Original subtitles

We'll be right back.

Mr. Speaker, 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.

If India were granted self-government, it would

mark the downfall of the British Empire.

It will mark and consummate the downfall of the British Empire.

You're wanted.

On the way.

Morning, Inches.

Morning, madam. I have to do something about Miss Sarah's gramophone.

I don't want to start the day with another family altercation. No, madam.

Morning, darling.

Inches, kindly tell my daughter to turn off that bloody gramophone. Trashy music

all over the house.

There he goes up.

She knows I can't stand it. Why does she do it? Leave it to me, sir, will you?

Have you been drinking?

This time of morning, sir, certainly not. If you have, I hope it's your damn

whiskey and not mine.

What time is Mrs. P coming?

Early afternoon, sir.

Early afternoon? Why not this morning?

Because you told her not to come till after lunch, sir. Your invention, I did

nothing of the sort.

You said you were going to town this morning, sir, so she would not be

required until after lunch. Well, I've changed my mind. I need to redraft this

speech. Get her here now.

Yes, sir.

Mrs. Churchill.

Mrs. Landry.

Good morning, madam.

Something the matter? What's wrong?

It's Mr. Monks, madam.

Butcher? Yes, madam.

It seems we haven't paid his bill for several weeks. He said he'd rather not

provide us with any more meat until the account's settled.

I'll write a check and you can send one of the girls to deliver it. Thank you,

Mrs. Landry. Thank you, madam.

Morning. Morning.

Randolph, you look dreadful.

Thank you, Mama.

All this double-branded late last night.

Not in the same league as my beloved Papa.

It's very bad of a young man of your age to drink so much. Oh, don't start

nagging at this time of morning, please.

Let me wake up first.

Who is it?

Jim, son.

Have you paid, Mr Monk? Where, what? The butcher from Westrom. Have you paid his

bills? My dear Clemmie, I'm trying to save India 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 dishonour.

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

I've got to save women. I can't do everything.

Lovely. I thought he said after lunch.

He did.

He's changed his mind. I do wish he wouldn't do that. I'd arrange to take

the girls into Westrom to buy some shoes.

Heaven knows when I'll get another opportunity.

Mr Churchill?

Ah, Mrs B at last.

Good morning.

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

In shoes. Please tell Mr Churchill I've decided to go to town with him. What

time will he be leaving? 11.30, madam. On the dot.

I will revise this speech and go on to the second chapter on the way up to

London. Today?

Anything wrong with that?

No.

No, of course not, Mr. Thatcher. And bring my notes for the Battle of

Blenheim.

There you are, Clemmie. Did I keep you waiting?

Not more than usual.

Good morning, Mr. Thatcher.

How are you, Mrs. P?

Well, I think... She's happy as a clam, aren't you, Mrs. P? Don't you let him

boss you about. He's a dreadful boy. Nonsense.

Mrs. P adores me.

How are you getting on with the Duke of Marlborough?

Very well.

Volume 2, Chapter 20, The Battle of Blenheim.

We're already on page 800-something.

I think the publishers hoped for something a little shorter.

Bugger the publishers. This is more than a biography. It's a paragenic. A tribute

to my great and illustrious ancestor.

Oh, get a move on, Jenna.

Overtake, overtake.

Remember when Randolph and I went off to see the battlefield?

Of course.

I dreamt about it last night.

I could see everything.

The enemy being routed.

Europe saved from those ravaging hordes.

There was Marlborough.

Riding into history.

Our eyes met.

I think... I think it smiled at me.

You shouldn't have had so much cheese.

Stilton always gives you nightmares.

Mr. Speaker, the loss of India would mark and consummate the downfall of the

British Empire. If we cannot do our duty in India, we should have shown ourselves

unworthy to reserve the vast empire which still centers upon this

small island.

It is alarming and also nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious Middle

Temple lawyer,

now posing as a fakir of a type well-known in the East, striding half

-naked up the steps of the Viceroyal Palace to parley on equal terms

with representative of the King Emperor.

Pendant Council's private member's bill, second reading.

What a monstrous speech.

You're his friend, Bracken. You should tell Winston to stop making such a fool

of himself. It's pathetic.

Britain is losing her grip on its imperial affairs.

He's trying to stop the raft.

Rubbish. Winston's a self-serving opportunist.

That's why nobody trusts him. No sense of loyalty. Thanks, Tom.

Does this party count for nothing? Is it disloyal to defend something one

believes in passionately? He's attacking government policy, which means he's

attacking his own damn party.

It's about time he towed the line and stopped being such a bloody nuisance.

It's the wrong hat, Tom.

Mr Wood.

This is appalling.

You must remember that your husband lost a very substantial sum as a result of

the Wall Street crash.

You're bankrupt.

Not exactly.

But I 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. Do you hear me

speak?

It's Winston, they cry.

Winston's on his feet.

Now they hurry away, as if to avoid an embarrassing accident.

I'm finished, Brendan.

Nonsense. A ghost witnessing my own

demise.

