"Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny"

Just released in Los Angeles, this compelling, inspiring, marvelous, masterfully crafted documentary about the man whom some have called the most important and influential world leader of the 20th Century, Winston Churchill, is an absolutely brilliant film! (Is this my longest blog sentence yet? with the most accolades? If not, I should add MORE!) I wish this film could be shown in every Jr and Senior High School history class in America. (I'm sure it will be immensely popular in Great Britain.) I learned things about Winston's early background I had not known. Though I was not yet in my teens in 1940 when Churchill became Prime Minister, I recall seeing newsreels (in those days, all movies included a Newsreel, a cartoon, and sometimes a Travelogue along with the main Feature ) of London during the Blitz, of trainloads of children waving goodbye as they were sent off to live in the safety of the English countryside to avoid the incessant nightly bombings of the the city, during which all the Londoners, upon hearing the air-rid sirens would simply dash to the nearest underground shelter, stay underground until the all-clear sounded, and then calmly return to their homes or offices and discover whether they were still standing. Talk aboout "Keeping up!" The leadership of Sir Winston during his tenure as Prime Minister of England was, and still is, unprecedented in history. He didn't just give stirring speehes (his words were are absolutely magnificent, powerful - and unforgettable); he wouldn't stay in the safety of the government bunker, he insisted upon going out and mingling with people right after the bombings. He talked with them, wept openly and unashamedly at the courage and bravery he saw them display. He recognized early on (in the 'thirties) the threat that Hitler posed to the free world, yet painfully, he had to wait through several years of being the lone voice of concern, until other members of his cabinet, and the general populace woke to the frightening reality of the Nazi agenda. Marvelous film clips of historic meetings, photographs of major players on the world stage (including FDR in the USA - who didn't give Britain the support Churchill requested until very late in the conflict. Richard Trank directed this film, which held me spellbound. I was deeply moved by it. The depiction of the unique rescue of the British and French troops at Dunkirk was amazing. Well, I could go on and on. Best to say, BE SURE TO SEE THIS MOVIE. I don't have enough STARS to bestow on it.