Which person from history would you like to have a chat with?
My choice would be Winston Churchill and given that this year marks the 50th anniversary of his death, I decided to read up on him and came across two great videos, too. I hope these selections might get interested you in this fascinating man, too.
THE BOOK
Young Titan: The Making of Winston Churchill by Michael Sheldon is a fascinating look at the young man who would become one of the world’s great leaders.
The author goes into great detail about his family, his famous father, Lord Randolph, and his wife Jennie, his highbrow band of friends and the many loves of Churchill’s young life.
I had no idea he was such a romantic — he seemed to fall in love at the drop of… champagne. He travelled the world and had a great understanding of international affairs that many others at his level lacked.
Young Titan discusses Churchill’s political life, with all the ups and downs of winning and losing elections, going against his own party and taking the hit for a disastrous military campaign.
There’s a wonderful bit about his making a speech in Winnipeg that had 500 people in line for standing room tickets. This book made me appreciate the making of this truly amazing leader.
THE MOVIES
In The Gathering Storm, Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave, two of Britain’s great actors, portray Churchill and his wife Clementine (Clemmie) during the period when he was out of office in the 1930s.
He is concerned about events in Germany and seems to the only one who gives a damn. He has reverted to writing after losing much of his fortune but presses on in politics because it is his passion.
His relationship with his wife has shifted somewhat but his love for her is strong. I know some of the historical facts are incorrect, as is often the case in historical movies, but the acting is superb and the relationship between Winston and his wife is truly sweet, in the old sense of the world.
As many have noted, seeing Finney in the admiralty uniform at the end of the movie is quite moving. This is a terrific HBO production.
With Into the Storm, Brendan Gleeson and Janet McTeer portray Winston and Clemmie just as he is named Prime Minister. I didn’t think anyone could play Winston as well as Finney but I was happily surprised at how good a job Gleeson does.
He portrays Churchill as a leader with flaws, yet resolute in what he has to do. It is the little things that make the difference in his portrayal of Churchill and he is wonderful. The acting by McTeer and Iain Glen (of Game of Thrones fame) makes this a richer movie. Can you tell I loved this film?
Look for these items at your local library and I encourage you to learn a little more about this fascinating era of history and this amazing leader via your medium of choice.
—A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is usually published on Wednesdays. Silvana Harwood works at Coquitlam Public Library.
