Post by Rob W. Case on Sept 26, 2018 19:40:52 GMT -6
The Historical Backdrop as a Prelude to this movie:
If you haven’t seen this movie yet, or you have, then before you see it again, this bit of information will provide you with a little more historical context going into it. Adolph Hitler rebuilds the German military, and as Chancellor, makes it stronger than ever. With this strength, he pushes the boundaries by defying the terms of the Versailles Treaty (the treaty that neutralized the state of war between Germany and other allied forces, and brought an end to World War I). The Versailles Treaty left Germany economically and militarily devastated which helped contribute to the rise of Hitler. Hitler, now with a strong military and the pride of the German people in his hands, promotes “territorial expansion” and invades and occupies Rhineland in 1936. In March of 1938, Hitler invades Austria. In September of 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain negotiates a peace treaty with Hitler, waving the document around and declaring “peace for our time.” Hitler then invades Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Poland in September of 1939, Denmark in April of 1940, and Norway beginning in April of 1940. After the military success of these occupations, three million German troops are positioned at the Belgian border all ready to conquer the remainder of Europe. While this is happening, Hitler has his sights set on invading the United Kingdom, and this is where our story begins.
The Story:
The film begins in Parliament where British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) is being scolded by Clement Attlee (David Schofield), the leader of the Labour Party, for leaving the nation “ruinously unprepared” to confront the imminent Nazi threat. Atlee proposes that his party will go along with whomever the ruling Conservative party raises up to form a coalition government so long as Chamberlain is no longer the leader. While the Conservative Party, and even the King himself, has confidence in the rising Tory party favorite Viscount Halifax (Stephen Dellane), he declines the proposal, leaving Winston Churchill to be the “last option” the Labour Party would be most willing to work with.
To the angst of the Conservative Party elite, and even to the King himself, King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn) reluctantly appoints Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) to succeed Chamberlain in forming a new government and being the next Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom. Taking on the threat of Nazi forces, Churchill then gives his speech in Parliament declaring war as a means to the ends of victory, thus undermining the appeasement policies of Chamberlain and Halifax. The Labour Party applauds it, but the Conservative Party sits on its hands, as Chamberlain and Halifax (both selected by Churchill to be a part of his war cabinet to “keep his enemies close”) still remain politically influential in the direction of the party. It isn’t very long until Chamberlain and Halifax try and cook up a scheme (exploiting Churchill’s refusal to negotiate with Hitler) to have the Prime Minister removed from office.
Politics, Strategy, and Peril at Every Turn:
Apart from Halifax and Chamberlain’s working to try and have Churchill removed from office, an anxious King, leading a political party of MPs, many of which have unflattering opinions of him, and tremendous skepticism towards his policies, and being a leader to the public, Churchill has a tremendous number of challenges on his plate. To lift morale and give confidence to an unprepared and fearful public, Winston addresses the people (albeit by the simple act of using words alone) to assure them that despite the Nazi efforts to take over western Europe, matters are being taken care of, and that Britain will “wage war until victory is won,” despite the cost, and never surrender themselves to servitude and shame. Churchill is then informed that 300,000 British soldiers are stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk, France. So Winston tries thinking strategy to save as many as he can, while doing all he can to build a coalition to push back the ever advancing Nazi presence in Western Europe, only to find that most are unprepared to deal with a Nazi invasion. The United States, led by Franklin Roosevelt, is taking a neutral stance on the matter, citing the Neutrality Act of 1939 as the reason his hands are tied in lending a hand. And so, Churchill takes to the war room and enables a military strategy to rescue the soldiers at Dunkirk, and sets Britain on a course to defend itself from an invasion, secure its independence as a free society, alert the public of the danger ahead, and be ready to engage the Nazis with military force.
Memorable quote:
“Nations which go down fighting rise again and those that surrender tamely are finished.”
