Winston Churchill And The Movies

John Kondelik, Director of Libraries, Albion College Emeritus.

Thursdays. 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 pm. May 5, 12, 19, 26, June 2. In Person, Bohm. Class size 80.

Most people probably do not know that Winston Churchill was an avid movie fan. It was one of his favorite entertainments. This was especially true during World War Two when as Prime Minister he spent part of every weekend watching movies. In fact on his way to see President Roosevelt in 1941 on board the battleship King George the V, there was a movie shown on board every night of the voyage. So if you want to know what these films were, you will need to attend this class.

Churchill’s love of movies actually precedes WWII. It probably began in the 1920s in the long period he was out of political office. We know he loved Charlie Chaplin’s films and actually visited Chaplin in Hollywood on Churchill’s tour of the US later in the decade after WWI. One of his all-time favorite films was Chaplin’s last silent film City Lights.

Churchill was also interested in the production of movies and formed a friendship with the great film director Alexander Korda and even explored composing a film script with Korda.

We will view one of Korda’s films along with four others, all but one of which were favorites of Churchill. One of these 5 films was not a favorite and in fact was controversial and not fully appreciated in its time. To find out what these films are you need to join me in viewing and discussing why these films were appreciated or not appreciated by Winston Churchill.

There is a $10 charge to help cover the cost of the theatre rental. Note that this course has five sessions.