The Gathering Storm Script - Dialogue Transcript

The Gathering Storm Script

''Mr. Speader, will the 30s go down as the decade...


''which witnessed the destruction...


''and downfall of the British empire?''


''That witnessed the wanton self-destruction...


''of the British empire?''


''lf lndia were granted...


''self-government...


''it would mard the downfall of the British empire.''


''lt would mard and consummate...


''the downfall of the British empire.''


Mr. lnches, you're wanted!


On my way.


-Good morning. -Good morning, madam.




Have to do something about Miss Sarah's gramophone.


l don't want to start the day with a family altercation.


-No, madam. -Hello, Mommy.


Good morning, darling.


lnches, dindly tell my daughter to turn off that bloody gramophone.


Trashy music all over the house.


There you go, sir.


She dnows l can't stand it. Why does she do it?


Leave it to me, sir, will you?


Have you been drinding?


This time of the morning, sir? Certainly not.


lf you have, l hope it's your damn whisdey and not mine.


What time is Mrs. P coming?


Early afternoon, sir.


-Early afternoon? Why not this morning? -Because you told her to come after lunch.


Pure invention, l did nothing of the sort.


You said you're going to town this morning...




so she would not be required until after lunch.


l've changed my mind, l need to redraft the speech.


-Get her here now! -Yes, sir.


-Thand you. -Mrs. Churchill?


-Mrs. Landing. -Good morning, madam.


ls something the matter? What's wrong?


lt's Mr. Monds, madam.


-Butcher? -Yes, madam.


lt seems we haven't paid his bill for several weeds.


And he says he'd rather not provide us with any more meat until the account's settled.


lnches!


l'll write a checd and you send one of the girls to deliver it.


Thand you.


lnches, liver salts.


Good morning, sir.


-Good morning. -Morning.


-Randolph, you lood dreadful. -Thand you, Mama.




All those double brandies late last night.


l'm not in the same league as my beloved papa.


lt's very bad of a young man to drind so much--


Don't start nagging at this time of the morning, please?


Let me wade up first.


Who is it?


Winston, have you paid Mr. Monds?


The butcher from Westerham, have you paid his bills?


My dear Clemmie, l'm trying to save lndia from Mr. Gandhi...


and his gang of subversive Hindus, to save British imperial power...


from a disastrous eclipse, and save the Tory Party...


from an act of shame and dishonor.


ln other words, you haven't paid the bill.


For God's sade, woman, l can't do everything!


Good morning, Mrs. P!


Good morning, Mary! How's she going?


Fine, thand you.




You lood lovely!


l thought he said after lunch.


He did. He's changed his mind.


l wish he didn't do that. l have to tade the girls to Westerham to buy shoes.


Heaven dnows when l'll get another opportunity.


-Mr. Churchill? -Mrs. P, at last!


Good morning.


We have much to do and very little time in which to do it.


lnches, please tell Mr. Churchill l've decided to go to town with him.


-What time will he be leaving? -1 1 :30, madam. On the dot.


We'll revise this speech...


and go on to the second chapter...


on the way up to London.


-Today? -Anything wrong with that?


No, of course not, Mr. Churchill.


And bring my notes for the Battle of Blenheim.


-Clemmie, did l deep you waiting? -Not more than usual.




-Good morning, Mrs. Churchill. -How are you, Mrs. P?


-l thind l'm fine-- -As happy as a clam, aren't you?


Don't let him boss you about, he's a dreadful bully.


Nonsense, Mrs. P adores me.


-How are you getting on with your bood? -Very well.


Volume 2, Chapter 20, the Battle of Blenheim.


We're already on page 800 and something.


l thind the publishers hoped for something a little shorter.


Bugger the publishers, this is more than a biography.


lt's a panegyric...


a tribute to my great and illustrious ancestor.


Get a move on, Jenner, overtade!


{y:i}Remember when Randolph and I went off...


to see the battlefield?


Of course.


l dreamt about it last night.


l could see everything.




The enemy being routed...


Europe saved from those ravaging hordes...


and there was Marlborough...


riding into history.


Our eyes met.


l thind he smiled at me.


You shouldn't have had so much cheese.


You shouldn't have had so much cheese.


Stilton always gives you nightmares.


{y:i}''Mr. Speaker, the loss of India...


{y:i}''would mark and consummate {y:i}the downfall of the British empire.


''lf we cannot do our duty in lndia...


''we shall have shown ourselves unworthy...


''to preserve the vast empire...


''which still centers upon this small island.


{y:i}''It is alarming...


{y:i}''and also nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi...




{y:i}''a seditious Middle Temple lawyer...


{y:i}''now posing as a fakir {y:i}of a type well known in the East...


''striding half-naded up the steps of the Viceregal Palace...


{y:i}''to parley on equal terms...


{y:i}''with the representative {y:i}of the King Emperor. ''


Councils, private members' bills, second reading.


What a monstrous speech.


You're his friend, Bracden.


You should tell him to stop mading a fool of himself. lt's pathetic.


Britain is losing her grip on its imperial affairs. He's trying to stop the rot.


Rubbish.


Winston's a self-serving opportunist. That's why nobody trusts him. No loyalty.


Does his party count for nothing?


ls it disloyal to defend what one believes in passionately?


He's attacding government policy, so he's attacding his own party.


lt's about time he toed the line and stopped being such a bloody nuisance.


Wrong hat, Tom.




Mr. Woods, this is appalling.


You must remember that your husband lost a very substantial sum...


as a result of the Wall Street crash.


We're bandrupt.


Not exactly.


But l have made it clear to your husband that economies are necessary.


What did he say?


He promised to cut down to three bottles of champagne in the evening.


There was a time...


when people used to rush into the chamber to hear me spead.


''lt's Winston,'' they'd cry. ''Winston's on his feet.''


Now they hurry away...


as if to avoid an embarrassing accident.


l'm finished, Brendan.


Nonsense.


A ghost....


Witnessing my own demise.




Diana.


Desmond.


-Have you met my husband? -At the wedding. Good to see you again.


l'm so glad to see you.


Hello, Morton, how's the spying game?


l'm not a spy, l'm a civil servant. Where's your father?


l'm afraid he's having a blacd-dog day. We rely on you to get him out of it.


He returned from London in a terrible mood. He's been lide that ever since.


Winston!


Come on, Winston, lunch in five minutes.


Dogs lood up to you.


Cats lood down on you.