Common courtesy, thank you.

Diana.

Desmond.

Have you met my husband?

Briefly at the wedding. Good to see you.

Hello,

Morton. How's the spying game?

I'm not a spy, Randolph. I'm a civil servant.

Where's your father? I'm afraid he's having a black dog day. We're relying on

you to shake him out. He came back from London in a terrible mood and he's been

like that ever since.

Winston. Go on, Winston. Lunch in five minutes.

Dogs look up to you.

Cats look down on you.

Pigs treat you as equals.

What is it?

India?

Partly.

Partly it is.

What about them? Hitler.

Made me think.

In 35, I was Home Secretary.

37, First Lord of the Admiralty at 50, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Doing

pretty well.

Not bad.

Now look at me.

No power.

No prospective power.

Look at Hitler.

Some bugger all the head of state in ten years.

Come and have some lunch. Not hungry.

Everyone's waiting.

Let them wait.

Come and have a drink at least.

What have you got there?

I'll show you indoors.

Will you cheer me up?

Not exactly.

You may be right about Germany.

What do you mean?

What is all this?

It'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 airport.

I would say so.

Yes, but the Prime Minister would not.

But, Albert Desmond, England is lost in a pacifist dream.

People prefer that to the nightmare of war.

Fashioned ale and a song are all too close for comfort.

Yes.

People are dreaming. It means they're asleep.

It's time they bloody woke up.

Mr.

Baldwin.

Prime Minister.

My government is very displeased by a number of scurrilous and totally

unfounded attacks on the Third Reich that seem to emanate from the office of

your ambassador in Berlin.

Sir Robert? Yes, I'll make the appropriate inquiries.

If it's true, we shall take immediate action. I deplore any attempt to create

feelings of doubt and suspicion. I am anxious to work closely with Germany

under the new order.

Thank you, Mr. Baldwin.

Mr. Wickram?

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

The most recent dispatch from our ambassador reported that Nazi policy is

intensely anti-Jewish. Is 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. Is that why you built a concentration camp outside Munich?

It's a place of protective custody, Mr. Wegren.

And remember, please, it was the British who invented the concentration camp

during the Boer War, I believe.

We are merely following your good example.

Jolly good, what you said in there.

Nothing but bully boys, these damn Marxists. Well, they get away with it,

that's the trouble.

Nobody does anything about it.

That's right, they don't.

Very alarming.

It is.

Desmond Morton.

Rafe Wigwin.

Foreign Office, Central Department.

Oh, dear, I'm sorry. Have we met before? I'm terrible at faces.

Well, the phrase is my training, military intelligence.

I have a filing cabinet instead of a mine.

I'm going to Charing Cross. Can I drop you somewhere?

Yes, thank you.

Thank you very much.

Dish. I think 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 cake.

Pardon, sir? You've forgotten the cake.

There isn't any, sir.

That's what I'm telling you, city girl. We don't have any cake, Winston. That's

what she means.

You don't have any cake? Of course you have cake. Dundee cake from Fortnum's.

Thank you, baby.

Yes, ma'am.

What on earth's going on?

We have to make economies, Winston.

What are you talking about?

I'm worried about money. I went to see Mr. Wood.

Poor Queen.

Why?

He's my accountant as well as yours, Winston.

You could have told me. We could have gone together.

I 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 sake, Clemmie, I'm working day and night. All these articles of the

Evening Standard, Marlborough.

Not to mention the constituency work.

I know. That's why we have to economise.

You're depriving me of my Dundee cake.

You're paying all of Randolph's debt.

Randolph is hopeless with money. We all know that. Oh, he's a responsible.

Now talk to him.

It's your turn.

What?

Oh, it's not.

It is.

Come along.

You've just won the last trick.

You need a double seat.

Well, score it.

Double visit, 500 points. Winston, I know how to score. Well, do it.

It's not just Randolph. It's this house. It's Chartwell.

That's where all the money goes.

All right, all right. We'll make economies. We employ 18 people here.

Surely not.

Prudently expensive.

We should never have bought it. Oh, don't start that again, please. You went

behind my back. I did not.

You knew I didn't like it, and you deliberately deceived me. That's not

true. I never saw such an ugly house.

You may find the house ugly. I do not.

Anyway, that's beside the point.

Come with me.

What for?

I want to show you something.

Don't change the subject.

I'm not.

Come with me, please.

That's why I bought it.

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

What you can see from the house.

England.

Look at it, Cammie.

Nowhere in the world would you find a landscape more ravishing than that.

And it's ours.

To look at and to cherish for the rest of our lives.

I would die for it, Clement.

Rather unwelcome news, I'm afraid. The cabinet has decided to sell aircraft

engines to the Germans.

I don't believe it. To be precise, 118 Rolls-Royce PV-12 Merlins.

God almighty.

Designed for civilian use, I'm told, but we both know they can be used for

fighter planes. This is total madness.

Trade should have no boundaries, says the Chancellor of the Executive.

If we don't sell the Germans' engines, somebody else will.

