Albert Finney

Amazing Grace (2007)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Wooden court room with cast members sat on wooden benches, a man is reading from a long scroll that rolls along the floor

Amazing Grace © Roadside Attractions

Director: Michael Apted

Writer: Steven Knight

Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, Albert Finney, Michael Gambon, Romola Garai and Rufus Sewell.

Production Company: Walden Media, Ingenious Film Partners, Bristol Bay Productions,Ingenious Film Partners

Kent Filming Locations: Historic Dockyard Chatham

Amazing Grace follows the journey of idealist William Wilberforce as he manoeuvres his way through Parliament, endeavouring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.

Directed by Michael Apted (Chasing Mavericks, The World is Not Enough) from an original screenplay written by Academy Award nominee Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Dirty Pretty Things). Ioan Gruffudd (Titanic, Fantastic Four) leads a cast including Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Good Shepherd), Albert Finney (Ocean’s Twelve, Big Fish) and Rufus Sewell (Hercules, The Illusionist).

The film portrays how Wilberforce, supported by his confidant John Newton (Albert Finney) and William Pitt the Younger (Benedict Cumberbatch), England’s youngest ever Prime Minister, spoke out against slavery and fought for the freedom of others.

Dockyard Church transformed into House of Commons set- wooden courtroom with stall either side of judges table

Dockyard Church transformed into House of Commons set © Chatham Dockyard
Amazing Grace House of Commons- wooden courtroom full with politicians.

Amazing Grace House of Commons © 2007 Momentum Pictures. All rights reserved

 

The church at the Historic Dockyard Chatham was transformed for the film to recreate the 18th century House of Commons.

The Historic Dockyard in Chatham is set over 80 acres and contains over 100 Georgian and Victorian buildings. It has previously been used as a film location for productions such as Call the Midwife (2012-2014),  Amazing Grace (2007) and Sherlock Holmes – Game of Shadows (2011).

Amazing Grace was released on 23rd March 2007 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery and is now available on DVD.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

The Gathering Storm (2002)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Two actors staring at each other through an open door frame

The Gathering Storm © HBO Films and BBC Films

Director: Richard Loncraine

Starring: Albert Finney, Vanessa Redgrave, Jim Broadbent, Ronnie Barker, Hugh Bonneville, Tom Hiddleston

Production Company: HBO Films, BBC Films, Scott Free Productions

Kent Locations: Chartwell, Westerham

The Gathering Storm is a BBC-HBO co-produced film for TV about Winston Churchill in the years leading up to World War II. It’s emphasis is on the relationship between Winston and his wife Clementine, their financial problems and his struggle as an isolated backbench MP when warning Parliament about the coming of a second major war.

Chartwell House - red brick large house surrounded by greenery

Chartwell House © National Trust

Albert Finney (The Bourne Ultimatum, Erin Brockovich) plays Churchill and won a host of awards for his performance including a Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA.

Starring alongside Albert Finney are Vanessa Redgrave (Call the Midwife, Deep Impact), Jim Broadbent (Gangs of New York, Cloud Atlas), Ronnie Barker (Open All Hours, Porridge), Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, The Monuments Men) and Tom Hiddleston (Thor, War Horse).

Chartwell was the real life Churchill family home from 1924 until Winston Churchill’s death in 1965 and was therefore chosen by the production to feature in The Gathering Storm as his house and grounds.

Chartwell is a National Trust property in Westerham set in delightful gardens. The rooms remain much as they were when Churchill lived there. Other National Trust locations in Kent which have been used for filming include Scotney Castle which was used for BBC drama Hunted (2012), Knole House featured in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and The White Cliffs of Dover appeared in On a Clear Day (2005).

The Gathering Storm was shown in 2002 and is now available to buy on DVD.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.