Into the Storm Docu-Drama Avoids the Storm

An Examination of the Docu-Film from 2009 by Thaddeus O’Sullivan

Sep 13, 2009

Although the title promises a great deal of war drama, the docu-film focuses instead on Churchill's personal life and political career, avoiding the storm all together.

The docu-film production of Winston Churchill’s role in the Second World War, Into the Storm, is both realistic and believable. It does a great job foreshadowing the fall of Germany and the following political battles of Churchill’s, but fails at demonstrating the dramatic war that is the supposed center of this docu-film.

The docu-film is a political drama, focusing solely on Churchill’s political career as prime minister prior, during and directly after the war. The role of Churchill is played by Brendan Gleeson and the Irish actor does a great job of portraying the anger, fears and exhaustion that Churchill endured during the war and fall of Germany. The film does a great job painting the picture of a man who loves his country enough to fight for it against the superpower of Germany. Gleeson is great at capturing Churchill’s state of mind, which mirrors the quote he gives: “nations that go down fighting rise again”.

The film, however, does not only focus on his political career as a prime minister. It also displays the personal battles with his wife, played by Janet McTeer, and her frustrations with her husband during the war years. She does an excellent job capturing the role of the worried wife and she effectively pushes Gleesan to demonstrate the insecurities, frustrations and disrespect a single man feels when fighting for his country.

Realistic Docu-Drama that Falls Short

The docu-film is quite fast-paced as several years are covered in 98 minutes. It therefore jumps around quite frequently without any warning, so it could become confusing for those who do not know anything of Churchill’s political career. However, what Churchill is most famous for is barely part of the film. It completely misses the most anticipated moment in time for Churchill – the defeat of Hitler’s Germany. This moment is simply captured by Churchill receiving a long piece of paper with the news and giving his servant a slap on the shoulder while smiling at him. There is no footage of the soldiers, the warfare or any sign of there actually being a war present. This is ironic when the docu-film focuses on the man who defeated Europe’s superpower in 1945.

The film does a great job presenting Churchill as a human being – capturing his intense insecurities as a simple man in power, his personal struggles with his wife and family, his intense pressure from the country he is serving and his inner mental state during this horrific period. However, it falls short demonstrating the war and showing this storm that Churchill entered in the 1940’s. It does not enter the storm as the title promises, but rather avoids it all together.

The copyright of the article Into the Storm Docu-Drama Avoids the Storm in Biographical Documentaries is owned by Malene Jorgensen. Permission to republish Into the Storm Docu-Drama Avoids the Storm in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.