I suppose there's some sort of logic in that. What are we doing here, Van?

Make recommendations, write briefing notes, nobody listens. Nobody in Downing

Street gives a damn.

Well, they're not very interested in uncomfortable things like political

reality.

Surely the Germans aren't allowed to be armed.

Try telling that to Mr Hitler.

Well, then why doesn't the government do something?

They don't want to provoke another war.

Who does?

And they feel guilty.

About what?

The Treaty of Versailles.

It's far too punitive.

Robbed the Germans of their self-esteem.

He's tired out, ma'am. I'm getting him ready for bed.

Thank you, Adam.

Shall we go up?

Mr Baldwin believes the strong Germany will keep Russia in its place.

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

And are they? I think not.

Nazism is more than just a political movement.

It's a cult.

A religion based on the idea of racial purity.

Mankind, the Nazis believe, is divided between the man-gods and the sub-humans.

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?

You ready for bed?

Charlie.

Charlie,

my boy.

You ready for bed?

You ready for bed?

Sweet dreams, big man.

We nearly had tea with Hitler. In Munich.

At the Ambassador's Hotel.

The Regina Hotel.

The Ambassador's in Vienna. Please don't interrupt me when I'm trying to

interrupt you.

Herr Schroeder, have you ever seen Herr Hitler?

I've met him.

Really?

When was this?

Quite recently.

I was having dinner with friends.

Hitler was a principal guest.

What's he like?

My first impression, insignificant.

Utterly insignificant.

A great faith.

It's late gray.

Melancholy jet black eyes.

Like raisins.

The figure out of a ghost story.

He took on and on anxiously.

Out of path he fell, he said.

I shall make a religion.

His oily hair fell at his face when he read it.

Then...

to me like a waiter who has just received a fair tip.

When he left, nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

We all sat in silence.

Rather like this.

After the Great War, we were told that Germany would be a democracy. 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 like that.

He sincerely believes that Hitler does not want war. Baldwin.

Not just Baldwin, many others.

Well, they're wrong. You think so? I think so. But don't underestimate them,

Winston. They admire Hitler. Genuinely, they won't like him. Well, then they can

lump it.

Order!

Order!

You have dictatorship.

It's grim, dictatorship.

You have the persecution

of the Jews.

You have militarism.

and appeals to every form of fighting spirit.

We have steadily marched backwards since the Great War.

The fears are greater rather than sharper.

Military plans are more closely concerted, and because of our

disarmament, Britain is weaker.

Order! Order!

The right of British judgment must be heard!

The war mentality, the war mentality is springing up again.

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

Mr. Speaker,

although one is loath 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 I remind the Right Honourable Member that a poll conducted by the League of

Nations found that over 90% of the British people favour international

disarmament. 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. It is our duty, Mr

Speaker, to ensure that there is no next Great War.

This country wants peace.

People say, oh, Winston won't mind.

He's used to being shouted at. But they're wrong.

It hurts deeply.

Especially from your own party.

The Tories don't want to be made to think what you're saying is right.

That's what matters.

They don't listen. That's what matters.

Like banging your head against a brick wall.

Won't go on forever.

Those men of my age are retired.

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!

If you give up now, then you'll never know.

Give up?

Give up what?

There's nothing like give up.

With a breath, black dogs barking.

Perhaps he's barking the truth.

Winston, do you remember last year when inches fell ill?

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

Why didn't you tell me?

Because you told me not to.

The doctor said he should give up work completely, but he refused.

Mr Churchill needs me, he said.

And it's not just inches. It's Mrs P, the staff, your constituency workers,

me. We're all the same. You have the ability to make people carry on no

matter what.

You're only trying to cheer me up. Well, don't.

Winston, all these years I've put up with the miseries of political life

because I believe in you.

And somehow I survived.

But to have you here all the time in retirement, bad-tempered, getting in

everybody's way.

That is something I just could not survive.

You're getting pretty good at this, Winston.

90 bits an hour.

Isn't that right, Harry?

Nearer to 60, I should say. Oh, very well, very well. Between 60 and 90.

And I've become a... a member of the Amalgamated Union.

Of building workers.

Fully paid off.

Very good.

This material you're feeding me about the German Air Force, it's

two general facts and figures. That's what I need.

Not easy.

That stuff doesn't come in my direction.

So how do I get hold of it? To be honest, I don't think you can. Top

secret. Eyes only. Go straight to the Foreign Office.

I'll see what you can do.

I got thrashed again in the house last week.

I need some muscle.

Desmond, we need to fight back.

Come in.

Ah, Ray. I thought you left ages ago. Well, I've been reading this.

Drink? Yes.

It's a report from Berlin.

Hitler's cabinet has approved a new law.

It means... In effect, the compulsory sterilization of all those suffering

from hereditary illnesses which are deemed, and I quote, to affect the

health of the nation.

Bad.

Racial purity. This... This is just the beginning.

I'm worried with the Prime Minister.

