course the loss of Singapore
came as a dreadful shock.
I hadn't expected it
to fall so quickly.
None of us did, sir.
If our army can't fight
any better than this,
we shall lose the Empire.
Thank you, sir.
The situation in the North Atlantic
is even more worrying.
Admiral Donitz and his U-boats
are wreaking havoc.
Unless we can find a way
of protecting our supply convoys,
we'll be starved to death.
K.B.O., Winston.
K.B.O., Sir.
Bloody U-boats.
Some of the chaps have
had a brilliant idea.
- And what's that?
- Icebergs.
Icebergs?
We disguise our merchant
ships as icebergs.
Think of the Titanic.
Enormous icebergs floating
throughout the North Atlantic.
U-boat commander would look
through his periscope
and see only icebergs.
Icebergs travelling
in formation, sir,
at a steady eight knots?
Yes, well, we'd have to
work on the details.
And with smoke coming
out of a funnel?
Well, think about it.
I'm sure it could work.
It just needs a little bit
of ingenuity.
- There was something else as well.
- Oh, yes.
Yes yes, floating harbors
for the invasion of Europe.
Isn't that
a little premature, sir?
We've got to think ahead.
The huns'll blow
everything to buggery.
We need a floating harbor.
No invasion can work
without a harbor.
The Americans think otherwise,
but they're wrong.
Eisenhower has no idea
how to fight a battle.
He's never even seen
active service.
- Are you off?
- Yes, sir.
- Best wishes to your wife.
- Thank you, sir.
I was thinking of having a long
weekend in the country.
Would that be all right?
A holiday.
Holidays are
a peacetime concept.
A change is
as good as a rest,
and as we're off to see
Joe Stalin next week,
I'd advise
against the country.
A waste of time.
Yes, sir. Good night.
The first thing I did when I was
assigned to bomber command
was to examine the effect
of night raids on Germany.
The results are
most discouraging.
It seemsv our night bombing
is so inaccurate
that it's scarcely doing
any damage at all.
Most of the bombs drop
on empty fields.
- We're killing more cows than Germans.
- And your solution?
Either we abandon
night bombing altogether
or the objectives of night bombing
should be radically changed.
Obviously we can't
give up night bombing,
It's the only thing
we can do to hurt Germany.
We've got to show Stalin
we're doing something
to ease the pressure
on the Red Army.
- And so...?
- At the moment
we aim our bombs at specific
targets and usually miss them.
If we were to drop bombs
on a much wider area--
An area, say, that we knew
contained factories,
railway lines, important roads--
we'd stand a much greater
chance of success.
Wouldn't such an area
also contain houses--
houses for the civilians
who work in the factories?
A certain number of people
would be dehoused, it's true.
- "Dehoused"?
- Like the people of Coventry,
Portsmouth, the East End.
- That's a feeble argument, Harris.
- Feeble? In what way?
You're talking
of the deliberate slaughter
of civilian men, women and children.
There's bound to be
moral objections.
Well, bugger that, Attlee.
Everybody used gas in the last war
without a word of complaint from
the Somme-seeking defeatists.
On the other hand,
the bombing of open cities
was regarded as forbidden.
Now everybody does it.
It's simply a matter
of fashion changing,
like long or short skirts
for women. War is war, Attlee.
Let them have it, Harris.
Never maltreat the enemy by halves.
- How do I make it work?
- Just switch it on, sir.
There's a switch on the back.
- Off. On.
- Fuck!
(MAN SPEAKING RussiaN)
INTERPRETER:
Marshal Stalin proposes a toast
to the health of his friend
Prime Minister Churchill
on this, his birthday!
ALL:
Prime Minister Churchill!
WINSTON:
I'd like to propose to the health
of Marshal Stalin.
He will, I know, be ranked amongst
the most illustrious heroes
of Russian history.
He has already
earned the title
- of "Stalin the Great"!
- (SPEAKING RussiaN)
ALL:
Stalin the Great!
I also drink
to the proletarian masses.
ALL:
The proletarian masses!
(SPEAKING RussiaN)
Marshal Stalin drinks
to the Conservative Party!
ALL:
The Conservative Party!
To the people of France
and French champagne.
Marshal Stalin drinks
to the health
of Mr. Churchill's valet.
