Obviously Churchill never stated what I submitted in my above summary header but the following was one of his real quotes: "In politics when you are in doubt what to do, do nothing ... when you are in doubt what to say, say what you really think."So what I REALLY think about this film is the following:1. It was a heavily lob sided self ingratiating image of a well known political figure before he became just another fat pig at the trough spouting now famous boorish quotations.2. Churchill was born into a privileged lifestyle that 99.9 percent of the rest of the worlds (especially) women and men would never have had an inch of opportunity that the privileged young Winston was able to take advantage of.3. Historically even this film depicts that Churchill wanted power and so he self-promoted himself beyond reason through his books and his documented actions in war. Oh my God! Can you imagine if he were a young man today in 2018? I can only imagine what he would do with a high definition IPhone and IPad camera to take an endless stream of selfie portraits and videos sitting atop his glorious white horse. Puh - leeeese!4. His father was also a politician, and shortly after marrying his American born wife Jennie Jerome, was allegedly a cad suffering from syphilis which was the cause of his death while still in his 40's.5. The film reflects how both his American born mother Jennie Jerome (played by Anne Bancroft) and his father Lord Randolph Churchill (played by Robert Shaw) were not engaged in young Winston's upbringing such that they shipped him off to school with little or no visits by either of his parents. Only his nanny was actually close to young Winston.6. The film totally ignores that Winston had a younger brother named Jack and so in my view, Winston ignored his younger brother Jack, similar to the way Winston's parents ignored him. A cold family upbringing for both children.7. The film certainly reflects young Winston's eagerness to gain fame and a position of great power in the British parliament. But what about friendships? The film does nothing to reflect any inkling of simple friendships which most young people would cherish as their fondest memories. Instead Young Winston only reflects he met with senior leadership figures in politics, military and/or royalty and/or wealthy families. Shallow Young Winston to say the least. I give the film a shallow 3 out of 10 rating.

Interesting film highlighting the younger years of Winston Churchill would have the film viewers wanting to grasp for even more.To me, the picture was rushed, especially towards the end of this biographical film.There is a wonderful supporting performance by Robert Shaw as his fatally ill father. Anne Bancroft was correctly cast as his wife, American born Jenny Jerome.While coming from a home of privilege, Simon Ward, excellent in the title role, revered his father and was at a loss to explain his rejection of him at times.The film showed that Conservative Churchill understood the working person. (That didn't help much when he was voted out of voice despite leading England to victory in World War 11.) He was able to carve out relations with the Liberal Party opposition.The cinematography is great, especially the battle scenes during incursions in India as well as the Boer War at the turn of the 20th century.At age 24, Churchill showed himself as a force to be reckoned with. I just wish that the film had gone into more depth.

From the autobiographical works of the Prime Minister of England comes this remarkable chronology of his life. The Film is called " Young Winston " and was directed by equally famous, Sir Richard Attenborough. The film encapsulates Churchill's early life (Russell Lewis) during his formative school years of which he later recalls both the loving affection given by his nanny (Pat Haywood), a woman he fondly remembers in his memoirs and the brutal education system he was subjected to. It is to his credit he relates his Father's (Robert Shaw) struggle to maintain his conservative political status as well as his parental obligations. All the while, Winston tries to earn approval and become a success. His mother, Lady Jennie Churchhill (Anne Bancroft) is seen as both a proper wife and mother as well as a spirited Representative of her family's social affairs. The audience is also privy to the courageous undertakings of the ambitious Churchill (Simon Ward) as he experiences both the hazards of war and the warnings of the political arena. In this he is scrutinized carefully by both friend (Anthony Hopkins) and adversaries like Lord Salisbury (Laurence Naismith) alike. The movie, like his biography, is creatively smooth and contains both the hurtles and inner doubts. As a result, it becomes an exceptional narrative studded with noted movie icons like Jack Hawkins, Patrick Magee, Edward Woodward and John Mills. In addition the colorful costumes, panoramic scenes and exciting action make for an interesting historical film of one of the world's most respected leaders. Superb Movie and definitely a Classic. ****

Young Winston chronicles the formative years of one of England's greatest ever statesman. We witness the early childhood of Churchill, pass through his army days and encounter his first forays into the world of Edwardian politics as a Tory MP tempted to switch to the Liberals. With a strong cast, including Robert Shaw as Churchill's coldly distant father, Lord Randolph (briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer), and Anthony Hopkins as David Lloyd George, this is a film that saunters along at a nice pace. The chap who plays Churchill also looks remarkably similar to the great man in his youth, a nice bit of casting. The highlight of the film is the battle of Omdurman, where Churchill took part in one of the British Empire's final heroic cavalry charges, brilliantly portrayed. I would have liked to have seen a greater concentration on this illustrious episode, however, but there you go! Other highlights include Churchill's daring escape from a Boer prison camp and his somewhat hot-headed defence of a train deep in enemy territory during the 1899-1902 conflict. Attenborough is an excellent director and whilst this is not his best work, it merits a viewing. For a readable and concise look at Churchill's life, I would recommend Richard Holmes' In the Footsteps of Churchill.