Winston Churchill

(On Cable TV, January 2021) The relationship between Hollywood and the Anglosphere governments became unusually close during World War II—Washington and London were all too aware of the potential for mass propaganda tools during wartime, and an impressive number of films were produced in cooperation with the military—as far as I can determine, nearly every branch and sub-branches of the US Armed Forces got their own Hollywood movie between 1942 and 1945. But that’s only the most visible aspect of that wartime cinematic effort: the reality was often more involved than making movies showcasing armed forces. In Churchill and the Movie Mogul, director John Fleet gives an in-depth look at the overlooked relationship between Winston Churchill and British movie mogul Alexander Korda. Perhaps wanting to counter the impact of Nazi filmmakers such as Leni Riefenstahl, Churchill took a deep interest in the power of movies to influence the national mood. In return, Korda admired Churchill enough to hire him as a screenwriter and advisor in the mid-1930s, positioning him to make a significant contribution to the British war effort. Korda’s films are, as demonstrated here, filled with eloquent paeans to British strength of character… even in historical epics seemingly having nothing to do with WW2. (One notes that “historical” nation-building movies are surprisingly common no matter which country you’re talking about—I have a lengthy list just for the United States, Canada and for China as well.)  Churchill and the Movie Mogul is, obviously, a deep cut film: it’s about movies and their relationship to political rhetoric, and Korda is a figure of interest to a dwindling number of film enthusiasts. The documentary itself is fine, but it’s not the kind of topic that creates gripping moments. On the other hand, it does shine a light on a surprisingly involved relationship between two major figures in their own fields, and it cogently tracks the ramifications of that friendship and larger issues when governments become interested in movies, and vice versa. Even given the British focus, Churchill and the Movie Mogul is also a great contribution to understanding Hollywood during WW2.