Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years

[ggm]

The Valiant Years was a WWII documentary series, screened twice on British TV. The soundtrack by Richard Rodgers was released as an LP.



IIRC The last screening was at Winston Churchills death. (this is the one I recall, along with the TV broadcast of his catafalque making its way down the river Thames with the dock cranes dipped as it passed by).



Its never been released to video, or DVD, as far as I can tell.



Anyone got an 8/16 mil print squirrelled away? It predated Videotape.

[darrenburnfan]

I remember this very well. It first aired on BBC Television on Saturday, February 11th, 1961 and was so good, it kept me from going to the pictures on a Saturday night for many months (I went on Friday's instead). It was repeated on the BBC around 1965 and again by Channel 4 in 1984, but hasn't been seen since. I didn't have a VCR in 1984, so I couldn't video it. I have both the 45 rpm single and the LP of the spectacular Richard Rodgers soundtrack music. But I would love to have at least the first episode in my collection. Richard Burton was paid $500,000 for speaking the words of Winston Churchill on the soundtrack. The series was just as good as the previous, award-winning Victory at Sea and why it has so far not been released on video or DVD completely eludes me.

[Stephen Laws]

I think the soundtrack music for THE VALIANT YEARS was by Ron Grainer, wasn't it? Richard Rodgers was reponsible for the great VICTORY AT SEA documentary series. I had a double Ron Grainer LP of this some years ago.



Cheers

Stephen Laws

The Midnight Man: The Official Website of the author Stephen Laws

[alex]

name='Stephen Laws']I think the soundtrack music for THE VALIANT YEARS was by Ron Grainer, wasn't it? Richard Rodgers was reponsible for the great VICTORY AT SEA documentary series. I had a double Ron Grainer LP of this some years ago.



Cheers

Stephen Laws

The Midnight Man: The Official Website of the author Stephen Laws

I think you will find the soundtrack was written by Richard Rodgers.



Alex

[darrenburnfan]

Richard Rodgers definitely wrote the score for The Valiant Years and he won an Emmy award for it, too.

[Stephen Laws]

Sorry chaps -



My recording must have been a 'cover' by Ron Grainer of Roger's theme. Me and my big mouth.



Stephen Laws

The Midnight Man: The Official Website of the author Stephen Laws

[ggm]

name='darrenburnfan']I remember this very well. It first aired on BBC Television on Saturday, February 11th, 1961 and was so good, it kept me from going to the pictures on a Saturday night for many months (I went on Friday's instead). It was repeated on the BBC around 1965 and again by Channel 4 in 1984, but hasn't been seen since. I didn't have a VCR in 1984, so I couldn't video it..

Wow! so it did get a re-screen in the 1980s! Thats news. Ok, then there is hope for all of us, that somebody was VCR enabled, and has a copy.



I've asked Panamint if they'd re-issue, I think they need to believe a market is out there.



-G

[alex]

I may be able to help with this series. If anyone is interested please send me a PM.



Alex

[darrenburnfan]

name='Stephen Laws']Sorry chaps -



My recording must have been a 'cover' by Ron Grainer of Roger's theme. Me and my big mouth.



Stephen Laws

The Midnight Man: The Official Website of the author Stephen Laws

Mantovani and his Orchestra also did a fine cover version on a Decca single 45-F.11341, released in March, 1961.

[darrenburnfan]

Kine Weekly, Thursday, February 16th, 1961.



TELEVISION

by Tony Gruner.



For superb entertainment; viewer identification; historic and intrinsic value, the Winston Churchill series, The Valiant Years, based on Churchill’s wartime memoirs, is in a class of its own. Last Saturday night (February 11th, 1961), British viewers were able to experience its extraordinary depth and power with the screening of the first episode, The Gathering Storm. The Winston Churchill series should have demolished for all time doubt in the “limited possibilities of the television medium” and with it another belief that Americans are unable to produce quality programmes for mass audiences both here and in the United States.



The sponsor of the Churchill series was the American Broadcasting Company, one of the three big networks in the U.S.A. Not less than half a million pounds was allocated as a budget for these 26 half-hour episodes; over 70 talented technicians have been employed on the series; top writers like Quentin Reynolds; Sir Arthur Bryant; Fred Majdalany; Constantine Fitzgibbon and many others contributed to the various episodes. Richard Rodgers provided the special music and Richard Burton, in a striking tour-de-force, narrates the flowing prose of Britain’s wartime premier.



