Young Winston

Young Winston
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Attenborough
Written by	Carl Foreman
Based on	My Early Life: A Roving Commission 1930 book by Sir Winston Churchill
Produced by	Carl Foreman
Starring	Simon Ward Robert Shaw Anne Bancroft Anthony Hopkins John Mills
Cinematography	Gerry Turpin
Edited by	Kevin Connor
Music by	Alfred Ralston (includes original music and his arrangements of works by Edward Elgar)[1]
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures (through Columbia-Warner Distributors[2])
Release date	28 July 1972 (1972-07-28)
Running time	157 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$2,150,000 (US/ Canada rentals)[3]

Young Winston is a 1972 British epic biographical adventure drama war film covering the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, based in particular on his 1930 book, My Early Life. The first part of the film covers Churchill's unhappy schooldays, up to the death of his father. The second half covers his service as a cavalry officer in India and the Sudan, during which he takes part in the cavalry charge at Omdurman, his experiences as a war correspondent in the Second Boer War, during which he is captured and escapes, and his election to Parliament at the age of 26.

Churchill was played by Simon Ward, who was relatively unknown at the time but was supported by a distinguished cast including Robert Shaw (as Lord Randolph Churchill), John Mills (as Lord Kitchener), Anthony Hopkins (as David Lloyd George) and Anne Bancroft as Churchill's mother Jennie. Other actors included Patrick Magee, Robert Hardy, Ian Holm, Edward Woodward and Jack Hawkins.

The film was written and produced by Carl Foreman and directed by Richard Attenborough. It was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction (Donald M. Ashton, Geoffrey Drake, John Graysmark, William Hutchinson, Peter James) and Best Costume Design.^[4]

Young Winston was released to cinemas on July 28, 1972.