Much good that'll do. He'll just say it's German domestic policy and has

nothing to do with us.

Which is true.

In all honesty, Ray, there's very little I can do, if anything.

You, on the other hand, may think otherwise.

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

I've tried.

I'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's getting more powerful every day, and the British

public's been deliberately misinformed.

Or at least deliberately kept in the dark.

I'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 I

believe they intend to do.

Your figures are very precise.

Much more so than the information I have.

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

All of it is as precise and detailed as this. Far more detailed. As I say, this

is only a summary.

I don't see how I can help you.

Well, your position... I may be called director of the Industrial Intelligence

Center, but don't be fooled.

I'm no more than a civil servant.

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

Yes, it is.

In that case, I think we should talk to Winston.

Winston? Churchill?

Surely he's... Parted?

I don't trust him.

First he joins the Tory party, and then he switches to the Liberals, and now

he's back with the Tories again.

He has no judgment.

Maybe. He has an extraordinary instinct.

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

He's wrong about India, of course.

He's been wrong about a lot of things.

I believe he's right about Johnny.

I shall be seeing him at the weekend.

If you'd like me to take anything down to Chartwell, I shall be happy to do so.

That would mean... You're suggesting that I

remove secret documents from a government office and show them to

someone who has no right to see them.

It's a criminal act.

Well, perhaps an necessary one.

Marjorie? Yes, Mr. Whitram?

An envelope.

I need a large envelope.

An envelope?

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

Just to take some papers, just an ordinary large-sized envelope.

Give the papers to me, I'll get them for you. What's the address?

No, no, it's nothing to do with work. Where do we keep the envelopes?

This big enough for him?

It's fine, perfect.

They must be back in the office first thing Monday morning, so I need them

back by Sunday evening at the latest.

You have my word.

If it says don't walk on the grass, I never do.

Never used to.

Sunday evening, then. Sunday evening.

No, let's finish the set first.

Where did you get this?

Grabbing the foreign office.

Rafe Wigram, head of the central department.

Must be business pinching this.

Useful.

This'll make the buggers jump.

How about 11?

Who the hell is he?

What the promise?

Well, perhaps use a telephone.

Telephone who?

Don't they know how important this is?

Hello?

Mr. Wigrum?

Yes. Brendan Bracken. Just returning that.

Sorry I'm late. Car broke down.

Bloody nuisance.

There's a note in there from Winston. He'd love to have you come down. Sunday

lunch? He'll be in touch.

Good night.

Good night.

Mr. Churchill?

Mr. Speaker, before I am derided yet again, and before any further

insults are hurled at me in the evening of my days... It's fairly

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. Get down, Winston. We've heard it all before.

This you will not have heard. I can assure you of that.

Airplanes destined for the Luftwaffe are not manufactured in one place.

Throughout Germany, a large number of firms are making seemingly innocent...

component parts, which are then dispatched to great central factories

where they are assembled very rapidly into fighter and bomber aircraft,

like a jigsaw puzzle or Meccano game.

It's very clever, very effective, and above all, it conceals the true scale of

German rearmament.

I am reliably informed.

that the working 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

workers?

Lager beer?

Lederhosen?

Sausages.

Aircraft.

That is why I say we must act decisively and we must act now to put our defenses

in order.

If we do not, history will cast its verdict with those terrible, chilling

words, too late.

Mr.

Ferguson.

Charlie would so love a dog. I'm sure we could find you one.

I'm afraid our garden's too small.

It's the size of a postage stamp.

Well, we have an absolute menagerie here.

Winston has cats, dogs, geese, donkeys, wild swans, pigs, not to mention the

children.

I don't know how you manage.

I've written my own epitaph.

Here lies a woman who was always tired because she lived in a world where too

much was required.

Are landscapes your speciality?

On a whole, yes.

Less troublesome than portraits.

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

I don't know how you find time for painting.

I wouldn't do without it. It keeps me sane.

I mean it.

It couldn't exist without paints and brushes.

The black dog will get me.

Are you a warrior?

Yes, I'm afraid I am.

Well, then you should definitely take up painting.

It'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?

State of my finances?

State of the world? State of my roof?

Your what? My roof.

We have a leaky roof every time it rains. It's a nightmare.

But most of all, I'm worried about these papers, the documents I'm

showing you. If anyone were to find out, I'd be in the most terrible trouble.

Nobody would find out.

Don't worry, Rafe.

It's all strictly confidential.

May I call you Rafe if it's not too sudden?

Please do.

The recognizing and acknowledging of fear is a mark of wisdom.

For example, I can't stand too near the edge of a platform when an express train

is passing through.

A second's action would end everything forever.

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

Painting drives it away.

as does bricklaying. I'm building a wall.

It does well with writing.

2,000 words, 200 bricks a day.

What's the time? I feel peckish.

It's nearly 4 o'clock. I knew it. Time for tea. When we have visitors, we have

Dundee cake.

Yes, it's a great treat these days. I'm particularly fond of Dundee cake. Come

along, Ralph.

I'll take these. You bring the easel.

