Don't mess with Winston!
The Story:
Winston Churchill gets elected as Prime Minister...just in time for World War II to effectively kick off and all of Europe falls like dominoes except Britain and France. Then literally, within the month that Churchill is in power, France gives up the fight, and so it's Great Britain, alone, to face the Axis Powers, who are about to get their hands on the 2nd largest naval fleet in Europe. The United States will not honor Churchill's request for aid, fearing Britain will fold as quickly as France has, so Churchill makes a fateful decision.
This is that story.
Wow!
Just when you think you know everything about World War II, it's nice to find documentaries like this that focus on specific events or times that bring clarity to some decisions instead of the overarching "we won, they lost" perspective of the war.
Why does France giving up elicit jokes to this day? Watching how fast the Nazis stormed in, and the timeline for their surrender makes it abundantly clear now. It is amazing how fast it all happened, and seems inconceivable that one country could literally swarm over Europe that quickly and decisively.
Scary.
Meanwhile, all of this is happening as Churchill is learning the ropes and trying to keep Britain out of Nazi hands, as he watches government after government fall before Hitler.
Then, Roosevelt is not even close to offering aid to the Brits, and Churchill gets desperate.
The French Admiral claims that if they fall to the Nazis, he vows that not a single ship will be taken by the Germans.
What do you do in Churchill's position? Here's a government that signed a treaty with Great Britain that said neither country could surrender without approval by the other party.
We give up! Sonuva...
Needless to say, some French are still bitter about what Churchill did.
But at the end of the day, the ships did not fall into Nazi hands and could not be used against the British (or America) and because he showed the true backbone of the British, Roosevelt sent ships to bolster the British navy.
Fascinating stuff, and great also because they actually have a lot of footage from events...not reenactments, and also managed to interview several survivors, both French and British.
Highly recommended, and available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing!
Final Grade: A
Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Hard to say, once you see it, you've seen it. Let some time go by, and yes, it would probably be just as impressive on repeated viewings. Plus, I always love WWII history!
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