(STALIN SPEAKING)
He is a noble example
of the British working man.
ALL:
Churchill's valet.
I drink to Marshal Stalin.
(INTERPRETER SPEAKS)
How much nicer a man
than I thought he'd be.
ALL:
Marshal Stalin.
(STALIN CHUCKLING)
(CHATTING)
INTERPRETER:
Your invasion of northern France
should not be delayed.
The Red Army is
suffering heavy losses.
We need the support
of a second front in Europe.
Marshal Stalin is anxious
that Operation Overlord
should not be delayed.
Marshal Stalin must realize
that our forces will not be ready
- until the summer of 1944.
- (INTERPRETER SPEAKING)
That's six months away.
The situation might change.
(STALIN SPEAKING)
Marshal Stalin is not prepared
to discuss any delay.
There's no question of a delay.
(INTERPRETER SPEAKING)
The governing factor is
the timing put forth by you.
Overlord will be launched
at the prescribed time.
INTERPRETER:
This is good.
It would be unwise, I think,
to agree now to such
a rigid timetable.
(STALIN SPEAKING)
Marshal Stalin says
the British are afraid of fighting.
You should not think
the Germans are supermen.
You cannot win a war
without fighting.
We are fighting--
and fighting fiercely--
on land, on the sea
and in the air.
The invasion of France is
our topmost priority.
It will be our stern duty
to hurl every sinew
of our strength
against the Germans.
- (INTERPRETER SPEAKING)
- (MUTTERS) Bloody man.
INTERPRETER:
I beg your pardon?
Nothing.
(RussiaN FOLK MUSIC PLAYING)
WINSTON:
Thompson.
What is it, sir?
What do you want?
I can't find them anywhere.
- Can't find what, sir?
- The little red sleeping pills.
Shall I ask Mr. Sawyers, sir?
Perhaps he knows where they are.
No no, he'll be asleep.
(SIGHS)
Bloody music.
(GRUNTS, SIGHS)
Stay with me, Thompson.
Certainly, sir. Of course.
I'm tired out.
Tired in body,
soul and spirit.
Well, you've had
a very strenuous time, sir.
All these conferences,
all the travelling,
it's an exhausting business.
It is.
Do you know how far
I've travelled
since the war began?
110,000 miles.
Somebody worked it out.
A total of 33 days at sea
and 14 days in the air.
Time you took it easy, sir.
Sometimes I think man
will destroy man,
wipe out civilization.
Europe will be desolate
and I shall
be held responsible.
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACH)
- Thank you.
- If there's anything more, madam--
No.
Sometimes when he's asleep
you can see what
he must've looked like
when he was a little boy.
(CHUCKLES)
His parents ignored him.
Did you know that?
He loved them deeply.
They ignored him.
People say he's a figure
from the past,
that the Labour Party
represents the future.
It seems timeless to me,
his love of England.
It's an ideal,
It's a vision--
Something he's determined
to protect at all costs.
His Camelot.
Yes, if you like.
Perhaps that England
never really existed.
But if he hadn't believed in it,
he never would have found
the strength to win the war.
- Ah.
- BROOKE: Afternoon, Harris.
That's a fine-looking car you've got.
Four and a quarter liter,
Vanden Plas body--
drives like a dream.
I was on my way home
the other evening.
I got stopped for speeding.
"You might've killed someone,"
said the copper.
"My dear young man,"
I said,
"I kill thousands
of people every night."
Evening, Pug.
Evening.
Have a good journey?
On D-day minus eight
the entire coastal area here
will be sealed and all troops
confined to their camps.
Foreign embassies
will not be allowed
to communicate with
the outside world.
Everything is being done to prevent
any sort of security breach,
which would, of course,
be catastrophic.
I need to speak to Admiral Cunningham
about my accommodation
- on H.M.S. Belfast.
- Accommodation?
I've decided to go
with the troops on D-day.
- What?
- Morale, you see. That's the thing.
Morale up, victory assured.
I'm good at morale.
Everybody says so.
- Sir, if I may say so--
- Mind made up.
Change the subject.
The Prime Minister
seems determined
to go to France with the troops.
- On D-day?
- Yes.
Well, I might've guessed.
