CHURCHILL
THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS

"We will fight them on the beaches..."

Winston Churchill wasn't the distinguished old gentleman who smoked cigars and rallied the British people to defeat the Nazi. He was in fact a brash American marine (Slater), who saved Britain for invasion single-handed. He was an instant hero, the love of a young Princess's (Campbell) life and the only one who could stop Hitler (Sher) from just marching into Britain and then invaded the rest of the world. This is the true version of history, Hollywood style.

As Hollywood continues to rewrite history for the sliver screen and the British contribution to the Second World War continues to be ignored, the UK film industry has decided to fight back with what they do best, satire. The problem is that they have forgotten to include any good jokes.

If you were to believe Hollywood, the American's won WWII single-handed and struck a blow for democracy. They captured the Enigma machine, they were the only ones who were involved in the D-Day landings and it was the biggest tragedy of the war when one of their Navy bases was bombed. They forget that Britain was bombarded every night, that we broke the Nazi codes and that our soldiers died in the war as well. So after years of watching Hollywood version of history, the people behind the Comic Strip series and Stella Street take this to the extreme and really rewrite history.

With their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, director Peter Richardson and his cast and crew bring us the British version of America saving the world. Now Winston Churchill, one of the symbols of the Second World War, is not the renowned old gentleman who stirred up the passion of the British public by epitomising the spirit of the nation but a gung-ho American G.I. who is here to save us from Adolf Hitler and his Nazis. An intriguing premise that is bound to be filled with laughs and mickey taking but you would be sadly mistaken. The gags are very few and far between and when they do come they are very predictable. The film never manages to anything more than raise a smile, which is surprising when you see the comedic talent Richardson has gathered together.

Christian Slater has fell off the radar over the last few years but he is trying to get his way back into the limelight. This film won't do him any favours however. He is fine as the American version of Churchill but it is the lack lustre script and poorly written dialogue doesn't help his character in the slightest. The same can be said about Neve Campbell as Princess Elizabeth. She does her best as the future English monarch, but you just end up wondering why she chose this project when her career was just starting to be taken seriously. Some of the best of British comedy also have roles in the film but most have little more than cameos. Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer are completely wasted. Rik Mayall is just irritating. We needed to see more of Phil Cornwall's Nazi Londoner and Leslie Phillips' home secretary. Miranda Richardson is criminally underused, as is Mackenzie Cook. Harry Enfield and Antony Sher as King George and Adolf Hitler are good however, injecting some much-needed comedy into the mix.

Churchill: The Hollywood Years is a wasted opportunity for good British satire. The film just doesn't push hard enough and forgoes laughs for clichés. The script, while slightly amusing in parts just doesn't have enough comedic set pieces or dialogue to keep you entertained, making you think that laughter must have been rationed.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good, as you'd expect from a modern movie. The picture quality is very sharp throughout, even during the darker moments of the film. The sound is also good, especially when Churchill is saving the day as a one-man army.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary with Christian Slater and Peter Richardson
The director and his star come together to produce a chatty commentary that isn't really as funny as it could have been. While commentaries are for the cast and crew to pass comment while watching the film there are moments of quiet here while Slater and Richardson actually watch the movie. When they do talk, they do cover the key aspects of the film such as plot development, characters, casting and the many changes to the script. They also talk in length about what the key player brought to the film, commenting on Neve Campbell's accent and how everyone loves Leslie Phillips. This isn't a bad commentary but you might have been expecting something more from the contributors, much like the film itself.

Behind the Scenes (14.43 mins)
Director Peter Richardson and stars Christian Slater, Neve Campbell, Mackenzie Cook, Romany Malco, Harry Enfield, Vic Reeves, Leslie Phillips, Antony Sher, Miranda Richardson and Rik Mayall take you behind the scenes of 'Churchill: The Hollywood Years'. The cast and director talk about the style of the film, Hollywood's passion for changing history and the outrageous approach of the film. The interviews are accompanied by behind the scenes footage and deleted scenes.

The Amazing Story (19.21 mins)
Follow Lt. Ed Baker's quest to discover the true identity of his father, who was reported missing during World War II. His remarkable discovery takes him to the offices of the British Prime Minister where he reveals, what could be the greatest cover up in history. This is a short film that accompanies and expands the lieutenant's story in the main features. It also includes new interviews with the main characters from the film.

Deleted Scenes (4.52 mins)
With optional commentary from director Peter Richardson, these six deleted or extended scenes show more of Denzel, Hitler's lunch with the King, Eva Braun ringing into a radio talk programme and more of King George.

Alternative Beginning and Ending (2.02 mins)
With optional commentary from director Peter Richardson, here we see the original premise for movie that entailed Hollywood producers re-writing history to make more money.

Outtakes (1.09 mins)
A collection of gaffs that highlight Neve Campbell and Christian Slater getting their lines wrong

Trailer & TV Spots (3.09 mins)
Watch the theatrical trailer and four TV Spots

OVERALL

Pathé have taken an average film and filled it full of extras to produce a good DVD. While a decent commentary track and a collection of featurettes and deleted scenes do not make up for the shortcomings of the movie, fans of the film will be happy with the package.

DVD

Stella Street: The Movie

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2004