Oh, come on, don't try and fold it up. It's a bloody nightmare.

I hear you went to Chartwell.

Yes.

Did you have fun?

Yes, yes, we did, rather.

I didn't know you were chummy with Winston.

Well, I'm not, not chummy.

I wonder what he wants to say.

What do you mean?

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

of having a friend simply because you like someone has no place in Winston's

world. You have to be very careful.

What of?

He demands total loyalty.

Thou shalt have no other gods or me.

Do you know what Lloyd George said of him?

He said he would make a drum of his own mother's skin in order to sound his own

phrases. Ha, ha.

Who's this article for?

The Daily Mail.

Damn good, the Daily Mail.

Big fee, big readership. What more could a fellow ask?

Walter Guinness telephoned this morning.

Mm.

How is he?

Very well.

He thought we'd got a crew.

Good.

Very nice.

More of an expedition, really.

Fine. You'll enjoy a little rest.

Where's the... Where's Walter?

Blimey, go.

Southern France?

Komodo.

Komodo? What the hell's that?

Just below the Philippines, near Bali.

Philippines is halfway around the bloody world.

What on earth makes him want to go there?

Something to do with catching dragons.

Dragons? Well, they're more lizards, really, but they're very big. And

they're for the zoo.

Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.

Walter Guinness is seriously suggesting going halfway around the world searching

for some damn lizards. Is that right?

Oh, yes.

You must be mad. What's the point of it?

Well, it would be a great adventure.

You'd be away weeks, months.

About four months.

What is going on this trip?

Evelyn, of course. Two of their cousins.

A man called Terence Phillip.

Who's he?

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

Tell me, you have four children.

who require love and support, not to mention a husband who has to work 20

hours a day to keep this household afloat. And you think it's all right, do

you, to leave us to go off chasing lizards with Walter Guinness?

What am I supposed to say to that?

Well, don't you think it just might be construed as just a little selfish?

Well, don't you?

Huh?

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

I've spent the last 26 years of my life trying to please you, and I've done

everything, and I mean everything. I put your happiness before the children's

happiness, before my happiness.

I've never ever met you.

Sir!

Don't accuse me of being selfish, Winston. Don't you dare!

Sorry, sir.

I thought somebody...

The sprouts

misbehaved.

Mrs. Pussycat, Mr. Pug is very sorry.

Pussycat, do let me in.

Mr. Pug is very lonely out here.

Mrs. Pussycat, please.

in the window, then let it fall out.

And how are you this morning, sir?

All right, I think. Thank you for asking.

Missing her, of course, but that should be expected.

No point in dwelling on her absence. We must KBO.

Yes, sir. Keep buggering on at all times, sir.

KBO.

That's the order of the day.

We are entering a period of danger and of anxiety.

Come on.

Let us stop and see.

Exactly. No, no, no.

Not that.

Not that.

Oh, by that.

Thank you kindly.

We are entering upon a period...

Of danger and of anxiety.

You're repeating yourself.

All right, all right. Don't break your heart about it.

And how do we stand in this long period of danger?

Pause for emphasis.

Look 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, there will possibly be

three or even four times our strength.

Where on earth did he get all that information?

Winston makes it his business to be well informed.

And I don't like it. It could do immense damage to our trade with Germany.

Not to mention the cost of rearmament. I mean, where does he think the money's

coming from?

I want him isolated.

Tell the whips.

Only short distance away there dwells a nation of nearly 70 millions who were

taught from childhood to think of war and conquest as a glorious exercise,

comma, and death in battle as man's noblest fate. Stop. Mr.

Churchill. Oh, I beg your pardon, Mrs. B.

To urge preparation of defense is not to assert the imminence of war.

On the contrary, if war was imminent, preparations for defense would be too

late.

However calmly surveyed, the danger of an air attack on London must appear most

formidable.

London is the greatest target in the world.

A kind of tremendous, fat, valuable cow.

Tied up to attract the beast of prey.

We cannot retreat.

We cannot move, London.

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

There is Clemmie.

Thank you for your letter. I'm delighted you had...

Such an exciting time in Madras.

Stop. Mr. Philip sounds the most agreeable and adventurous companion.

Stop. I have decided to make the peninsula on the bottom lake into an

island, thus providing a safe haven for the geese.

The heavy work will be done by a great mechanical digger, which does the work

of ten men and will therefore...

Please, the accountant.

As you will have heard, Randolph was heavily defeated in the by-election and

lost his deposit.

This resulted, of course, a setback for him and should teach him prudence.

If I achieve anything, they all say it's because of you. Rubbish. And when I

fail, they say, oh, what a tragedy for the old man. For God's sake, Randolph.

I'm not a child, Papa.

I'm 23.

I want to make a life of my own.

All right, do what you like. Make a fool of yourself. I don't give a damn.

Go to hell, Papa.

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

Bugger.

Sprouts again, sir.

Cauliflower.

Keep young and beautiful.

It's your duty to be beautiful. Mary and I want to see the show that Sarah has

got herself involved in.