Put him anywhere near
a dangerous situation
and you can be
absolutely sure
he'll go straight towards it.
Thank you for telling me, Jock.
I'll see what I can do.
Prime Minister, would you
like to come this way?
KING GEORGE VI:
Thank you for coming to see me
at such short notice.
I've made an important decision
and I want you
to arrange things for me.
Of course, sir.
What can I do?
I think it's only right
that I, as king,
should go to France
with our invading force...
- You mean--
- ...on D-day
with the first wave of troops.
I shall travel on one of our
landing craft with the men.
I'm sorry, sir,
but that's impossible.
- Why?
- You'd almost certainly be killed.
And I have
a replacement, Winston.
You do not.
- So let's hear no more about it. Hmm?
- (GRUNTS, SIGHS)
(FILM PROJECTOR CLICKING)
(CLICKS)
That's it, sir.
That's all there is.
Got the buggers
on the run now, sir.
Our boys'll soon be in Berlin.
Tell me, Bunny, do you believe
in life after death?
Life after death, sir?
Well, I suppose I do.
I envy you that.
(MEN CHATTING)
Ah. There he is.
Franklin, my good man,
we must have a private talk
about the future of Poland.
We can't do that with Joe Stalin
breathing down our necks.
How about lunch?
My dance card's
quite full, I'm afraid.
And, frankly, I have a distant
view of the Polish problem.
I don't think a conversation
with Uncle Joe
would be advantageous to
the long-range prospect for peace.
- MAN: Gentlemen, please be seated.
- (INTERPRETER SPEAKING)
Forgive me, Winston. I have to get
myself ready for this damn picture.
Harry.
We ought to do something.
It's a matter of honor.
What is?
- The Polish problem.
- Here we go, sir.
People are saying
we declared war on Germany
because they invaded Poland.
We can't just stand by and
watch Russia do the same.
For God's sake, what do people expect
us to do, start another bloody war?
Over here, gentlemen.
(DISTANT TYPING)
The latest briefing, sir.
WINSTON:
I can't understand Franklin's behavior.
Roosevelt and Joe Stalin--
They have the power.
No lover ever studied
the whims of his mistress
more assiduously
Than I did those of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
(FILM PROJECTOR CLICKING)
NEWSREEL ANNOUNCER: It was an air
assault without parallel in history.
The target was Dresden.
Terror rained down
from the skies.
Dresden is now
a heap of ruins.
It has been smashed to atoms.
Utral sources report that
more than 58,000 people
lost their lives
and 180,000 lost their jobs.
That's nearly a quarter
of a million German war workers
less than a week ago.
A brilliant tribute to the allied
knights of the air.
WINSTON: War...
which used to be cruel
and magnificent,
has now become
cruel and squalid.
Once there was a small number
of well-trained professionals
who championed their country's cause.
These men,
brave men, were sustained
at every moment
by the applause of their nation.
Now we have entire communities--
woman and children included--
pitted against one another
in brutish mutual extermination,
with only a set
of bleary-eyed clerks
left to add up
the butchers' bills.
I'm sorry, Attlee,
you were saying something?
I was going to suggest
a little discussion--
An item on
our peacetime agenda:
"The Uthwatt Report
on town and country planning."
The what report on what?
- Uthwatt, sir.
- Never heard of it.
I sent you a memorandum concerning
back-bench reaction last week--
Last week?
What happened last week?
I can't remember last week.
Isn't it appalling?
Can't even remember
what I had for breakfast.
Got a match? Thank you.
When I was a boy,
when I was at school
I had a phenomenal memory.
Phenomenal.
I got a prize for reciting
"The Lays of Ancient Rome,"
Macaulay.
Mmm, the whole of it.
I knew the whole damn thing,
word perfect, start to finish.
Got a prize for it.
"Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
'To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods?'"
Well, right.
Let's move on.
You were saying, Attlee?
(TELETYPE CLATTERING)
(PANTING)
PIM:
Sorry to waken you, sir!
Captain bloody Pim!
What the hell do you want?
Message from General Eisenhower's
headquarters, sir.
The instrument of
unconditional surrender
was signed at 2:41 A.M. this morning.
- The war in Europe is over.
- Let me see.
For five years you've brought me
nothing but bad news.
With one stroke, you have
redeemed yourself.