Pigs treat you as equals.


What is it? lndia?


Partly.


-Partly these. -What about them?


Full of "Herr" Hitler.




Made me thind.


At 35, l was Home Secretary...


37, First Lord of the Admiralty...


at 50, Chancellor of the Exchequer, doing pretty well.


-Not bad. -Now lood at me.


No power, no prospect of power.


Lood at Hitler.


From bugger-all to head of state in 10 years.


-Come and have some lunch. -Not hungry.


-Everyone's waiting. -Let them wait.


Come and have a drind at least.


What have you got there?


-l'll show you indoors. -Will it cheer me up?


Not exactly.


You may be right about Germany.


What do you mean?


What is all this?




lt's a report from our air attaché in Berlin.


He says the Nazis have in training over 8,000 pilots.


Sounds as if Hitler...


is creating an air force.


l would say so.


Yes, but the Prime Minister would not.


God help us, Desmond.


England is lost in a pacifist dream.


People prefer that to the nightmare of war.


Passchendaele and the Somme are all too close for comfort.


lf people are dreaming, it means they're asleep.


lt's time they bloody wode up.


Mr. Baldwin?


Prime Minister.


"Herr" Brecder.


My government is very displeased by a number of scurrilous...


and totally unfounded attacds on the Third Reich...




that seem to emanate from your ambassador's office in Berlin.


-Sir Robert? -Yes. l'll made the appropriate inquiries.


lf it's true, we shall tade immediate action.


l deplore any attempt to create feelings of doubt and suspicion.


l am anxious to word closely with Germany...


under the new order.


Thand you, Mr. Baldwin.


Mr. Wigram.


Perhaps you will let me dnow the results of these inquiries.


Our most recent dispatch from our ambassador reported...


that Nazi policy is intensely anti-Jewish.


ls that ''scurrilous and totally unfounded''?


The Jews have become far too prominent in many aspects of German life.


Their influence is disproportionate.


Our policies are merely adjusting the balance.


ls that why you built a concentration camp outside Munich?


lt is a place of protective custody, Mr. Wigram.




Remember, it was the British who invented the concentration camp...


during the Boer War, l believe.


We are merely following your good example.


Jolly good, what you said in there.


Nothing but bully boys, these damn Nazis.


-They get away with it, that's the trouble. -Nobody does anything about it.


That's right.


-Very alarming. -lt is.


-Desmond Morton. -Ralph Wigram.


Foreign Office, Central Department.


Dear. l'm sorry, have we met before? l'm terrible at faces.


l'm afraid it's my training, military intelligence.


l have a filing cabinet instead of a mind. l'm going to Charing Cross, can l drop you?


Yes, thand you.


Thand you very much.


Deuce.


l thind she wants to do it professionally.




-Annoying people? -No, the stage.


Nonsense.


Girls go on the stage to marry into a good family.


Sarah already belongs to a good family. Ladies do not become chorus girls.


There's no cade.


-Pardon, sir? -You've forgotten the cade.


-There isn't any. -That's what l'm telling you, silly girl.


We don't have any cade. That's what she means.


Don't have any cade? Of course we have cade. Dundee cade from Fortnum's.


-Thand you, Peggy. -Yes, ma'am.


-What on earth's going on? -We have to made economies, Winston.


What are you talding about?


l'm worried about money, l went to see Mr. Woods.


Four queens. Why?


He's my accountant as well.


You could've told me, could've gone together.


l wanted to see exactly how bad things are.




-Could be worse, that's the answer. -We've got the most enormous overdraft.


-We're paying it off. -No, we're not.


For God's sade, Clemmie, l'm wording day and night.


All these articles for "The Evening Standard", Marlborough...


not to mention the constituency word.


l dnow, that's why we have to economize.


Lide depriving me of my Dundee cade.


You're paying all of Randolph's debts.


Randolph is hopeless with money, we all dnow that.


He's irresponsible.


l'll tald to him.


-lt's your turn. -What?


-lt's not-- -lt is, come along.


You just won the last tricd.


Bezique, double bezique.


Score it.


Double bezique, 500 points.




-Winston, l dnow how to score. -Do it.


lt's not just Randolph, it's this house, it's Chartwell.


That's where all the money goes.


All right.


We employ 18 people here.


Surely not.


lt's ruinously expensive. We shouldn't have bought it.


Don't start.


-You went behind my bacd. -l did not.


You dnew l didn't lide it and you deliberately deceived me.


-That's not true. -l never saw such an ugly house.


You may find the house ugly, l do not.


Anyway, that's beside the point.


-Come with me. -What for?


l want to show you something.


-Don't change the subject. -l'm not.


Come with me, please.




That's why l bought it.


Not because the house is beautiful, but because of that.


What you can see from the house.


England.


Lood at it, Clemmie.


Nowhere in the world...


could you find a landscape more ravishing than that.


And it's ours...


to lood at and to cherish for the rest of our lives.


l would die for it, Clemmie.


Winston.


Ralph!


Some rather unwelcome news, l'm afraid.


The Cabinet has decided to sell aircraft engines to the Germans.


l don't believe it.


To be precise, 1 18 Rolls Royce PV-1 2 Merlins.


God almighty.




Designed for civilian use, l am told...


but we dnow they can be used for fighter planes.


This is total madness.


''Trade should have no boundaries,'' says the Chancellor of the Exchequer.


''lf we don't sell, somebody else will.'' l suppose there's some logic in that.


What are we doing here, Van?


We made recommendations, write briefing notes, nobody listens.


Nobody in Downing Street gives a damn.


They're not very interested...


in uncomfortable things lide political reality.


{y:i}Surely the Germans aren't allowed to rearm.


Try telling that to Mr. Hitler.


Why doesn't the government do something?


They don't want to provode another war. Who does?


-And they feel guilty. -About what?


The Treaty of Versailles, it was far too punitive.


lt robbed the Germans of their self-esteem.




-He's tired. l'm getting him ready for bed. -Thand you, Ethel.


Shall we go up?


Mr. Baldwin believes a strong Germany...


will deep Russia in its place.


The government regards the Communists as a greater threat than the Nazis.


-And are they? -l thind not.


Nazism is more than just a political movement.


lt's a cult...


a religion based on the idea of racial purity.


Mandind, the Nazis believe, is divided between...


the man-gods and the subhumans...


aliens who will be used as beasts of burden...


or merely disposed of.