Didn't care for it at all.

On a patch on Gilbert and Sullivan. Keep young and beautiful.

It's your duty to be beautiful.

Keep young and beautiful.

If you want to be loved.

With his wretched man she keeps talking about.

Vic Oliver.

The so-called star of the show.

If you want to be loved, if you're wise, exercise all the fat off. Shake it off,

off the here, off the there.

When you're seen anywhere with your hat off, have a Marcel waving your hand.

Can't imagine what she sees in him.

Common as dirt.

Diana, I know, has written to you about her intended divorce.

A sad business, but probably all for the best.

I dealt with the situation very clumsily, I'm afraid. I wish profoundly

that you'd been there to offer comfort and advice.

It's getting deeper in, Richard.

The accountants have been sadly disappointed.

Downpours of rain occurred, and the mechanical digger sank into the mud and

finally wallowed himself into an awful pit.

No good.

Hopeless.

Ninety-eight degrees, sir.

Very good, you see.

Full steer ahead.

Yes, sir. Very good, sir.

In a jacket tonight,

isn't she? Yes, sir. The looser trousers, sir. I'm afraid so.

Ah, round at six. Very good.

Morning, Mr. Churchill.

Your dear letters are the only bright spot in my life, Clemmie.

I fill my days writing inflammatory articles about Germany and thus

incurring the wrath of Stanley Baldwin, which pleases me no end.

Evening, Sir Tanner. Have you seen it?

Well, yes. I don't seem to have had much luck as far as Winston is concerned.

He's more valuable than ever. Germany is his new hobby horse. He won't let go of

it. Well, we've got to make him. What? 10.30?

Yes, yes. I will not allow him to interfere with government policy.

Nor, indeed, with the smooth running of the party machine.

I'll do what I can.

Have a word with someone in his constituency.

Yes, of course.

A word about what, exactly?

But there must be a large amount of local party members who were dismayed,

not to say alarmed, by Winston's behaviour.

Encourage them to speak up.

Tell them to make him aware of their displeasure.

He is erratic, totally unreliable.

Enjoying it? Oh, very much. You?

Oh, immensely.

Winston's been very active recently.

Active? Oh, yeah. Endless speeches, all those newspaper articles, Evening

Standard, Daily Mail, everywhere you look.

Created a lot of anxiety.

Yes, yes, I'm sure.

Not surprising, really.

No.

His information is remarkably detailed. People are starting to wonder where it

comes from.

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

Yes, yes, it could, I know.

Winston started to make some real impact.

Slowly but surely, attitudes are changing.

It would be unfortunate if something were to go wrong.

Wrong?

Yes, one has to be very careful.

No unnecessary risks, if you know what I mean.

Yes.

Here we are.

There you are my darling.

We must defend our island from foreign aggression.

Stop. We should repudiate all defeatism and pacifism. Stop.

It's for you, sir, Mr. Wickram.

Our country can only be saved if it is strong.

Rafe, how are you?

I can't go on with this.

I'm sure they know something. We have to stop this now.

Isn't Rafe just a...

A little longer.

Winston, are you sure we're not making matters worse?

I don't believe we are.

It's so very important what you're doing, Rafe.

You mustn't stop now.

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

But I'd be drab without you, Clemmie.

If it weren't for Mary, I'd be utterly miserable.

Now, I 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.

Yes, and you remember how far away that was.

Now I'm going to show you where Mommy is now.

Let her go.

Miles and miles away.

Your desert island picnic with Mr. Phillips sounds idyllic.

I wish I could have been there with you.

It is over 11 weeks since you left Charkville.

And I'm counting the seconds until you retire.

The Komodo, where the dragons are.

It really is a long way. It is, isn't it?

Paragraph.

Diane has gone back to her husband.

Come on.

But I fear the marriage will not last. Stop.

Inches out. I'm in the middle of a letter.

Telephone, sir. Out. The man says it's important, sir. We'll go back later.

Really important. Who is it?

Major Sankey, sir. Who the hell is Major Sankey? One of your constituency

workers. I think you should talk to him.

What, now?

Yes, Mr Churchill. He's been ringing all morning. All right, all right.

Inches, you're the most irritating club to ever walk the earth.

I was in the middle of a letter to my wife, and now I've completely lost my

train of thought.

Idiot! Have you no sensitivity whatsoever?

There's no need to be insulting, sir. I was merely passing on a message. Shut

up, Inches. How dare you?

Tell the girl to put the call through up here.

She's gone to lunch, sir. Well, then do it yourself.

I am not acquainted with the mechanism, sir. Oh, almighty bloody hell.

You're very rude to me, it is.

You're very rude to me, sir. Yes, but I'm a great man.

You're a stupid old bugger.

Oh.

Mr. Churchill's in trouble.

How do you mean?

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

Of what?

The Conservative Party.

Don't be donk. Oh, they wouldn't do a thing like that.

They don't like all his speeches about Germany. They want to shut him up.

