Winston Churchill:   He was an uninspired student who won the Nobel Prize for literature. He failed military school examinations twice--and then became Lord of the Admiralty. A disastrous decision during World War I threatened to ruin his political career, yet he was named Prime Minister of Britain in 1940. The three programs in this multi-faceted collection explore Winston Churchill's extraordinary life and monumental legacy. Written and hosted by his official biographer, Martin Gilbert, The Complete Churchill is the landmark profile from A&E's acclaimed BIOGRAPHY series. Churchill and the Cabinet War Rooms recreates the secret meetings where he orchestrated British strategy during World War II. And FDR: The War Years offers an intimate glimpse of Churchill's relationship with his most important ally. THE HISTORY CHANNEL PRESENTS: WINSTON CHURCHILL is the ultimate portrait of the 20th century's greatest statesman. DVD Features: Quotations; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

The Gathering Storm:   A remarkable cast lends emotional richness to The Gathering Storm, an HBO movie about the life of Winston Churchill just prior to the onset of World War II. Faced with bankruptcy, his career in decline, Churchill (Albert Finney) is beset with depression until the impending danger of German rearmament--along with the British government's reluctance to recognize the threat of Hitler--gives him a cause that brings him back to energetic life. The movie focuses as much on the enduring relationship between Churchill and his wife, Clementine (Vanessa Redgrave), as his political struggles. But though The Gathering Storm clearly admires Churchill, it also acknowledges his tyrannical personality and astonishing ego, turning what could be a puff piece into a well-rounded and moving portrait. The truly topnotch cast includes Derek Jacobi, Jim Broadbent, Tom Wilkinson, Linus Roache, and Lena Headey, all of whom turn in superb performances.

Windsor Castle A Royal Year:   Fans of England's royal family will eat up this amazing yearlong documentary series on the inner workings of Windsor Castle, the official residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The series, originally broadcast on BBC (and picked up in the States by PBS), invites viewers inside the most intimate areas of the castle, as intricate, well-choreographed preparations are undergone for occasions large (a state dinner for French President Jacques Chirac; the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles) and small (the queen's return for her usual weekend stay). The gee-whiz details seem never-ending: we meet the team of fendersmiths who tend solely to the castle's "300 or 400" fireplaces; we visit the vast Royal Collection, where the royal librarian oversees a 300,000-piece collection of books, drawings and prints--from which she and her staff hand-select appropriate pieces to display during the visit of the French head of state; we watch dozens of chefs, furniture wranglers, and etiquette experts plan and execute the truly breathtaking state dinner. The nearly 1,000-year-old castle suffered severe fire damage in 1992 (caused by a light bulb, not an error by one of the fendersmiths), so much of the private quarters has been renovated to a new level of splendor, personally overseen by Prince Philip, who points out that it was his suggestion that the rebuilt chapel feature a new stained-glass window including images of firefighters helping save the castle. Other segments feature Prince Philip giving a tour of the vast grounds and park around the castle, and other occasions during the year, including Christmas, and some footage of the wedding of Charles and Camilla. The access the filmmakers were granted makes the series compulsively watchable; who wouldn't want to be a fly on the wall inside one of the world's most storied structures?

The Queen Mother:   A comprehensive film portrait of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, placing her life in the context of the twentieth century as a whole. A revered figure in British life – a symbol of courage in World War II and an icon of stability. This remarkable new portrait digs beneath the surface and presents for the first time a balanced account of the life of a powerful and exceptional woman.

James Wilby (Gosford Park) and Juliet Aubrey (Middlemarch) portray the reluctant royals who became king and queen of England when Edward VIII gave up the throne for the woman he loved, on Bertie & Elizabeth. Albert, Duke of York, called Bertie, married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923 after a storybook courtship. Expecting a life of genteel obscurity, they were thrust into the limelight in 1936 when Bertie's older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated to marry the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. Shy, modest, and a habitual stutterer, Bertie was crowned King George VI just as his country faced the onslaught of World War II. With the help of his devoted Elizabeth, he rose magnificently to the challenge. Bertie & Elizabeth also stars Alan Bates (Love in a Cold Climate) as Bertie's father, King George V; Eileen Atkins (currently starring with Bates and Wilby in Gosford Park) as his mother, Queen Mary; Charles Edwards as Edward VIII; Amber Rose Sealey as Wallis Simpson; David Ryall as Winston Churchill; Robert Hardy (Lucky Jim) as President Franklin Roosevelt; and Corin Redgrave (Persuasion) as General Bernard Montgomery.

Bertie and Elizabeth: The Reluctant Royals - The Story of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth

Edward The King:   Edward the seventh waits nearly 60 years to become King. He wins the devotion of his people, the hearts of beautiful women and the fierce enmity of his mother, Queen Victoria. This sweeping saga covers 70 of the most tumultuous years of Britain at the height of her power. The story begins with the rebellion of a boy pampered beyond endurance, and continues through his mother’s distrust and jealousy, his marriage and scandalous affairs, his most delicate international negotiations and his behind-the-throne carousing. This thirteen part series makes Edward The King an epic for all time.

Victoria and Albert:  Recasting history as a particularly lavish soap opera, Victoria and Albert sets the story of the relationship between the queen and her consort against a background of family strife and political wrangling. Sticklers for accuracy might be disappointed, but the strong cast and lavish production values make for an entertaining film.

Victoria is barely 18 when her uncle King William IV dies. She is introduced by the family adviser to a young German prince called Albert, and in spite of their initial indifference to one another and a great deal of political opposition, they fall in love. Marriage brings its own problems, however, and as Victoria, grows from an inexperienced young woman into a shrewd and powerful monarch Albert struggles to find a role for himself in both the family and the nation.

The relationship between Victoria and Albert was a remarkable one and this film, while occasionally erring on the side of sentiment, brings that relationship to life. The young leads are charming, but it is the supporting cast of British acting stalwarts--including Nigel Hawthorne, David Suchet, and Diana Rigg--who make Victoria and Albert truly worth watching.