Last week, the BBC, which has purchased the series for Great Britain and has one of its top producers, Geoffrey Brideson, assisting the project in the States, ran a special preview of the first three episodes. Both episode 2, The Combat Deepens and episode 3, Dunkirk, proved that The Gathering Storm was merely an appetizer for better things to come. The Churchill series is produced from millions of feet of newsreel films drawn from British; American; Russian; French; Italian; German and Japanese sources, plus special sequence interviews and effects which were shot both in Great Britain and the United States. Sir Winston’s speeches, in his own voice, are included and, where only his words remain, they are read by Burton, while narrative links are spoken by U.S. actor Gary Merrill.



The Churchill series is not merely good documentary t.v. entertainment. There is an integration in the direction; lighting; music and in the indefatigable character of Churchill himself – the hero in action- that gives it a quality akin to a dramatic and musical legend for all time. Already in the States, ABC has received more critical applause for The Valiant Years than has been accorded to any other programme presented on U.S. television. To producers Robert D. Graff and Ben Feiner Jr, goes a further accolade from this column.

[mariocki]

Patrick Macnee was a producer on this series and nearly turned down The Avengers because he thought his future lay in production rather than acting.

[TomDaws]

I've been trying for years to find this on video or DVD with no luck. A few years ago I read an obituary of one of the producers - name, I believe Jack de Val or something similar - where it was implied that some of the 'eyewitness accounts' actually featured actors....Rita Webb was one name mentioned. So maybe this controversial aspect is why the series hasn't re-surfaced since that Channel 4 showing in the 80s ? It's a pity, because the Richard Rodgers and Richard Burton contributions by themselves make it of interest (the music is wonderful) - let alone the film footage.

[darrenburnfan]

Yes, I seem to recall that some of the "eye witness" accounts were given direct to camera by what looked like actors and actresses. I remember one particular "statement to camera" in episode 2, I think it was, where this young woman was describing how the ship she and her husband were travelling on was torpedoed and she watched her husband die. She was seemingly genuinely upset and broke down in front of the camera. I don't think that could have been a genuine eye witness, because the woman looked about 25 years old when it was filmed in 1960 and she was relating events of twenty years earlier, when she would have been around five years old...so she couldn't have been a married woman in 1940.

[Stephen Laws]

Double apologies for confusing two documentaries previously. The Ron Grainer scored documentary I was thinking of was THE FINEST HOURS.



Best

Stephen Laws

The Midnight Man: The Official Website of the author Stephen Laws

[darrenburnfan]

I can't find any conformation of this as yet, but an IMDb member has recently posted this message on The Valiant Years message board:



"Sony are set to release "The Valiant Years - The Complete Series" in the UK as a MAIL ORDER ONLY title on September 7, 2009. Likely available through MovieMail UK and/or Simply Media."



Has anyone heard anything about this? I've just visited the MovieMail UK and Simply Media websites and they aren't listing it as yet.

[alex]

Try these links:



WINSTON CHURCHILL - THE VALIANT YEARS - COMPLETE SERIES



Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years DVD | Television | Films by Movie Mail UK

[darrenburnfan]

Many thanks for the links, Alex. I shall certainly be ordering this set nearer the release date.

[darrenburnfan]

I just decided to take the plunge and open an account with MovieMail UK and I've pre-ordered The Valiant Years box set. I hope they don't debit my account for it yet, though, as it's not due to be released for another six weeks and Sony might change their minds and cancel it before September 7th. Let's hope not. I think £26:99 for twenty-six episodes with free delivery in the UK is very reasonable. I only hope that the transfers will be of good quality. At the moment, customers are hoping for the best in buying a set of DVD's that has, as yet, neither been seen nor reviewed.

[JohnB_Toronto]

At long last !!!!! To be released on September 7th (PAL). It's advertised on Movie Mail but I'm not sure at this point if it's one of their exclusives. It's a marvellous documentary.



The Valiant Years

[darrenburnfan]

Yes, I pre-ordered mine from MovieMail UK a month or so ago. But I don't know if I'll ever get it, as by September 7th, the Royal Mail may be on a national strike. It certainly looks like things are going that way at the moment. I really can't see how MovieMail can send me this box set if all the postal workers are out on strike. But I don't suppose they'll have any trouble taking the £26:99 out of my credit card account for it.



I watched this series every Saturday night in 1961, when I was 14 and thought it was marvellous. It's certainly got a lot going for it, what with Richard Rodgers award winning score; narration by Gary Merrill and Sir Winston's words spoken by Richard Burton.



They could have released this for the home market years ago, instead of waiting until the Royal Mail go on strike. Now, all us who have pre-ordered it may not get it anyway...even though we've paid for it.