Sir.
(CROWD CHEERING)
Come along, Winston.
WINSTON:
This is unexpected,
and I have to say,
unwelcome news.
If I could just explain--
Nothing to explain. You want to
disband the national government
before we have
defeated Japan.
I wouldn't say I want it personally.
My party wants it.
Left-wing buggers.
Well, if they want an election,
let 'em have it. Fuck 'em.
Not just left-wingers,
Winston, as well you know.
The British people want
a different sort of future.
They want full employment;
they want a proper welfare state.
And if they want
to vote for these things,
then I think an election
should be called.
Very well.
Do as you please.
Well?
Have you read my speech?
I have, yes.
And what do you think?
- Not one of your best.
- What's wrong with it?
Rather dull, I thought.
- Dull?
- And there's one bit
I don't like at all.
(CLEARS THROAT)
When you talk about the socialists
not allowing free speech
or "violently-worded expressions
- of public discontent."
- What's wrong with that?
"They would have to fall back
on some form of Gestapo."
I think it is a huge mistake
to use that particular word.
It is the right word
in this context.
This is going to be
broadcast, Winston.
Thousands of Labour Party
supporters will hear it,
Men and women who have
been fighting the Nazis
and the Gestapo for five years!
This will make them very angry.
Clemmie, I know what
this country needs.
For a start we're bankrupt--
In debt to the tune
of 3,000 million
on top of that, there is
the threat of communism--
as big a threat as Hitler was
in 1940, if not worse!
The people trusted me then,
they'll trust me now.
Things are different now. The war
has changed everything.
Certain things may change,
I do not.
- (PAPERS RUSTLE)
- That's what people want:
the strength and security
of experienced government.
Thank you for
your advice, Clemmie.
In this instance
I shall not heed it.
WINSTON:
"My friends I must tell you
that a socialist policy is abhorrent
to the British ideas of freedom.
No socialist government
could afford
To allow free, sharp
or violently-worded expressions
of public discontent.
They would have
to fall back on some
form of Gestapo--
no doubt very
humanely directed--"
- That's bollocks! Bollocks.
- "--in the first instance.
And this would nip
opinion in the bud.
Leave these socialist
dreamers to their utopias--
or their nightmares.
Let us make sure
that the cottage home
to which the warrior
will return is blessed
with modest
but solid prosperity,
well fenced and guarded
against misfortune,
and that Britons remain
free to plan their lives
for themselves
and for those they love."
ATTLEE: "When I listened to the Prime
Minister's speech last night,
in which he gave such a travesty
of the policy of the Labour Party,
I realized at once what was his object.
He feared lest those who
had accepted his leadership at war
might be tempted out of gratitude
to follow him further.
I thank him
For having disillusioned them
so thoroughly."
(CHATTING)
Ah, good. There he is.
Where's Mama?
She must have
forgotten something.
I'll go and have a look. Clemmie!
Clemmie!
Clemmie!
(DOOR OPENS)
What are you doing?
I'm just saying goodbye
to the view.
- It looks lovely this morning.
- Ah.
Yes.
(HUMPHS)
Everything's packed.
Everyone's ready and waiting.
Right.
- What's wrong?
- Nothing.
- What is it?
- Nothing.
Tell me, please.
I dread going back.
I dread it.
We'll come again.
I promise.
We'll come back
next autumn.
We can go to the Riviera
or Monte Carlo,
borrow somebody's villa.
- Winston.
- Or we can come back here.
You like it here, don't you?
It doesn't matter where we go.
Yes. You're right, it doesn't.
We could stay at Chartwell--
Even better.
(CHUCKLES) You really don't
understand, do you?
Another five years in Downing
Street could kill you...
Nonsense. I've never felt better.
...and me.
Why?
Are you saying you want me
to lose the election?
No no, of course not.
- I don't believe it.
- I don't.
I look into the future
and it frightens me.
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
Hammersmith south-- Labour gain.
Wigan-- Labour gain.
Leeds south--
Labour, no change.
Barrow-In-Furness--
Labour gain.
Newcastle-Under-Lyne--
Labour gain.
Fulham east--
Labour gain.
COLVILLE:
I'm dreadfully sorry, sir.
They're perfectly entitled
to vote as they please.
