This . . . was most definitely a historical movie. As expected for a biographical story most people would be less than exciting most of the time and slightly thrilling at a few spots, this movie was in no way an outlier. Although I cannot ignore the fact that Winston Churchill did accomplish some significant steps in his life that were globally beneficial, I don’t understand the draw of watching a two-hour long movie about him. I watched this movie with Film Club, and every person came out of the theater dreary-eyed as nearly all of us fell asleep, or almost did, at some point in the movie and also were confused about the what seemed like it was supposed to be a mic-drop ending but felt too sudden.
Now, what I did like about the film was the cinematography. The different angles and transitions were what made the going to watch the movie almost worth it. There was an array of monochromatic scenes that were unsettlingly close to Churchill’s face as he traveled to and walked through the underground offices. One of the most amusing camera shots was when he was in the bathroom, on the phone with President Roosevelt asking for American ships to be sent to England. The comical situation as well as the how the room seemed to be cut in half added to the memorability of this scene. What I found interesting in the cinematography was that in many cases of the dark lit shots, it seemed as if there was a border around the scene, which I felt that it removed the audience even more and isolated the characters. Also, the closing scene was very visually appealing when all the members of the House of Commons threw their papers down and thousands of them fluttered down as Churchill strolled out the door after giving a motivating speech to push Parliament to continue fighting Hitler.
History is by far my least favorite subject, which is probably one of the reasons why I would never chose to watch this movie for a second time. However, I am not sorry that I watched it, I just regret paying to spend two hours bored and slightly uncomfortable. So, if you love history and don’t mind it being played up for dramatic effect, this movie is for you. Otherwise, don’t bother watching this movie even if you have two hours to kill.
Now, what I did like about the film was the cinematography. The different angles and transitions were what made the going to watch the movie almost worth it. There was an array of monochromatic scenes that were unsettlingly close to Churchill’s face as he traveled to and walked through the underground offices. One of the most amusing camera shots was when he was in the bathroom, on the phone with President Roosevelt asking for American ships to be sent to England. The comical situation as well as the how the room seemed to be cut in half added to the memorability of this scene. What I found interesting in the cinematography was that in many cases of the dark lit shots, it seemed as if there was a border around the scene, which I felt that it removed the audience even more and isolated the characters. Also, the closing scene was very visually appealing when all the members of the House of Commons threw their papers down and thousands of them fluttered down as Churchill strolled out the door after giving a motivating speech to push Parliament to continue fighting Hitler.
History is by far my least favorite subject, which is probably one of the reasons why I would never chose to watch this movie for a second time. However, I am not sorry that I watched it, I just regret paying to spend two hours bored and slightly uncomfortable. So, if you love history and don’t mind it being played up for dramatic effect, this movie is for you. Otherwise, don’t bother watching this movie even if you have two hours to kill.