Looking forward to this as Gary Oldman plays Winston Churchill. Comes out November 22, 2017.

Saw the preview a few months back and am looking forward to it.

Sounds promising.

I'm looking forward to it.

First, we get "Dunkirk", and now "Darkest Hour"; on a History roll for sure!

And "Sirius Black" as Winston Churchill!!! I had to look closely to see the actor; Gary Oldman is truly versatile.

It's about time Oldman get's a major role in a film, again. He's too damn good of an actor.

I saw this yesterday, opening night.

There were 5 people in the theater total. What the actual fuck? A major motion picture release, on a Friday night, 5 people total in the theater. Star wars must be too much of a draw for most folks.

Gary Oldman did a masterful job portraying Churchill.

Not a lot of action, slow at times. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am not ashamed to admit that I get patriotic and emotional at WW2 time period movies. All five people on exit were emotional with red watery eyes. I took a few minutes in the bathroom to compose myself.

I'd definitely spend the 10 bucks to watch it in the theater.

Pretty sad that it doesn't appear to be a large blockbuster draw that they hoped for.

Best (out of 41) 2017 movie I've seen so far this year.

For those who love history and admire Winston Churchill, I highly recommend you read a book entitled A Man Called Intrepid. It is the true story of William Stevenson who was the back door liaison between Churchill and FDR. It lays out the truth of early WWII and identifies the traitors and Nazi sympathizers who tried to scuttle the war effort. Both British and American traitors are named. For a true eye opener, you need to see what a slime ball abomination Joe Kennedy was. The story behind how John Kennedy ended up in the South Pacific on PT109 will blow your mind. This book was made into a move back when. But, the move bore little resemblance to the book. Read the book.

I am a huge Churchill fan, although, not a true historian of his life (and shortcomings).

I do believe that if it wasn't for him, the UK would have fallen to the Nazis.

I've recently learned that there are other, quality, depictions of Churchill in recent years.

In addition to this one with Oldman, there are films and series with Brendan Gleeson, Brian Cox, Michael Gambon, and others, each taking on the role in other historical dramas involving Churchill in some form or another.

I'm going to make it a point to watch them all in the coming months, I think.

There's a list on Wikipedia.

Very cool.

One of the greatest men to have ever lived on this planet.

Without him and a select group of other key leaders - American and British - we could all be speaking German or Japanese right now.

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quote:

Originally posted by MG34_Dan:
For those who love history and admire Winston Churchill, I highly recommend you read a book entitled A Man Called Intrepid. It is the true story of William Stevenson who was the back door liaison between Churchill and FDR. It lays out the truth of early WWII and identifies the traitors and Nazi sympathizers who tried to scuttle the war effort. Both British and American traitors are named. For a true eye opener, you need to see what a slime ball abomination Joe Kennedy was. The story behind how John Kennedy ended up in the South Pacific on PT109 will blow your mind. This book was made into a move back when. But, the move bore little resemblance to the book. Read the book.

Fascinating. I'm 30 percent (kindle) into it and it's a page turner. Just ordered a hard cover copy as I can't see the maps on my paperwhite.

Mom and I saw this today. We both really liked it.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
I've recently learned that there are other, quality, depictions of Churchill in recent years.

In addition to this one with Oldman, there are films and series with Brendan Gleeson, Brian Cox, Michael Gambon, and others, each taking on the role in other historical dramas involving Churchill in some form or another.

I'm going to make it a point to watch them all in the coming months, I think.

There's a list on Wikipedia.

A month ago I watched the HBO movie Into The Storm (originally aired several years ago) which is also another fantastic portrayal of Churchill's contribution to WW II. For all his successes and failings, the story of Churchill is simply too big for a movie and it would have been better told in the same format as HBO's phenomenal John Adams mini series... but it was still an exceptional movie and Brendan Gleason was superb as Churchill. I learned a few things I was not aware of before the movie.

I'm looking forward to seeing Darkest Hour.

Caught it this evening with the wife and in-laws. We all enjoyed it and Oldman does a great job in my opinion. One quirk that caught me eye was the roll of the women, his wife and and his typist. Were they really an important part in his life/roll? Not out to discredit them, just curious if that was Hollywood giving a nod to women and their importance or if they truly played important rolls in his life?

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
I saw this yesterday, opening night.

There were 5 people in the theater total. What the actual fuck? A major motion picture release, on a Friday night, 5 people total in the theater. Star wars must be too much of a draw for most folks.

Gary Oldman did a masterful job portraying Churchill.

Not a lot of action, slow at times. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am not ashamed to admit that I get patriotic and emotional at WW2 time period movies. All five people on exit were emotional with red watery eyes. I took a few minutes in the bathroom to compose myself.

I'd definitely spend the 10 bucks to watch it in the theater.

Pretty sad that it doesn't appear to be a large blockbuster draw that they hoped for.

