Film coming for D-Day
WWII’S historic June 6 is upon us. Normandy. History’s greatest invasion. Allied Forces in the fight to free Europe from Nazi tyranny. To honor 1944’s D-Day, Cohen Media’s Charles Cohen is releasing “Churchill” in 200 theaters.
John Slattery, with as many awards as he has silver hairs, plays Gen. Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower: “I read every book, 11 books, on Ike. I picked out everything I could find on him. There’s not lots of film. He wasn’t colorful or eccentric but superhuman under the burden of D-Day. No idiosyncrasies, just a famous smile.
“A plain trustworthy Bible Belt straight arrow from Kansas. And in the stratosphere with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin. I played him straight.”
Fearing a bloodbath, Winston Churchill was against D-Day at first. “A good scene, overlooking the bay in Edinburgh, is my shouting: ‘You’re England’s f - - king prime minister. My job is to fight the war.’ It’s why they trusted Eisenhower. He didn’t bulls - - t.”
Brian Cox plays Churchill: “I had considerable information. He was MP of my childhood district before my time. Cranky, nasty, he wasn’t popular or liked. He’d come into the town square on a Sedan armchair. My uncle told me they’d tell the bearer, who was paid a quid, ‘If you drop him, we’ll give you two quid.’
“Very heavy drinker, he’d have Champagne for breakfast, brandy at lunch, wine for tea, something heavier for dinner and more for bed. And suffered fits of deep depression, what he called Black Dog.
“He weighed so much and, although a human being like us all, resembled a baby. All babies look like brilliant, gifted Churchill playing a baby — cantanker- ous. He was destined to be chubby, lonely and have issues he had to deal with.” Miranda Richardson, A-1 excellent as Sir Winston’s wife, says: “Clementine was more his chief of staff than wife.” At the screening, Miranda’s long flowing gown with low glowing neckline was hardly Clementine’s Ladyship wardrobe. “The gown’s British. Not keeping it because I could never wear it again. I’ll get another for London’s premiere, which we’re doing after I go back Wednesday. This was a quick trip. Lots of work and little time for shopping. “I’ve seen the film once and want to see it again. But all I need do while here is see the Rauschenberg exhibit. And hope it stops raining. I’m sick as a dog. I bought sunglasses so I can’t see the rain and can pretend it’s sunny.”