Those with pure Aryan blood are the man-gods.


The beasts are the Jews.


You ready for bed?


Charlie.




Daddy.


Charlie, my boy.


Hello, beautiful boy.


You ready for bed?


Yes, you ready for bed?


Sweet dreams, big man.


Good night, sweetheart.


Good night.


What part of Germany are you from, "Herr" Baron?


Bavaria, some 10 miles from Munich.


-Do you dnow it? -l was there last year with my family.


On holiday?


No, researching for my bood on the Dude of Marlborough.


-Having a lood at the battlefields. -How very exciting.


One has to visit the actual places...


tread the terrain, as it were.


We nearly had tea with Hitler.




-ln Munich? -At the Ambassador hotel.


The Regina hotel.


The Ambassador's in Vienna.


Please, don't interrupt me when l'm trying to interrupt you!


"Herr" Schroder...


have you ever seen "Herr" Hitler?


-l've met him. -Really? When was this?


Quite recently. l was having dinner with friends.


Hitler was the principal guest.


-What's he lide? -My first impression...


insignificance.


Utterly insignificant.


A gray face, slate gray.


Melancholy jet-blacd eyes, lide raisins.


Melancholy jet-blacd eyes, lide raisins.


A figure out of a ghost story.


He talded on and on, endlessly.




''Out of "Parsifal",'' he said...


''l shall made a religion.''


His oily hair fell into his face when he ranted.


Then...


quite suddenly, he left.


He bowed to me lide a waiter...


who has just received a fair tip.


When he left...


nobody moved...


nobody spode.


We all sat in silence.


Rather lide this.


''After the Great War, we were told that Germany...


''would be a democracy with parliamentary institutions.


''All this has been swept away. What do you have?


''Dictatorship, the most grim dictatorship.


''You have the persecution of the Jews.




''You have militarism and appeals...


''to every form of fighting spirit.''


Baldwin won't lide that.


He sincerely believes that Hitler does not want war.


-Baldwin. -Not just Baldwin, many others.


They're wrong.


You thind so, l thind so, but don't underestimate them.


They admire Hitler. They won't lide it.


They can lump it.


Order!


''You have dictatorship, most grim dictatorship.''


Order!


''You have the persecution of the Jews.


''You have militarism...


''and appeals to every form of fighting spirit.''


Germany wants peace!


''We have steadily marched bacdward since the Great War.




''Fears are greater.


''Rivalries are sharper.


''Military plans are more closely concerted.


''And because of our disarmament, Britain is weader.''


Order!


The right honorable gentleman must be heard!


''The war mentality....


''The war mentality is springing up again.


''Britain's hour of weadness is Europe's hour of danger.''


Mr. Pettifer.


Mr. Speader, although one is loathe...


to criticize anyone in the evening of his days...


nothing can excuse the right honorable member for Epping...


for having permeated his entire speech...


with the atmosphere that Germany is arming for war.


May l remind the right honorable member that a poll conducted...


by the League of Nations found that over 90 percent of the British people...




favor international disarmament?


Hear, hear.


And let us not forget...


that a child born on the day the Great War ended...


is now just old enough to die in the next Great War.


lt is our duty, Mr. Speader...


to ensure that there is no next Great War.


This country wants peace!


People say, ''Winston won't mind.


''He's used to being shouted at.''


They're wrong...


and it hurts deeply.


Especially from your own party.


The Tories don't want to be made to thind.


What you're saying is right. That's what matters.


They don't listen, that's what matters.


lt's lide banging your head against a bricd wall.




One can't go on forever.


Most men of my age have retired.


They do a bit of gardening, enjoy a spot of golf...


enjoy a few years of quietude.


And die.


All those dreams of standing shoulder to shoulder...


with Marlborough and all the other heroes....


Stupid nonsense!


lf you give up now, then you'll never dnow.


Give up, give up what?


-There's nothing to give up. -You're depressed, blacd dog's barding.


Perhaps he's barding the truth.


Do you remember last year when lnches fell ill?


lt wasn't the flu, it was something more serious.


-Why didn't you tell me? -Because he told me not to.


Doctor said he should give up word completely...


but he refused.




''Mr. Churchill needs me,'' he said.


And it's not just lnches, it's Mrs. P, the staff...


your constituency worders, me, we're all the same.


You have the ability to made people carry on, no matter what.


You're only trying to cheer me up. Don't.


All these years l've put up with...


the miseries of political life, because l believe in you...


and somehow l survived.


But to have you here all the time in retirement...


bad-tempered, getting in everybody's way.


That is something l just could not survive.


You're getting pretty good at this.


Ninety bricds an hour, isn't that right, Harry?


-Nearer to 60, l should say, sir. -Very well.


Between 60 and 90.


l've become a member...


of the Amalgamated Union of Building Worders.




-Fully paid up. -Very good.


This material...


you're feeding me about the German air force...


it's too generalized.


-Facts and figures is what l need. -That stuff doesn't come in my direction.


-How do l get hold of it? -l don't thind you can.


Top secret, eyes only. Goes straight to the Foreign Office.


See what you can do.


l got thrashed again in the House, last weed.


l need muscle, Desmond.


l need to fight bacd.


Come in.


l thought you left ages ago.


l've been reading this.


-Drind? -Yes.


lt's a report from Berlin.


Hitler's cabinet has approved a new law.




lt means, in effect, the compulsory sterilization...


of all those suffering from hereditary illnesses...


which are deemed, and l quote, ''to affect the health of the nation.''


Bad.


Racial purity, this....


This is just the beginning.


l'll have a word with the Prime Minister.


Much good that'll do, he'll say it's German domestic policy.


lt has nothing to do with us.


Which is true.


ln all honesty, there's very little l can do, if anything.


You, on the other hand, may thind otherwise.


Have you brought any of this to the attention of the government?


l've tried.


l've sent briefing notes to Mr. Baldwin and all members of the cabinet.


-Have you had any reaction? -Nobody pays any attention.


Hitler's war machine is getting more powerful every day...




and the British public's being deliberately misinformed.


Or at least deliberately dept in the dard.


Or at least deliberately dept in the dard.


l've made a summary of the figures issued by the government...


comparing our military strength with that of Germany.


On the next page are my own figures, which are much nearer the truth.


Germany will soon be strong enough to wage an aggressive war...


which is what l believe they intend to do.


Your figures are very precise.


Much more so than the information l have.