I went Friday 1900 show, sold out. yesterday 1330 show sold out. Bought Tickets to the 1630 show. only seats left were the handicap and first row. Small Theatre though, only 80 seats. Great movie though, Gary Oldham is one of my favorite actors.

Goodness, did he gain 40 pounds for the role?

Townhall.com
Victor Davis Hanson
December 28, 2018

The new film "Darkest Hour" offers the diplomatic side to the recent action movie "Dunkirk."

The story unfolds with the drama of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill assuming power during the Nazi invasion of France in May 1940. Churchill's predecessor, the sickly Neville Chamberlain, had lost confidence of the English people and the British government. His appeasement of Adolf Hitler and the disastrous first nine months of World War II seemed to have all but lost Britain the war.

Churchill was asked to become prime minister on the very day that Hitler invaded France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The armies of all three democracies -- together larger than Germany's invading forces -- collapsed within days or a few weeks.

About a third of a million British soldiers stranded in a doomed France were miraculously saved by Churchill's bold decision to risk evacuating them by sea from Dunkirk, France, where most of what was left of the British Expeditionary Force had retreated.

Churchill's greatest problem was not just saving the British army, but confronting the reality that with the German conquest of Europe, the British Empire now had no allies.

The Soviet Union had all but joined Hitler's Germany under their infamous non-aggression pact of August 1939.

The United States was determined at all costs to remain neutral. Just how neutral is emphasized in "Darkest Hour" by Churchill's sad phone call with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR cleverly assures Churchill that in theory he wants to help while in fact he can do nothing.

Within days of Churchill taking office, all of what is now the European Union either would be in Hitler's hands or could be considered pro-Nazi "neutral."

"Darkest Hour" gets its title from the understandable depression that had spread throughout the British government. Members of Churchill's new War Cabinet wanted to sue for peace. Chamberlain and senior conservative politician Edward Wood both considered Churchill unhinged for believing Britain could survive.

Both appeasers dreamed that thuggish Italian dictator Benito Mussolini might be persuaded to beg Hitler to call off his planned invasion of Great Britain. They dreamed Mussolini could save a shred of English dignity through an arranged British surrender.

Not Churchill.

In one of the few historical lapses in an otherwise superb film, Churchill is wrongly portrayed as seriously conflicted and about to consider the deal with Mussolini -- until he takes a subway ride and rediscovers the defiance of the average Londoner. The subway scene is pure fantasy.

The movie also sometimes portrays Churchill as less than robust, when in fact he was the most traveled and physically daring of all World War II leaders.

Alone, Churchill saw a pathway to victory against overwhelming odds. As the film notes, Hitler may have had the world's greatest army in the spring of 1940, but he still had no way of transporting it across the British "moat" of the English Channel, given overwhelming British naval mastery.

The German Luftwaffe never could defeat the Royal Air Force.

Churchill assumed that if Britain and its overseas Empire could hold out, then a frustrated Hitler might turn elsewhere -- and thereby gain new enemies (and new British allies).

That is exactly what happened in 1941. A blundering and frustrated Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. Later, he would declare war on the United States. By December 1941, Germany was at war against the world's largest economy (American), largest navy (British) and largest army (Soviet) all at once.

Germany and its allies could never win such a global war.

"Darkest Hour" takes place almost exclusively indoors during Parliament sessions, private meetings and scenes between Churchill and his equally brilliant wife, Clementine. But the dialogue is riveting, the acting superb.

Actor Gary Oldman's masterful Churchill should be a sure Academy Award-winning performance. Oldman reminds a generation of amnesiac global youth that nearly 80 years ago, the dogged defiance of a 66-year-old Victorian Englishman -- portly and not much over 5-foot-6 -- saved Western civilization from Nazi barbarism.

Americans should watch "Darkest Hour" for reasons beside its engaging acting and plot. We rightly believe that American industry and Soviet manpower won World War II. Yet too often, Americans forget the critical third allied ingredient: British leadership, courage and military professionalism.

Churchill led the only major nation to have fought Hitler alone. Only Britain fought from the first day to the last of World War II. It alone entered the war without attacking a country or being attacked, but simply on the principle of helping an independent Poland.

The world as we know it today owes its second chance to Winston Churchill and the United Kingdom. Without them, civilization would have been lost in the darkest hours of May 1940.

Link

“Truth is stranger than fiction,” we are often told.

Here is a case of the reverse.

Based on the promos, it looks like the fine acting by the Churchill character is ruined by the silly portayal of certain critical scenes, one of which certainly never happened, the orher grossly different than Churchill did it.

Hanson, above, points out the pure fiction of Churchill getting his determination in the tube. Hooey!

The other is the dramatization of the Never Surrender speech.

Below is what is represented to be the actual words of Churchill, delivered by him.




Link to original video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTw3_PmKtc

Contrast this with what is seen in the promos of the movie.

The movie may entertain you, but don’t confuse it with actual history.