Search - World War II - When Lions Roared on DVD

Wonderful. History comes alive! Great entertainment.

Roger J. Buffington | Huntington Beach, CA United States | 05/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is great entertainment and great historical drama. It is based upon actual cables between Washington, London, and Moscow during the Second World War, and deals almost exclusively with the relationship between the leaders of these countries throughout the war. Franklin Roosevelt (played by John Lithgow), Winston Churchill (Bob Hoskins) and Josef Stalin (Michael Caine) spring to life as real but imperfect people who nevertheless are great leaders fighting a great war. Incidentally, the film focuses almost solely on the European war--the war against Japan is largely in the background, which has the effect of causing the film to somewhat diminish America's contribution to the war. This is a minor quibble, however. This is a wonderful film.The miniseries does a wonderful job of juxtaposing dialog between the great war leaders with actual footage of combat scenes from the war. It tells a great story in a highly entertaining fashion, and does a splendid job of showing the viewer some of the problems, controversies, and arguments between the allied powers while the three leaders struggled to hold together the greatest coalition of nations in history.The striking thing about this film is that it never deviates from its theme--to tell the story of the allied war leaders and the problems they faced. No bogus "love interest" material--this is historical drama with emphasis on the "historical." In fact, only a few actors in this film even have speaking parts--Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Molotov, and Henry Hopkins are the only ones I can recall.The acting is very fine. I thought Lithgow did a great job as Roosevelt--although he looks and speaks differently than FDR did, he nevertheless pulled it off very well in my opinion. Bob Hoskins was quite literally perfect as Churchill, and as far as I am concerned is virtually indistinguishable from him. Michael Caine was taller and better-looking than Stalin ever was, but nevertheless did a great job in the role. Ed Begley Jr. did well playing Henry Hopkins, although since I have never even seen a photo of the real Hopkins I have no idea if he were true-to-life. Ditto Jan Triska as Molotov.Wonderful historical drama that will draw and retain the interest of viewers interested in World War 2."

Words Cannot Describe How Incredible This Movie Is

Kevin D. Wroblewski | Salt Lake City, Utah | 02/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is quite literally my all time favorite movie. I saw it originally air on NBC way back when I was in 10th grade and I was awestruck by it. The acting alone blows me away and since I have become an actor and director in my own life, I look to this movie quite frequently for inspiration. The fact that a three hour movie where only five people even speak and every line of dialogue is historical accuracy can so captively hold an audience's attention alone speaks for its greatness. That being said, I can understand that this movie wouldn't be for everyone. In this age of dumbed-down, attention-deprived American culture, I doubt most people would be interested in this movie for more than 5 minutes. But, those who enjoy history or just fine acting, this movie speaks volumes. I actually intend to adapt this as a stage-play in the future. I can only hope that someday it get's released on DVD."

When lions roared

M. Edwards | clinton ct | 03/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was a very good movie. It gave us a chance to see behind the scenes of policy making in World War II even if there was a little dramatic license taken. I recommend this movie highly to anyone interested in this time period in history"

Nothing like it that I have yet seen...

ixion75 | 12/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"... but maybe that's because I haven't seen alot of war films. The premise of this take on World War 2, justifiably a rich subject for filmakers, is that the script is from (get this) REAL conversations and communications that *actually* took place between the allied powers (gasp!) You may think that this entertaining and profound concept fails because it may appear overpolitical and stilted, or, even worse, go over the heads of the audience. To my surprise and delight, neither occur! The bare fact of the matter is that this movie has a drama and a pace to it that rises to the level of the stimulation of the intellect it raises. And this is to not even mention the acting, all of which is nearly flawless and top notch. I mean when you have Lithgow, Hoskins and Caine doing FDR, Churchill and Stalin, you can't complain. For my money, this movie is one of the very few I have seen that actually doesn't overglamorize or underscore the reality of the history it portrays. It displays with great care and exactness the complexity of the alliance between the three men already mentioned and the countries whose interests they acted in. There does not seem to me to be a better film that works as both entertainment and history lesson in the same instance. There is something here to be learned by everyone, and everyone will indeed come away from this film with newer and deeper knowledge of the courageous yet numbing conflict that was the second world war. Now how many movies can you say that about? If you want a slick action flick with your history, go rent Pearl Harbor; but it is the quiet pack of original and inspired films like these that should be getting the multi-million box office grosses. Highly recommended."