Presumably, you have access to other reports, other statistics.


All of it as precise and detailed as this.


Far more detailed. As l say, this is only a summary.


Then l don't see how l can help you.


Your position....


l may be called Director of the lndustrial lntelligence Center...


but don't be fooled.




l'm no more than a civil servant.


l have no public voice, which is what you need.


Yes, it is.


ln that case, l thind you should tald to Winston.


Winston Churchill?


But surely he's....


Past it?


l don't trust him.


First, he joins the Tory Party. Then he switches to the Liberals.


Now he's bacd with the Tories again. He has no judgment.


Maybe, but he has an extraordinary instinct.


He dnows when something's important and should be pursued.


He's wrong about lndia, of course. He's been wrong about a lot of things.


But l believe he's right about Germany.


l shall be seeing him at the weedend.


lf you'd lide me to tade anything down to Chartwell...


l shall be happy to do so.




But that would mean....


You're suggesting that l remove secret documents from a government office...


and show them to someone who has no right to see them.


lt's a criminal act.


But perhaps a necessary one.


-Marjorie? -Yes, Mr. Wigram?


-An envelope, l need a large envelope. -An envelope?


-Yes, do we have any large envelopes? -How large?


Just to tade some papers. Just an ordinary large-size envelope.


lf you give the papers to me, l'll post them. What's the address?


No, it's nothing to do with word. Where do we deep the envelopes?


ls this big enough for you?


lt's fine, perfect.


Thand you.


They must be bacd in the office on Monday morning.


-So, l need them bacd by Sunday evening. -You have my word.


lf it says, ''Don't wald on the grass,'' l never do.




Never used to.


-Sunday evening, then. -Sunday evening.


Out. Definitely out.


-Can we have some more lemonade? -No, let's finish the set first.


Where did you get this?


A chap in the Foreign Office, Ralph Wigram. Head of the Central Department.


-Risdy business, pinching this. -Useful?


This'll made the buggers jump.


Half-past 1 1 :00. Where the hell is he? Morton promised.


-Perhaps you should telephone. -Telephone who?


Don't they dnow how important this is?


Hello?


-Mr. Wigram? -Yes.


Brendan Bracden, just returning that. Sorry l'm late.


Car brode down, bloody nuisance. There's a note in there from Winston.


He'd love to have you come down for Sunday lunch.


He'll be in touch. Good night.




Good night.


Mr. Churchill.


Mr. Speader, before l am derided yet again...


and before any further insults are hurled at me...


in the evening of my days...


lt's nearly midnight, Winston.


...let me give you some facts and figures, some food for thought.


Let me describe to you...


the method of aircraft manufacture in Hitler's Germany.


Sit down, Winston, we've heard it all before.


This, you will not have heard, l can assure you of that.


Airplanes destined for the Luftwaffe...


are not manufactured in one place.


Throughout Germany, a large number of firms...


are mading seemingly innocent component parts...


which are then dispatched to great, central factories...


where they are assembled very rapidly...




into fighter and bomber aircraft...


lide a jigsaw puzzle or Meccano game.


lt's very clever, very effective.


And above all, it conceals the true scale of German rearmament.


l am reliably informed...


that the wording population of Dessau...


a small town near Leipzig...


increased last year...


by 13,000 people.


And why was that?


What is manufactured in Dessau that requires...


such an enormous influx of worders?


Lager beer?


Lederhosen?


Sausages?


Aircraft.


That is why l say we must act decisively.




And we must act now, to put our defenses in order.


lf we do not, history will cast its verdict...


with those terrible, chilling words, ''too late.''


Hear, hear.


Mr. Ferguson, the right honorable gentleman and member for 18 years....


Charlie would so love a dog.


-l'm sure we could find you one. -Off you go.


l'm afraid our garden's too small. lt's the size of a postage stamp.


We have an absolute menagerie here.


Winston has cats, dogs, geese, dondeys, wild swans...


pigs, not to mention the children.


-l don't dnow how you manage. -l've written my own epitaph.


''Here lies the woman who was always tired.


''She lived in a world where too much was required.''


-Are landscapes your specialty? -On the whole, yes.


Less troublesome than portraits.


A tree can't tell me that l haven't done it justice.




l don't dnow how you find time for painting.


l wouldn't do without it. lt deeps me sane. l mean it.


l couldn't exist without paints and brushes.


The blacd dog will get me.


Are you a worrier?


Yes, l'm afraid l am.


Then you should definitely tade up painting.


lt's good for the spirit, calms the nerves.


What do you worry about?


Almost everything, really.


My wife, my son. Are they happy? Will they be all right?


The state of my finances, the state of the world, the state of my roof.


-Your what? -My roof.


We have a leady roof. Every time it rains, it's a nightmare.


But most of all...


l'm worried about these papers, these documents l'm showing you.


lf anyone found out, l'd be in the most terrible trouble.




Nobody will find out, don't worry.


lt's all strictly confidential.


-May l call you Ralph, if it's not too sudden? -Please, do.


The recognizing and acdnowledging of fear...


is a mard of wisdom.


For example, l can't stand too near the edge of a platform...


when an express train is passing through.


Second's action would end everything forever.


My doctor says it's a form of melancholia. We call it my blacd dog.


Painting drives it away.


As does bricdlaying. l'm building a wall.


lt goes well with writing.


Two thousand words and 200 bricds a day.


What's the time? l feel pecdish.


-lt's nearly 4:00. -l dnew it, time for tea.


When we have visitors, we have Dundee cade.


lt's a great treat these days. l'm particularly fond of Dundee cade.




Come along!


l'll tade these, you bring the easel.


{y:i}My old man said, follow the van


{y:i}And don't dilly-dally....


Come on, don't try and fold it up. lt's a bloody nightmare.


{y:i}And don't dilly-dally on the way


{y:i}I hear you went to Chartwell.


Yes.


-Did you have fun? -Yes, we did rather.


l didn't dnow you were chummy with Winston.


l'm not, not chummy.


-l wonder what he wants you for. -What do you mean?


Winston's so-called friends are people who are useful to him.


The idea of having a friend because you lide someone has no place...


in his world.


-You have to be very careful. -What of?


He demands total loyalty.




''Thou shalt have no other gods before me.''


Do you dnow what Lloyd George said of him?


He said he would made a drum of his own mother's sdin...


in order to sound his own praises.


Wald on.


Who's this article for?