Can they do that, Mrs B?

Just kick him out?

They could, I suppose, yes.

Organise a vote of no confidence, something like that.

They'd never get over it.

I know.

I tell you this, Mrs B, if they do kick him out, I shall never vote Tory again.

Never. Not even Liberal.

Buggers!

This is absolutely the worst thing of my whole bloody life.

I'm surrounded by enemies.

They call me a warmonger because I speak 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 creak and the couplings strain.

The pace is hot and the points are near.

And sleep has deadened the driver's ear.

And the signals flash through the night in vain.

For death is in charge of the clattering train.

You'll be needing a glass of champagne.

Possibly two.

Charlie, Mummy's nearly finished and then I promise we'll go out to the park.

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

I'm afraid my husband's not home.

It was you I came to see.

Me? Please, do sit down.

Thank you.

I 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?

It's perhaps not wise.

Not good for him. Not wise for who?

Your husband.

Well, then shouldn't you be telling... this to my husband.

I'm quite sure he takes note of what you say.

What my husband does is his own business.

I wouldn't dream of trying to interfere. No, no, of course not.

But do remember your husband is the head of an important part of the Foreign

Office.

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

Why?

If indeed he has been.

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

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

If 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, I mean.

Difficult also, I should imagine, to find the appropriate medical assistance

in certain parts of the world.

I dare say it would mean your having to stay here.

You've made a foolish mistake, Mr. Pettifat.

Oh? A tactical error.

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

only goes to show how extremely 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 I said. I think I prefer not to.

Good afternoon, Mrs Wigram.

What do you want, Mr. Churchill?

I'm looking for a letter. What letter?

I thought there might be something from Clemmie.

Not today.

It's not easy to post better than that part of the world.

Perhaps tomorrow?

Does the...

Does the name Terence Philip mean anything to you?

Terence Philip?

Yes.

Art dealer, I think.

Anything known?

Good-looking.

Rather dashing, plenty of money.

His father was rich.

Married? No.

Flemmy seems to be quite chummy with him. She keeps mentioning him.

Oh, he's on the boat with her. He is.

I'm idiotically jealous.

Oh, Winston.

I'm sure he's in love with him.

Rubbish. He writes about him in every letter.

Terence and I did this, Terence and I did that.

They're companions, friends on holiday together. No, Clemmie.

I can read between the lines. I know her thoughts.

Don't be ridiculous.

She loves you, Winston, very deeply. I'm a rotten husband.

Nonsense. I suppose he's a romantic type. You know, all that sort of stuff.

Never got much of that from me.

It never seemed important, even when I was young. Daisy Fellows?

She tried to seduce me at the Ritz.

Wasn't interested.

Used to think it was because I smoked too much.

Tobacco is bad for love. Old age is worse.

You're talking nonsense, Winston.

I've lived too long. I'm in the rock. I've drunk too deeply of the cup.

I cannot spend. I cannot fuck.

I'm down and out. I'm buggered up. Where do you get that from?

It's the translation.

From the Russian Pushkin, I believe.

You may laugh, Desmond Morton, but I think about it all the time.

Clemmie and that fella.

She'll be home soon, Winston.

Grab me a imitator in jacket and say a poor trooper

lies low.

Get six stalwart lances, To carry me with steps

silent, mournful, and slow.

Mr. Churchill!

Mr. Churchill, sir!

Mr. Churchill!

Inges, you're drunk.

She's here, sir.

She's here. What?

Taxi's coming down the drive, sir. What on earth are you talking about?

Mrs. Churchill, sir.

She's here?

Yes, sir.

She's here! She's here!

She's here!

She's here! She's here! She's here!

Out of my way! Out of my way!

Is your wife well?

Oh, lovely.

Thanks very much.

Why are you all wet?

I thought I'd never see you again.

Look, here I am.

How are you?

I had a good time.

Wonderful.

I missed you very much.

I missed you too.

I'm not sure that I believe that.

You are you.

Seem to have seen a lot of Mr. Terence Philip.

Yes.

You like him?

He's good fun.

Good fun?

He's very interesting.

I hear he's much in demand.

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

Oh, yes.

I'm sure they do.

You should ask him here for the weekend.

Did you fall in love with him?

You make me like him.

Dr. Pag, your new island looks lovely.

At Versailles it was laid down, and at Locarno it was confirmed that Germany

was forbidden to take any armed forces into the Rhineland zone.

And for 18 years, the fortresses of Frankfurt, Koblenz, and the other

garrison cities on the Rhine have been empty.

But gradually, under dictator Hitler...

Germany has been asserting her independence of treaty obligations.

First she left the League of Nations, then she set about rebuilding her army,

navy and air force.

Until today, when her forces play at war and mimic battle, Germany is seen again

to be 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.

I 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.

Oh, don't be ridiculous.

We know that's impossible. Then perhaps we should let him have his own way.

For God's sake, Ray, what ridiculous nonsense is this?

Ray, you're tired.

We should go home.

Hundreds of thousands of people will die.

