World War II: When Lions Roared
UK DVD cover art
Genre	Drama History War
Screenplay by	David Rintels
Directed by	Joseph Sargent
Starring	Michael Caine John Lithgow Bob Hoskins
Music by	John Morris
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Ethel Winant
Producers	Bruce M. Kerner David W. Rintels Victoria Riskin
Production location	Prague, Czech Republic
Cinematography	John A. Alonzo
Editor	John A. Martinelli
Running time	194 minutes
Production companies	Gideon Productions The Kushner-Locke Company World International Network
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	April 19, 1994 (1994-04-19)

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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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^[3][4] - 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.

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.^{[5][6][better source needed]} The complete film was released on a two-disc DVD set on February 13, 2007.^[7]