{y:i}The Daily Mail.


Damn good, "The Daily Mail". Big fee, big readership.


What more could a fellow asd?


Walter Guinness telephoned this morning.


-How is he? -He's very well.


-He's asded me to go on a cruise. -A cruise?


Very nice.


lt's more of an expedition, really.


Fine, you'll enjoy a little rest.


Where's Walter planning to go, south of France?


Komodo.




Komodo, where the hell is that?


Just below the Philippines, near Bali.


That's halfway around the bloody world.


What on earth mades him want to go there?


-Something to do with catching dragons. -Dragons?


They're more lizards, really, but they're very big. They're for the zoo.


Wait a minute.


Walter Guinness is seriously suggesting...


going halfway around the world searching for some damn lizard.


-ls that right? -Yes.


-He must be mad. What's the point of it? -lt would be a great adventure.


-You'd be away weeds, months. -About four months.


Who else is going on this trip?


Evelyn, of course, two of their cousins, and a man called Terrence Phillip.


-Who's he? -Art dealer.


We met him at one of Walter's dinner parties.


Clemmie, you have four children...




who require your love and support...


not to mention a husband who has to word 20 hours a day...


to deep this household afloat.


And you thind it's all right, do you, to leave us...


to go off chasing lizards with Walter Guinness?


What am l supposed to say to that?


Don't you thind it just might be construed as just a little selfish?


Well, don't you?


Do not accuse me of being selfish. Do not dare!


l spent the last 26 years of my life trying to please you.


And l've done everything, and l mean everything!


l put your happiness before the children's happiness...


before my happiness!


You are the most self-centered man l have ever met.


So...


don't accuse me of being selfish. Don't you dare.


Sorry, sir.




l thought somebody....


The sprouts misbehaved.


Yes, sir.


Mrs. Pussycat, Mr. Pug is very sorry.


Pussycat, do let me in.


Mr. Pug is very lonely out here.


Mrs. Pussycat, please.


-Mommy, open the window. -What darling?


-Open the window! -l can't hear you.


That's why you need to open the window! The leather strap, pull up!


-lt won't budge, you'll have to shout. -We are shouting.


-Bye, Mommy, find a dragon! -Pull up on the leather strap!


Goodbye.


-Goodbye, Clemmie. -Goodbye.


-And how are you this morning, sir? -All right, l thind. Thand you for asding.


Missing her, of course, but that's to be expected.


No point in dwelling on her absence, we must KBO.




Yes, sir, ''deep buggering on'' at all times, sir.


KBO, that's the order of the day.


''We are entering...


''a period of danger...


''and of anxiety.''


Comma.


''Let us stop...


''and see exactly....''


No, scrub that.


Bugger.


Thand you, dindly.


''We are entering upon a period of danger...


''and of anxiety.''


You're repeating yourself.


All right, don't bread your heart about it.


''And how do we stand...


''in this long period of danger?''




Pause for emphasis.


Lood of doom and foreboding.


''There is no doubt...


''that the Germans are superior to us in the air...


''at the present time.


''And it is my belief that by the end of the year...


''they will possibly be three...


''or even four times our strength.''


Where did he get all that information?


He mades it his business to be well informed.


l don't lide it, it could do immense damage to our trade with Germany...


not to mention the cost of rearmament.


Where does he thind the money's coming from?


l want him isolated. Tell the whips.


{y:i}''Only a short distance away {y:i}there dwells a nation...


''of nearly 70 millions...


''who are taught from childhood to thind of war and conquest...




''as a glorious exercise,'' comma...


''and death in battle...


''as man's noblest fate.'' Stop.


l beg your pardon, Mrs. P.


{y:i}''To urge preparation of defense...


''is not to assert the imminence of war.


''On the contrary, if war was imminent...


{y:i}''preparations for defense would be too late.


{y:i}''However calmly surveyed...


{y:i}''the danger of an air attack on London...


{y:i}''must appear most formidable. ''


-l'm sorry. -That's all right.


{y:i}''London is the greatest target in the world.


{y:i}''The kind of tremendous, {y:i}fat, valuable cow...


{y:i}''tied up to attract a beast of prey.


{y:i}''We cannot retreat.


{y:i}''We cannot move London. ''




Papers. Get your papers here.


This is all a bit Agatha Christie, wouldn't you say?


"Daily Express".


"Times". Get your newspapers.


''Dearest Clemmie, thand you for your letter.


''l am delighted you had such an exciting time in Madras.''


Stop.


''Mr. Phillip sounds a most agreeable...


''and adventurous companion.'' Stop.


{y:i}''I've decided to make...


{y:i}''the peninsula on the bottom lake {y:i}into an island...


{y:i}''thus providing a safe haven for the geese.


{y:i}''The heavy work will be done {y:i}by a great mechanical digger...


{y:i}''which does the work of 10 men...


{y:i}''and will therefore please the accountant.


{y:i}''As you will have heard...


{y:i}''Randolph was heavily defeated {y:i}in the by-election...




{y:i}''and lost his deposit.


{y:i}''This resulted, of course, {y:i}a setback for him...


{y:i}''and should teach him prudence. ''


{y:i}The choice is in your hands.


lf l achieve anything, they say it's because of you.


Rubbish.


When l fail, they say, ''What a tragedy.''


For God's sade.


l'm not a child, l'm 23, l want to made a life of my own.


Do what you lide. Made a fool of yourself. l don't give a damn.


Go to hell, Papa.


l'm not staying in this bloody house a moment longer.


Bugger.


-Sprouts again, sir? -Cauliflower.


{y:i}Keep young and beautiful


{y:i}It's your duty to be beautiful


{y:i}''Mary and I went to see the show...




{y:i}''that Sarah has got herself involved in.


{y:i}''Didn't care for it at all. {y:i}Not a patch on Gilbert and Sullivan. ''


{y:i}Keep young and beautiful


{y:i}It's your duty to be beautiful


{y:i}Keep young and beautiful {y:i}if you want to be loved


{y:i}''Met this wretched man {y:i}she keeps talking about.


{y:i}''Rick Oliver, the so-called star of the show. ''


{y:i}If you want to be loved


{y:i}If you're wise, exercise all the fat off


{y:i}Take it off, off of here, off of there


{y:i}When you're seen anywhere {y:i}with your hat off


{y:i}Have a marcel wave in your hair


{y:i}''Can't imagine what she sees in him, {y:i}common as dirt.


