167.
Darkest Hour
Gary Oldman makes a huge transformation to become the huge figure of Winston Churchill, as we follow him through his early days as Prime Minister of Great Britain. Hitler is closing in during World War II and for those who didn't know what went on, this is a history lesson, that we can all get involved with. I'm a huge fan of Oldman, whether it be as a good or bad character, he always seems to be at his best. If I'm honest, I don't really have an idea what the process was before winning the war, so it will be an interesting watch for me. Will this movie bomb, or be given the V for victory sign?
The year is 1940 and Britain is Allied with France, against the Germans. Before they get closer to France, the Labour Party, which is not in power, calls of the resignation of the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, mainly for being too weak. He calls a meeting and wants his party to appoint Lord Halifax, who rejects and instead they must choose someone that Labour will be ok with, because they must all work together to win this war. Up steps Churchill, who is the Head of Naval affairs and apparently, the best option. We are quickly transported to Churchill's house, as his new assistant has turned up for work, as he is in bed, waiting for his breakfast. Elizabeth Layton, played by Lily James, upsets him within an hour, as she cannot follow his stuttering voice, when trying to write his letters. She leaves crying, ready to quit, until the wife, Clementine, rebuffs the guy and tells him that as Prime Minister, he must be nice to others. I'm already loving Oldman as this character. A grumpy oaf, who doesn't care much for new people. King George VI, has now invited Churchill to form the government but lets him know that he wanted his friend, Halifax, as Prime Minister.
Although Churchill was always right about the danger of Hitler, he is still nowhere near respected after failed missions and his views in the past. Everyone from the Conservatives and maybe even the rest of Parliament, are hoping that Churchill will push for negotiations for peace. But, his first speech says otherwise. He thinks that are untrustworthy and even delusional, as he speaks on air, about the fact that they are doing well in France, when in fact, they are losing, badly. Halifax and Chamberlain agree to use the Italians as a middle man, in order to speak to Hitler and arrange peace, behind Churchill's back. If Churchill then refuses the offer, they will agree to resign, leading to a vote of no confidence and Halifax becoming Prime Minister. If he wanted it before, why didn't he become it?! Bollocks to everything else. The fact that it's the same guy that plays Stannis in A Game of Thrones pisses me off anyway.
On the other side of the English Channel, most men are stuck on the beaches in Dunkirk and after already seeing that film, I actually know what is going on there. What I didn't know was that Churchill had ordered a Brigadier to lead a Brigade to distract the Germans from attacking Dunkirk, so that they could evacuate them. This was pretty much a suicide mission. Belgium surrenders next though and France are expected to do so afterwards. Churchill even gives Roosevelt, the President of the States a bell, but he can't help, after signing the Neutrality Acts. Running out of options and support on the Cabinet, Churchill allows the guys to speak to the Italians. Back at home, he gets a very unexpected visitor, in the shape of the King. He doesn't want to flee and in fact, he encourages Churchill to fight on. With not knowing what to do, Churchill jumps onto an underground train, giving the passengers quite a shock, but finally, he has some clarity. These people are willing to fight and are showing the strength of a nation. This part of the film is completely fictional by the way. Churchill then moves onto a more realistic moment, as he meets the Outer Cabinet and other members of Parliament, all of whom seem to support him.
With his assistant, Layton's help, Churchill is writing his speech to address Parliament. Halifax is still demanding that Chamberlain goes ahead with the plan to depose of him but as Churchill's speech begins and everyone becomes intrigued with his words, we get to the most famous parts, with 'fight on the beaches' and suddenly I can feel my own hairs on my arms standing up. A very powerful piece. The room applauds their Prime Minister, for his words and defiance at this time. Happy with his actions, Churchill exits the room and we are left with a black screen. The film ends with a worded summery of the aftermath. Chamberlain dies 6 months later with cancer and Halifax is whisked off to America as an Ambassador. Churchill remains in power until May 1945, where he loses the next election. This guy was a leader that the country needed, but all in all not one that many wanted.
It's not hard to see why Oldman has been put up for so many awards with this role. Due to make up and extra padding, it was hard to tell that it was really him, but this guy's CV just keeps getting better and better. He brings a new image to Churchill, with jokes and not just sarcastic references. It has helped me to understand what happened during the events of the war and what Churchill had brought to the table, in a way that was a lot more refreshing that learning it in a class room. There isn't too much to talk about in the ways of a musical score but one set of images that will remain with me would be Churchill early time as Prime Minister, compared to when he was nearly overthrown. On his first car journey into Parliament, the streets are lined with smiling faces, the sky is bright, just as the pavements, with plenty of everyday activities taking place. By the end, there is nothing back darkness on the same street. The weather is awful and kids are running around in Hitler masks, as if the figure is haunting Churchill and this moment changed the mood of the movie for me. The art and costume design to change Gary Oldman is such a way is another thing to note. This will deserve every award it gets and was highly entrancing and at the subway moment, along with the main speech, I was ready to watch them on those beaches, which sadly never came. But all in all, that's a good thing, as it never took anything away from the importance of what this movie was, a portrait of Churchill.
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