Year: 2017
Director: Joe Wright
The opening scene of this historical drama reminded me very much of that from the same era – Downfall. A young niave secretary is shown nervously into the presence of her country’s leader, without any pleasentries he starts dictating a letter. She is so nervous she makes a hash of it but persevered to become an important narrative device with which to view a historical giant. Lily James as Elizabeth Layton is a rare female presence in a world, made clear by her tour of the underground War Rooms, of men deciding the future of Western Europe.
Oldman, under a ton of rubber n glue, may not look much like Churchill in the stark daylight but in the dimly lit corridors, offices and rooms of power he moves and inhabits the man. Only when seen close up you realise it’s Oldman in there but at the dispatch box delivering those speeches or shuffling, slumped and brooding he csptures the essence of the man.
Very much told as one man against the establishment in a struggle to avoid a humiliating defeat and negotiated peace with a man whose name he cannot bring himself to utter Oldmans performance makes you forgive its flaws. Some “Basil Exposition” moments explaining who people are or historical facts are a bit clunky, Kristen Scott Thomas isn’t given much to do as his wife Clemmie apart from be exasperated and chide him. A scene on the Underground is a bit hokey but is more a visual representation of his thoughts on what the will of the people was.
There is no doubt this is the flag waving jingoistic version of Churchill that admits to some of his faults but that history was on his side.
Might appeal to people who enjoyed:
The Gathering Storm n all that
I love watching actors playing Churchill, so very interested to see how Oldman compares. https://www.winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour/finest-hour-179/five-best-churchill-films/ rates his as the best onscreen Churchill, even better than Albert Finney’s Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA winning portrayal, which I think was one of the all-time best screen performances in the history of everything ever. I thought Michael Gambon was really good too, as was Brian Cox (although the film, Churchill, was appallingly bad).
Thought that chap from Last Rock From the Sun/serial killer in Dexter was very good (in The Crown)
John Lithgow. Always good value.
I love John Lithgow, but I thought he was terribly miscast in The Crown. Far too tall.
Saw Darkest Hour at the weekend and loved it; Oldman’s performance is fantastic.
Just because it fits in on this thread, here’s the House of Commons getting a bit of atmosphere going with a singalong to Hey Jude – http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/gary-oldman-darkest-hour-hey-jude-video-samuel-west-mps-extras-joe-wright-director-golden-globes-a8157736.html
Saw it last night. Oldman is tremendous, the film less so. Thought is missed a trick not using the conclusion of the Dunkirk evacuation as a narrative device. Yes we all know it happened, but the timeline of the film finished a day or so too soon. A little light at the end of a dark hour or so wouldn’t have gone amiss!
Spoiler alert – we won
Just saw it. Surprisingly conventional but surprisingly stirring. You really get a sense of the hopelessness of Britain’s situation at that time.
Oldman was very watchable. Eh apart from the fact that in his makeup he looked a lot like Fat Bastard in Austin powers. Anyone else reminded of that???
How much of this is true though? I’m no history buff, but was parliament and his cabinet really against him that much and he had to win them over through the power of oratory? Or is that movie logic?
I saw it today and, yes, now you mention it there is a touch of Fat Bastard in his appearance.
He also reminded me of Duncan Dursley’s Dad. A bit.