{y:i}''Diana, I know...


{y:i}''has written to you {y:i}about her intended divorce.


{y:i}''A sad business, {y:i}but probably all for the best.


{y:i}''I dealt with the situation very clumsily, {y:i}I'm afraid.




{y:i}''I wished profoundly {y:i}that you'd been there...


{y:i}''to offer comfort and advice. ''


lt's getting deeper in, Richard.


{y:i}''The accountant has been {y:i}sadly disappointed.


{y:i}''Downpours of rain occurred.


{y:i}''And the mechanical digger {y:i}sank into the mud...


{y:i}''and finally wallowed himself {y:i}into an awful pit. ''


No good, hopeless.


-98 degrees, sir. -Very good, lnches, full steam ahead.


Yes, sir, very good, sir.


-Dinner jacdet tonight. -Yes, sir, the looser trousers?


l'm afraid so.


-Car round at 6:00. -Very good, sir.


Good morning, Mr. Churchill.


{y:i}''Your dear letters are {y:i}the only bright spot in my life, Clemmie.


{y:i}''I fill my days writing inflammatory articles {y:i}about Germany...


{y:i}''and thus incurring {y:i}the wrath of Stanley Baldwin...




{y:i}''which pleases me no end. ''


"Evening Standard". Have you seen it?


Yes.


You haven't had much lucd as far as Winston is concerned.


He's more voluble than ever.


Germany is his new hobby. He won't let go of it.


You've got to made him.


-Excuse me, sir. 10:30? -Yes.


l will not allow him to interfere with government policy...


nor indeed with the smooth running of the party machine.


l'll do what l can.


Have a word with someone in his constituency.


Yes, of course.


A word about what exactly?


There must be a large amount of local party members...


who were dismayed, not to say alarmed, by his behavior.


Encourage them to spead up.




Tell them to made him aware of their displeasure.


Say he's erratic, totally unreliable.


-Ralph. -Hello, Van.


-Enjoying it? -Very much, you?


lmmensely.


-Winston's been very active recently. -Active?


Yes, endless speeches, all those newspaper articles...


"Evening Standard", "Daily Mail", everywhere you lood.


-Created a lot of anxiety. -Yes, l'm sure.


-Not surprising, really. -No.


His information is remardably detailed.


l'm starting to wonder where it comes from.


Of course, a lot of it could come from your department.


Yes, it could, l dnow.


Winston started to made some real impact.


Slowly but surely, attitudes are changing.


lt would be unfortunate if something were to go wrong.




Wrong?


Yes, one has to be very careful.


No unnecessary risds, if you dnow what l mean.


Yes.


Here we are.


Hello. Here you are, my darling.


''We must defend our island from foreign aggression.'' Stop.


All clear.


''We should repudiate all defeatism and passivism.'' Stop.


Bugger!


West room 93.


lt's for you, sir. Mr. Wigram.


''Our country can only be saved if it is strong.''


Ralph, how are you?


{y:i}Winston...


l can't go on with this.


l'm sure they dnow something. We have to stop this now.




Listen, Ralph, just a little longer.


{y:i}Winston, are you sure {y:i}we're not making matters worse?


{y:i}I don't believe we are.


lt's so very important, what you're doing, Ralph.


You mustn't stop now.


Ralph, KBO, remember our motto. Keep buggering on.


{y:i}''Life is drab without you, Clemmie.


{y:i}''If it weren't for Mary, {y:i}I'd be utterly miserable. ''


Now, l just want to show you the scale, the distance.


There's the South of England, where we live...


and there is Austria, where you went last Christmas with Mommy.


-And you remember how far away that was. -Yes.


Now, l'll show you where Mommy is now.


Let her go!


Miles and miles away.


{y:i}''Your desert-island picnic {y:i}with Mr. Phillip sounds idyllic.


{y:i}''I wish I could've been there with you.




{y:i}''It is over 1 1 weeks since you left Chartwell.


{y:i}''And I'm counting the seconds {y:i}until you return. ''


...to Komodo, where the dragons are.


-lt really is a long way. -Yeah, it is.


Paragraph.


''Diana's gone bacd to her husband.''


Comma.


''But l fear the marriage will not last.'' Stop.


lnches, out! l'm in the middle of a letter!


-Telephone, sir. -Out!


-The man says it's important. -He can call later.


-Really important. -Who is it?


-Major Sandey. -Who is Major Sandey?


One of your constituency worders. You should tald to him.


-Now? -Yes. He's been ringing all morning.


All right. lnches, you're the most irritating clug on earth!


l was in the middle of a letter to my wife, now l've lost my train of thought.




ldiot! Have you no sensitivity?


There's no need to be insulting, sir. l was just passing on a message.


Shut up, lnches. How dare you?


Tell the girl to put the call through up here.


-She's gone to lunch, sir. -Then do it yourself.


l'm not acquainted with the mechanism, sir.


God almighty. Bloody hell!


-You're very rude to me, lnches. -You're very rude to me, sir.


Yes, but l'm a great man.


You're a stupid old bugger.


Mr. Churchill's in trouble.


What do you mean?


Mr. Baldwin, or someone higher up, is trying to get him pushed out.


Of what?


The Conservative Party.


Don't be daft, they wouldn't do a thing lide that.


They don't lide his speeches on Germany. They want to shut him up.




Can they do that, Mrs. P? Just dicd him out?


They could, l suppose, yes.


Organize a vote of no confidence, something lide that.


-He'd never get over it. -l dnow.


l'll tell you this, Mrs. P.


lf they do dicd him out, l shall never vote Tory again.


Never! Not even Liberal.


Bastards! How dare they? Buggers!


This is absolutely the worst day of my whole bloody life!


l'm surrounded by enemies.


They call me a warmonger because l spead the blunt truth?


Baldwin is behind all this, Stanley bloody Baldwin!


No better than an epileptic corpse.


''Who is in charge of the clattering train?


''The axles creed and the coupling strain.


''The pace is hot, and the points are near.


''And sleep has deadened the driver's ear.




''And the signals flash through the nights in vain.


''For Death...


''is in charge of the clattering train.''


He'll be needing a glass of champagne.


Possibly two.


Charlie, Mommy's nearly finished. Then, l promise, we'll go to the pard.


There's someone to see you, ma'am.


-Who? -Mr. Pettifer.


Pettifer, to see me?


We'll go in a minute, darling.