This is democracy, after all.
That's what we've been fighting for.
It is my duty, sir,
formally to tender my resignation
as your minister,
and to advise you
to invite Mr. Attlee
to form
a new government.
Thank you,
Prime Minister.
- Please.
- Thank you, sir.
Winston, I would like you to accept
the Order of the Garter.
It is, as you know,
The highest order of chivalry
a monarch can bestow.
Your Majesty,
I am deeply honored
and very moved,
but I must refuse.
How can I accept
the most noble
Order of the Garter
when the British people
have given me
the order of the boot?
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
Well, I shall--
I shall miss our--
our meetings, our talks.
I feel we have--
I feel we've become friends.
Thank you, sir.
I feel that too.
SAWYERS:
Look who's here, sir.
Sir!
- COLVILLE: Hello, sir.
- Ah! Jock!
What a treat!
Wonderful to see you.
I hope
I'm not interrupting.
No no. I've been bidding
farewell to the chiefs of staff.
Never again shall
I look out of this window.
I shall miss it.
Scotch, Sawyers.
Dear old Jock!
How are you?
How's the new
Prime Minister?
Greatly surprised that
he won the election.
(LAUGHS)
Yes.
So was uncle Joe Stalin.
He couldn't understand why
we hadn't fixed the results.
Scotch, Sawyers, please.
The car's coming
in a minute, sir.
All right, all right.
- Where are you going?
- Where am I going?
To the theater. he knows, really.
He's just being awkward.
Mrs. Churchill's taking him
to the Noel Coward play.
- It's a real treat.
- Tell her I'm not going.
- Of course you're going.
- I don't feel like it.
You'll enjoy it
when you get there.
I hope you don't think
I'm being disloyal, sir.
"Disloyal"?
- Working for Mr. Attlee.
- Of course you're working for him.
Private secretary to the Prime
Minister-- that's your job.
Huh.
Actually, he was very decent
about it-- Attlee.
Said we could stay here
until Chartwell was ready.
I refused--
I hope graciously.
I think the army was
against me.
Their votes were
cast against me.
Well, I don't think
you can say--
Sure of it. Sure of it.
I thought
I served them well.
I had a letter
from Jack Seely,
Secretary of State
for war, 1914--
Retired now, of course.
It was such a darling letter.
Mmm.
Very upset
about the election.
He said it was
the end of the world--
Our world.
He may be right.
All the things
I cherish most
seem to be
slipping away--
The Empire,
respect
for the old order.
We were at school together,
Jack and I.
A genuinely good man.
I remember seeing him
in South Africa
during the Boer War.
I was a correspondent
of "The Morning Post."
Dawn-- A beautiful sunrise.
I was riding across
the veldt on my pony
and I saw a column of British
cavalry approaching.
And there, alone,
20 yards ahead of his men
riding a black horse
was Jack Seely--
Colonel Seely
as he was then.
He seemed to embody
all that was magnificent
in British imperial power.
I feel very lonely without a war.
I could live it all over again.
The whole war?
Just 1940.
WINSTON: I'm not in the mood
for some idiotic play.
Why on earth
did you suggest it?
Bloody nightmare.
- (CAR DOOR OPENS, CLOSES)
- I'm not going.
What?
Tell the driver
to take me home.
Please, Clemmie.
It was your idea to come
to the damn theater.
Tell the driver
to take me home. You go.
- Please don't.
- (DOOR OPENS)
MAN:
Good evening, Mrs. Churchill.
I can't go on like this.
I can't
And I won't.
Hope you have
a pleasant evening, sir.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
What have you
been doing lately,
- during these last years?
- Travelling about a bit.
I went round the world,
you know, after you--
- Yes. Yes, I know.
- (AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
WOMAN:
China must be very interesting.
Very big, China.
And Japan?
Very small.
# Someday I'll find you #
# Moonlight behind you #
# True to the dream #
# I am dreaming #
# As I draw near you #
# You'll smile a little smile #
# For a little while... #
Ladies and gentlemen,
we are very privileged.
With us in the theater tonight
we have the savior of our nation--
Winston Churchill.
(MURMUR)
(CHEERING)
- Bravo!
- Bravo!
Bravo!
- Bravo!
- Bravo!
(CLASSICAL INTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)