Millions.

And I shall be responsible.

Weeks, 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...

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

Brave, brave, brave. Hitler is unstoppable. In three years, he's made

himself dictator of Germany. He dumped the Treaty of Versailles and rebuilt the

armed forces. He'll march into Austria and then Czechoslovakia and then... God

knows what, the whole of Europe.

There may be a war.

I grant you that.

Nevertheless, we shall win.

How can you say that?

It's just mindless optimism.

When I was at school, I had a friend called Merlin Evans.

And one day we were talking about what we would do when we were grown up.

And I don't know why I said this or why I thought it.

But I 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.

I wanted to play for England or climb Everest.

My destiny.

And I truly believe it.

You're an extraordinary man, Winston.

I am. I know it.

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

Destiny is what I believe in.

Yes, in their commands, we must obey.

And a very jolly lunch, I'm afraid.

Look after yourself, Anna.

Take care of Rafe. He needs you so much. I will.

Thank you, Sammy.

Bye.

All over Europe, it is the hush of suspense.

And in many lands, it is the hush of fear.

During these last few years, the world has grown gravely darker.

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 weaker,

while Germany is growing stronger.

Prime Minister.

I hear there's a

nonsensical rumor.

that you're about to retire.

Please state that that isn't the case.

Well, I shall be making an official announcement in due course.

But please be discreet. I don't want everybody to know.

I'm very surprised.

You're much loved in the country, Stanley.

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

There are some days I'm so tired I can hardly turn over the pages of a book.

We've had our differences.

profound differences.

But I've always admired your great political skills.

Winston, let me tell you something.

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

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

Now, maybe you're right about Hitler. Perhaps this war is inevitable.

But I believe that I am also right.

I have done everything in my power to preserve peace, and I would do exactly

the same all over again.

Bloodshed, sorrow, irreparable loss.

That's what I've been hoping to prevent.

But, as I say, you may well be right.

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 make of that, Marjorie?

Well, I'm not... Perhaps you should go home. What do you think?

Or we could take a stroll at St. James's Pub.

It's remarkable weather we're having for this time of year, and, well, we're

hardly much use here, are we?

Sorry. Sorry, Marjorie.

It's a poor joke.

Thank you.

Thank you for these.

Marjorie, I meant to ask, what time is the defence meeting tomorrow?

I don't think you're required at that meeting, Mr Wigram.

We haven't received any notification.

Not required.

Fine.

It's funny how word gets around.

Thank you very much.

Come on, my little man.

Here we are.

Hello.

Charlie, it's snowing. How lovely.

Ethel, can you manage? Yes, thank you, ma'am.

We should go and find Daddy in the garden and make a snowman. What do you

think? Oh,

silly mummy.

Silly mummy.

We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Shall I take it?

Thank you. Come on, young man.

What you need is a bath.

Good bath.

We'll be up in a minute.

Rafe?

What's wrong?

We must take Charlie to the park. He's never seen snow like this.

It's so beautiful, like a painting.

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

Just for two or three hours. It is Christmas after all. I'm sure they can

spare you.

Raina, I absolutely forbid you to go to work on a day like today.

It would turn out from Whitehall.

I know.

Pretty bloody awful.

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

frightened. Do you think... It says pulmonary hemorrhage on the death

certificate. I think 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.

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

People often act heroically because they don't fully appreciate the dangers that

lie ahead.

Rafe saw 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.

What is it?

Any invading force would march across our little bit of England on their way

to London.

I wonder how long we've got.

statement by the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Neville Chamberlain.

I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street.

This morning, the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government

a final note stating that unless we heard from them by 11

o'clock that they were prepared at once.

to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us.

I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and that

consequently this country is at war with Germany.

Up here, Mrs. P. What's the matter? Telephone tower. The Prime Minister's

office.

First Lord of the Admiralty back in power!

would be made a member of the War Cabinet.

Mrs. Churchill and I must now make our home in London.

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

Every one of you we looked after neither retained here or found good jobs

elsewhere. Mr. Hinch's has all the details.

There may be difficult and painful times ahead, but now that I'm in charge of the

Navy, Mr.

Hitchland is...

Nazi thugs had better look out. They're going to teach them a lesson they'll

never forget.

Mr. Inches, I think a glass of champagne might be in order. Well, with respect,

sir, I think we might save that for a happier day, sir.

Quite right.

However, there is a very good carrot, sir, that you might be interested in. It

is a very good year. I can't tell you which year, sir.

Of the House of Commons and the Admiralty.

For the Navy to run.

before the Battle of Denham.

Marv was there to his aid.

Today, I conquer or die.

Now I know how he felt.

Thank you.

For what?

For being rash enough to marry me.

Foolish enough.

to stay with me.

And loving me in a way I thought I'd never be loved.

Good evening.

Good evening, sir.

And the new First Lord.

Yes, sir, we know that.

How do you know? A signal was sent to the fleet this afternoon.

What signal?

Winston is back, sir.

Winston is back.

And so he bloody well is.