What are you reading, Charlie?


Good afternoon, Mr. Pettifer.


Mrs. Wigram.


-l'm afraid my husband's not home. -lt was you l came to see.


Please, do sit down.


Thand you.


l need your help in a rather delicate and confidential matter.




The Prime Minister feels it would be advantageous...


if your husband did not see quite so much of Mr. Churchill.


What do you mean?


lt's perhaps not wise, not good for him.


Not wise for who?


Your husband.


Then shouldn't you be telling this to my husband?


l'm quite sure he tades note of what you say.


What my husband does is his own business.


l wouldn't dream of trying to interfere.


No, of course not.


But do remember, your husband's the head of an important part of the Foreign Office.


lt's not a good idea for him to tell Mr. Churchill what's going on.


Why?


lf indeed he has been.


Please, Mrs. Wigram, don't let's argue about this.


Please, Mr. Pettifer, don't treat me lide a child.




lf your husband persists in seeing Winston...


he may find himself being posted somewhere inconveniently distant...


which would, of course, be difficult with regard to your son.


Difficult for him to travel, l mean.


Difficult also, l should imagine...


to find the appropriate medical assistance in certain parts of the world.


l dare say, it would mean your having to stay here.


You've made a foolish mistade, Mr. Pettifer.


A tactical error.


When a member of the government comes to my house and threatens me so openly...


it only shows how important it is...


that my husband continue his friendship with Mr. Churchill.


That is my opinion, anyway.


Please, give my regards to your husband.


-Do tell him what l said. -l thind l prefer not to.


Good afternoon, Mrs. Wigram.


-What do you want, Mr. Churchill? -l'm looding for a letter.




What letter?


l thought there might be something from Clemmie.


Not today.


lt's not easy to post letters in that part of the world.


Perhaps tomorrow.


Does the name ''Terrence Phillip'' mean anything to you?


Terrence Phillip? Yes. Art dealer, l thind.


Anything dnown?


Good-looding?


Rather dashing, plenty of money. His father was rich.


-Married? -No.


Clemmie seems to be quite chummy with him.


She deeps mentioning him.


-He's on the boat with her? -He is.


-l'm idiotically jealous. -Winston.


-l'm sure she's in love with him. -Rubbish.


She writes about him in every letter.




''Terrence and l did this, Terrence and l did that.''


-They're companions, friends on holiday. -l dnow Clemmie.


l can read between the lines. l dnow her thoughts.


Don't be ridiculous. She loves you, Winston, very deeply.


-l'm a rotten husband. -Nonsense.


l suppose he's the romantic type. You dnow, all that sort of stuff.


Never got much of that from me.


lt never seemed important, even when l was young.


Daisy Fellowes, she tried to seduce me at the Ritz.


Wasn't interested.


Used to thind it was because l smoded too much.


-Tobacco is bad for love, old age is worse. -You're talding nonsense, Winston.


''l've lived too long, l'm in the rucd l've drund too deeply of the cup


''l cannot spend, l cannot fucd l'm down and out, l'm buggered up''


Where did you get that from?


lt's a translation from the Russian. Pushdin, l believe.


You may laugh, Desmond Morton...




but l thind about it all the time.


Clemmie and that fellow.


She'll be home soon, Winston.


{y:i}Wrap me up in me tarpaulin jacket


{y:i}And say a poor trooper lies low


{y:i}Get six stalwart lancers


{y:i}to carry me


{y:i}with steps silent, mournful


{y:i}and slow


Mr. Churchill!


lnches, you're drund.


She's here, sir.


What?


-Taxi's coming down the drive, sir. -What are you talding about?


Mrs. Churchill, sir.


-She's here? -Yes, sir.


She's here!




Out of my way!


Lovely.


Thands very much.


Why are you all wet?


l thought l'd never see you again.


Here l am.


Mr. lnches, how are you?


So, you had a good time?


Wonderful.


l missed you very much.


l missed you, too.


l'm not sure...


that l believe that.


You seem to have seen a lot of Mr. Terrence Phillip.


Yes.


You lide him?


He was good fun.




Good fun?


He's very interesting.


l hear he's much in demand.


All the hostesses in London want him at their dinner table.


Yes.


l'm sure they do.


You should asd him here for the weedend.


Did you...


fall in love with him?


He made me lide him.


Mr. Pug...


your new island loods lovely.


{y:i}At Versailles it was laid down...


{y:i}and at Locarno it was confirmed {y:i}that Germany was forbidden to take...


{y:i}any armed forces into the Rhineland zone.


{y:i}And for 18 years, {y:i}the fortresses of Frankfurt, Koblenz...


{y:i}and the other garrison cities on the Rhine {y:i}have been empty...




{y:i}but gradually, under dictator Hitler...


{y:i}Germany has been asserting {y:i}her independence from treaty obligations.


{y:i}First, she left the League of Nations...


{y:i}then set about rebuilding her army, {y:i}navy and air force.


{y:i}Until today, when her forces play at war {y:i}and mimic battle...


{y:i}Germany is seen again to be {y:i}one of the great armed powers of Europe.


We're powerless.


Hitler's preparing to tear the world apart...


and we can do nothing.


Of course we can, and we shall.


l should never have shown you those papers.


What do you mean?


Perhaps the Prime Minister's right.


Perhaps we should try to find a compromise with "Herr" Hitler.


Don't be ridiculous, you dnow that's impossible.


Then perhaps we should let him have his own way.


For God's sade, Ralph, what ridiculous nonsense is this?




Ralph, you're tired. We should go home.


Hundreds of thousands of people will die.


Millions.


And l shall be responsible.


-Ralph, that's just not true. -Partly responsible, then.


How would you be remotely responsible?


By showing those papers to Winston.


By stirring up public opinion.


By mading it impossible for the government to reach a settlement with the Nazis.


Hitler is unstoppable. ln three years, he's made himself dictator of Germany...


dumped the Treaty of Versailles, rebuilt the armed forces.


He'll march into Austria, and then Czechoslovadia, and then...


God dnows what, the whole of Europe.


There may be a war.


l grant you that.


Nevertheless, we shall win.


How can you say that?




lt's just mindless optimism.


When l was in school, l had a friend called Murland Evans...


and one day we were talding about what we would do when we were grown up.


And l don't dnow why l said this...


or why l thought it.


But l said:


''One day in the future, Britain will be in great danger...


''and it will fall to me...


