Churchill and the
Movie Mogul
Director:
John Fleet
Year: 2019
Rating: 6.5
This is an interesting one-hour documentary that
explores an aspect of Churchill's life that I was not familiar with - his
relationship with film producer Alexander Korda. The two of them formed a
symbiotic and sympathetic friendship beginning in the 1930s in which they
both were concerned about fascism rising in Europe. Korda was born in Hungary
and was a film producer there before the growing anti-Semitism around him
drove him to England. Once there he immediately formed The London Film Productions
and began making films that were as English as English could be portraying
his adopted country in as courageous a light as he could.
Churchill at the same time had after various political setbacks found himself
in what he described as his personal wilderness, out of government and out
of style. His constant warnings about Hitler and Nazism were mocked and newspapers
were pressured not to publish his opinion pieces. Korda stepped forward and
hired Churchill to consult with him on making historical films. Churchill
saw this as an opportunity to make pro-English propaganda films. Over the
decade Korda was to produce some iconic films that cemented England's image
in the world - The Private Life of Henry VIII, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sanders
of the River, Fire Over England, The Drum, The Four Feathers and That Hamilton
Woman.
That Hamilton Woman in which Lord Nelson stops the French invasion of England
by Napoleon was produced in 1941 with Churchill then promoting it in America
and even showing it to Roosevelt. America led by Charles Lindbergh were staying
neutral or even in Lindberg's case pro-Germany - and this film was seen by
the American Firsters as pernicious propaganda. Even the FBI investigated
Korda (who was married to Merle Oberon at the time) as an English agent and
the Senate had him appear before them to castigate him and his film. Then
December 7th happened and Churchill was a hero and Korda was left alone.
It amazes me that The Spirit of St. Louis was made in 1957 about a Nazi sympathizer.
Lindbergh would have been marching in Charlottesville and was not one of
the good people.
