Churchill's Secret

In 1953, during his final term as Great Britain's Prime Minister, Winston Churchill suffered a stroke, and his staff reacted by covering up his condition until he was able to regain the use of his faculties sufficiently to reappear in public, some four months later. Nowadays, that sort of political deception would be considered scandalously undemocratic, but in this PBS-aired TV movie broadcast on Masterpiece, the incident is presented as a heroic act performed in the name of the public good. (Of course, the rationale for Churchill's determination to hold onto office—he thought he could arrange a rapprochement between U.S. President Eisenhower and the post-Stalin Soviet leadership—was an illusion). Regardless of how one views the propriety of the “secret,” this film is classy in every respect, from the elegant settings and genteel atmosphere to the magisterial performance of Michael Gambon as the stricken bulldog PM. It is not a strict docudrama, being based on Jonathan Smith's 2015 novel The Churchill Secret KBO, featuring a fictional young nurse named Millie Appleyard (Romola Garai) whose not-always-tender mercies are essential to Churchill's recovery. Lindsay Duncan also shines as Lady Churchill, although the brutally waspish treatment of Winston's children—presented as smug, condescending, and alcoholic—adds a note of nasty humor to this otherwise fine historical drama. Extras include cast and crew interviews. Recommended. (F. Swietek)