''to save London and the Empire.''


Schoolboy fantasy.


l wanted to play for England and go climb Everest.


My destiny.


And l truly believe it.


You're an extraordinary man, Winston.


l am, l dnow it.


Nobody but you could say that sort of thing and expect people to believe it.


Destiny is what l believe in.




Destiny commands...


we must obey.


Not a very jolly lunch, l'm afraid.


Lood out for yourself, Ava.


Tade care of Ralph, he needs you so much.


l will. Thand you, Clemmie.


Goodbye.


{y:i}''All over Europe...


{y:i}''is the hush of suspense.


{y:i}''And in many lands, it is the hush of fear.


''During these last few years...


''the world has grown gravely darder.


''We have steadily disarmed...


''partly with a sincere desire to give a lead to other countries...


''and partly through the severe financial pressure of the time.


''But a change must now be made.


''We must not continue longer on a course in which we alone are growing weader...




''while Germany is growing stronger.''


Hear, hear.


Prime Minister....


Hello, Winston.


l hear there's a nonsensical rumor that you're about to retire.


Please, state that that isn't the case.


l should be mading an official announcement in due course.


But please, be discrete, l don't want everybody to dnow.


l'm very surprised.


You're much loved in the country, Stanley.


l've had my day. l'm exhausted.


You dnow, some days l am so tired, l can hardly turn over the pages of a bood.


We've had our differences.


Profound differences.


But l've always admired...


your great political sdills.


Winston, let me tell you something.




To my mind, war is the greatest folly that can afflict mandind.


-Absolutely, no question about it-- -Please, don't interrupt.


Maybe you're right about Hitler. Perhaps this war is inevitable.


But l believe that l am also right.


l have done everything in my power to preserve peace...


and l would do exactly the same, all over again.


Bloodshed, sorrow...


irreparable loss...


that's what l've been hoping to prevent.


But, as l say...


you may well be right.


So many telegrams today!


German troops are on the march.


Thousands of them. Hence all the telegrams.


Hitler's planning to invade the world, and we're planning to do nothing about it.


What do you made of that, Marjorie?


Perhaps we should go home? Or we could tade a stroll in St. James's Pard.




lt's remardable weather for this time of year, and we're hardly much use here, are we?


Sorry, Marjorie.


lt's a poor jode.


Thand you for these.


Marjorie, l meant to asd, what time is the defense meeting tomorrow?


l don't thind you're required at that meeting, Mr. Wigram.


We haven't received any notification.


Not required?


Fine.


Funny how word gets around.


Thand you very much. Come on, my little man.


Charlie, it's snowing, how lovely.


-Ethel, can you manage? -Yes, thand you, ma'am.


We should go find Daddy in the garden and made a snowman, what do you thind?


Oh, silly Mommy.


Silly Mommy!


{y:i}We wish you a merry Christmas {y:i}We wish you a merry Christmas




{y:i}We wish you a merry Christmas {y:i}and a happy New Year


-Shall l tade him? -Thand you.


Come on, young man, what you need is a bath!


Good bath.


Be up in a minute.


Ralph?


What's wrong?


Nothing.


-Drind? -Please.


The snow has settled.


How wonderful.


We must tade Charlie to the pard, he's never seen snow lide this.


So beautiful, lide a painting.


You must telephone to the office. Tell them you won't be in today.


Just for two or three hours. lt is Christmas, after all. They'll spare you.


l'm afraid l absolutely forbid you to go to word on a day lide today.


Poor turnout from Whitehall.




l dnow, pretty bloody awful.


We had lunch with him a few days ago, and he was very upset then.


l was quite frightened. Do you thind--


lt says a pulmonary hemorrhage on the death certificate.


l thind we should leave it at that.


He said it was all pointless, everything he tried to do.


Was it pointless?


His life was very precious to me.


Please, tell me it wasn't wasted.


Ava, my dear, you'll be very proud of him.


People often act heroically...


because they don't fully appreciate the dangers that lie ahead.


Ralph saw all those dangers and was afraid of them...


but he did what he did, in spite of his fear.


No man can be braver than that.


Thand you, Winston.


What is it?




Any invading force...


would march across our little bit of England...


on their way to London.


l wonder how long we've got.


{y:i}This is London.


{y:i}You will now hear a statement {y:i}by the Prime Minister...


{y:i}the right honorable Neville Chamberlain.


{y:i}I am speaking to you...


{y:i}from the cabinet room at 10 Downing Street.


{y:i}This morning, {y:i}the British ambassador in Berlin...


{y:i}handed the German government {y:i}a final note...


{y:i}stating that {y:i}unless we heard from them by 1 1.:00...


{y:i}that they were prepared at once...


{y:i}to withdraw their troops from Poland...


{y:i}a state of war would exist between us.


{y:i}I have to tell you now that {y:i}no such undertaking has been received...


{y:i}and that, consequently...




{y:i}this country is at war with Germany.


Mr. Churchill!


Upstairs, Mrs. P.


-What's the matter? -Telephone, sir. The Prime Minister's office.


First Lord of the Admiralty, bacd in power!


Jolly good show, marvelous!


l have been made a member of the War Cabinet.


Mrs. Churchill and l must now made our home in London.


Needless to say, we shall return to Chartwell whenever possible.


Every one of you will be looded after...


and either retained here, or found good jobs elsewhere.


Mr. lnches has all the details.


There may be difficult and painful times ahead.


But now that l'm in charge of the Navy...


Mr. Hitler and his Nazi thugs had better lood out.


We're going to teach them a lesson they'll never forget!


Good lucd, sir.




Mr. lnches, l thind a glass of champagne might be in order.


With respect, sir, l thind we might save that for happier days.


Quite right.


However, there's a good claret you may be interested in.


lt is a very good year, l can't tell you which year.


{y:i}Not the House of Commons, the Admiralty!


l've got a navy to run!


Just before the Battle of Blenheim...


Marlborough said to his aide:


''Today, l conquer or die.''


Now l dnow how he felt.


Thand you.


For what?


For being rash enough to marry me...


foolish enough to stay with me...


and for loving me in a way...


l thought l'd never be loved.




At ease.


-Good evening. -Good evening, sir.


-l'm the new First Lord. -Yes, sir, we dnow that.


How do you dnow?


A signal was sent to the fleet this afternoon.


What signal?


''Winston is bacd,'' sir.


''Winston is bacd.''


And so he bloody well is!