World War II: When Lions Roared
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = World War 2 When Lions Roared DVD.jpg
| caption = UK DVD cover art
| genre = Drama
History
War
| director = Joseph Sargent
| executive_producer = Ethel Winant
| producer = Bruce M. Kerner
David W. Rintels
Victoria Riskin
| screenplay = David Rintels
| starring = Michael Caine
John Lithgow
Bob Hoskins
| location = Prague, Czech Republic
| music = John Morris
| cinematography = John A. Alonzo
| editor = John A. Martinelli
| company = Gideon Productions
The Kushner-Locke Company
World International Network
| network = NBC
| first_aired = {{Start date|1994|04|19}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1994|04|20}}
| runtime = 194 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
}}
World War II: When Lions Roared (also known as Then There Were Giants) is a 1994 American war television miniseries, directed by Joseph Sargent, and starring Michael Caine, John Lithgow and Bob Hoskins as the three major Allied leaders, Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill respectively.{{cite web | title=World War II: When Lions Roared | date=20 March 2011 | website=Fandango.com | url=http://www.fandango.com/worldwarii:whenlionsroared_v162290/summary | access-date=20 March 2011}}
It was notable as the first video production to be produced in high-definition video for broadcast in the United States, using the Sony HDVS line of analog high-definition equipment, although it was broadcast by the NBC television network in standard NTSC resolution.{{cite web | title=World War II: When Lions Roared | date=18 July 2011 | website=IMDb.com | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108956/trivia | access-date=18 July 2011}}
Plot
The film portrays Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin as they maneuver their countries through several of the major events of World War II - such events include the Blitz, Operation Barbarossa, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the North African Campaign, the Allied invasion of Italy, the Tehran Conference, and the Yalta Conference. The Big Three discuss Operation Overlord in Tehran, and the formation of the United Nations and the future of Poland at Yalta. The film concludes with the death of Roosevelt and the end of the war in Europe.
In particular, the focus is on the relationship between the leaders themselves and the large strategic concerns at play, with little scrutiny given to the decisions taking place at a lower level{{cite book | title=Stupid Yalta Tricks | date=25 April 1994 | publisher=New York Magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9eMCAAAAMBAJ&q=world+war+ii+when+lions+roared&pg=PA99 | access-date=3 April 2011}}{{cite web | title=Excellence Roars in NBC 'Lions' | date=19 April 1994 | work=Los Angeles Times | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-19-ca-52040-story.html | access-date=3 April 2011}} - an example of this is how, despite his personal disdain for communism, Churchill was willing to go to great lengths to aid the Soviet Union in their fight against Nazi Germany.
Cast
- Michael Caine as Joseph Stalin
- John Lithgow as Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Bob Hoskins as Winston Churchill
- Ed Begley Jr. as Harry Hopkins
- Jan Triska as Vyacheslav Molotov
- Corey Burton as Radio News Announcer
Awards
It was nominated for 6 Emmy Awards, including Best Actor for Michael Caine, but only won for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special.
Reception and response
Critical response was highly favorable. The Los Angeles Times stated that "If you're seeking affirmation that U.S. television still has an epic drama or two up its sleeve, and even an artistic pulse, tune in the NBC two-parter, 'World War II: When Lions Roared,' tonight and Wednesday night. Written and produced by David W. Rintels, it's stunningly successful both as vibrant entertainment and as a personalized, peephole-widening account of history from a serious and creative dramatist."[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-19-ca-52041-story.html Excellence Roars in NBC ‘Lions’ : Television: The World War II epic is enriched by writer and producer David W. Rintels’ creative work and by three stellar performances.] By HOWARD ROSENBERG, April 19, 1994 Los Angeles Times.
Variety Magazine said "Use of John Lithgow, Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins as Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill might qualify as 'stunt' casting, particularly as Caine and Hoskins are virtually unrecognizable under makeup. Still, they turn in fine perfs, notably Hoskins, who (maybe because of extensive use of Churchill's writings as source) winds up with most screen time. He seems to have the most fun of the three, throwing himself into a larger-than-life character whose every utterance sounds like a carefully planned oratory."[https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/world-war-ii-when-lions-roared-1200436609/ World War II: When Lions Roared], By Todd Everett, April 19, 1994, Variety Magazine.
Home media
Certain UK home versions used an edited version of the film running at 115 minutes, under the alternate title of Then There Were Giants.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Then-There-Were-Giants-DVD/dp/B00007JGED/ref=sr_1_7?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1415637415&sr=1-7&keywords=bob+hoskins|title = Then There Were Giants|website = Amazon UK|date = 6 April 2003}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108956/technical|title=World War II: When Lions Roared (TV Mini Series 1994) |website=IMDb.com|access-date=19 February 2022}}{{better source needed|date=October 2017}} The complete film was released on a two-disc DVD set on February 13, 2007.{{cite web | title=World War II: When Lions Roared | date=3 April 2011 | website=Amazon.com | url=https://www.amazon.com/World-War-II-Lions-Roared/dp/B000KJTG0G | access-date=3 April 2011}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/world_war_ii_when_lions_roared/ World War II: When Lions Roared] at Rotten Tomatoes
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108956/ World War II: When Lions Roared] at the Internet Movie Database
{{Franklin D. Roosevelt}}
{{Joseph Sargent}}
{{Producers Guild of America Award for Best Long-Form Television}}
Category:1990s American television miniseries
Category:1994 television films
Category:Films set in the 1940s
Category:Films directed by Joseph Sargent
Category:Films scored by John Morris
Category:1990s English-language films
Category:Films about Winston Churchill
Category:World War II television series