Darkest Hour (2017)

The recent uptick in cinematic depictions of Winston Churchill, three films since 2016 as well as a prominent role in the Netflix series The Crown, could suggest in these uncertain times a wider cultural longing for the kind of dynamic, principled leadership he has come to embody, or it could just be a coincidence. Darkest Hour centers on the tumultuous first month or so of Churchill's tenure as U.K. prime minister in the spring of 1940. A compromise choice for a war time unity government, Winston took on the role after Chamberlin's forced resignation and the demurral of the Conservative parties preferred successor Lord Halifax (who is kind of a villain of the piece). A Conservative who had spent 20 years as a member of the Liberal party, and twice First Lord of the Admiralty, Churchill was a sort of perpetual outsider, but had been right about the threat posed by Hitler and the Germans long before most of his contemporaries, and so was finally given the big job to which he had long aspired. The situation into which he entered such power however was dire, with 300,000 British solders in retreat in France. This film is about how Churchill handled the crises, and seemingly against the odds managed to rally his countrymen, and a skeptical parliament, to the war time cause.

This movie could just as easily be called The Prime Ministers Speech, as it builds to Winston's stirring "We shall fight on the beaches" speech to parliament on June 4th. King George VI of course plays a part in this story, his stuttering only hinted at here. Gary Oldman, excellent and unrecognizable in heavy makeup, plays Churchill a little less strident and vociferous then we are typically used to seeing him, but as most of the action here takes place behind the scenes, much of it in a command bunker, it makes sense that Winston would present himself differently to his inner circle then to the wider public. There is also a very crowd pleasing sequence here where Winston rides the London underground to get a better sense of what the common people are thinking about the war, now I'm not sure if this sequence is true but its fun to watch. The films capable cast is rounded out with various fine character actors, as well as Lily James who plays Churchill's personal secretary Elizabeth Layton, who didn't actually start in that position until the next year but we'll forgive the movie that. This is a movie that I am liking even more after having seen it, then I was when I was watching it. The films narrative takes events up to the launching of the civilian rescue fleet to France, so this would make an excellent double feature with Dunkirk. ***1/2