--Winston Churchill
My take:
I enjoyed this movie very much. This movie speaks on so many levels. If you are into history, it provides insight on some of the background dynamics behind some of history’s (Western Europe’s history) biggest events. If you are in a leadership position, it will benefit you in that there are many insights one can learn from, especially when your instincts are strong in your approach to a particular objective, and you are surrounded by others who are critical and skeptical of your approach, and perhaps embrace an alternative approach that counters those instincts, or maybe even logic. The drama in this movie is captivating and fast paced, carrying a sense of urgency and critical importance in each situation as it develops and moves forward.
Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Winston Churchill is powerful and strong, making you feel as if you are a bystander who A. is present in these events and B. can relate to him personally on a human level as he takes on the challenges he faces. Gary Oldman won the Oscar for best actor for his performance earlier this year.
Darkest Hour was nominated for 6 Academy Awards in 2018, of which it won two, one for Best Actor and one for Best Hair and Makeup (Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, and Lucy Sibbick).
Out of 4 stars, I enthusiastically give Darkest Hour 4 stars.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 2 hours and 5 minutes.
To view a trailer for this movie, please click on the “Play” button below.
An Extra Feature:
Larry Arnn, the president of Hillsdale College (a liberal arts college based in Hillsdale Michigan, that teaches the American Constitution and champions free markets, liberty, and teaches on western civilization) wrote a book in 2015 entitled “Churchill’s Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government” and in 2016 opened up a study course in studying Churchill called “Winston Churchill and Statesmanship.” When Darkest Hour opened at the end of 2017, Larry Arnn saw the movie, was captivated by it, and arranged to have a special screening of the movie at Hillsdale College. Since that screening, Hillsdale College opened a page dedicated to the movie Darkest Hour and on it, you will see video of President Larry Arnn’s review along with his conversation with Director Joe Wright and Actor Gary Oldman discussing the film, and the historicity behind it. It is a very interesting conversation, and there is more on that page, so I am going to make that page available to you.
You can find it at:
lp.hillsdale.edu/darkest-hour/
Darkest Hour is currently available to buy on the new 4K-Ultra format, as well as available to buy on Blu-ray, DVD, and is available to watch on a number of various streaming services.
If you haven’t seen this movie yet, or you have, then before you see it again, this bit of information will provide you with a little more historical context going into it. Adolph Hitler rebuilds the German military, and as Chancellor, makes it stronger than ever. With this strength, he pushes the boundaries by defying the terms of the Versailles Treaty (the treaty that neutralized the state of war between Germany and other allied forces, and brought an end to World War I). The Versailles Treaty left Germany economically and militarily devastated which helped contribute to the rise of Hitler. Hitler, now with a strong military and the pride of the German people in his hands, promotes “territorial expansion” and invades and occupies Rhineland in 1936. In March of 1938, Hitler invades Austria. In September of 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain negotiates a peace treaty with Hitler, waving the document around and declaring “peace for our time.” Hitler then invades Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Poland in September of 1939, Denmark in April of 1940, and Norway beginning in April of 1940. After the military success of these occupations, three million German troops are positioned at the Belgian border all ready to conquer the remainder of Europe. While this is happening, Hitler has his sights set on invading the United Kingdom, and this is where our story begins.
The Story:
The film begins in Parliament where British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) is being scolded by Clement Attlee (David Schofield), the leader of the Labour Party, for leaving the nation “ruinously unprepared” to confront the imminent Nazi threat. Atlee proposes that his party will go along with whomever the ruling Conservative party raises up to form a coalition government so long as Chamberlain is no longer the leader. While the Conservative Party, and even the King himself, has confidence in the rising Tory party favorite Viscount Halifax (Stephen Dellane), he declines the proposal, leaving Winston Churchill to be the “last option” the Labour Party would be most willing to work with.
To the angst of the Conservative Party elite, and even to the King himself, King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn) reluctantly appoints Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) to succeed Chamberlain in forming a new government and being the next Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom. Taking on the threat of Nazi forces, Churchill then gives his speech in Parliament declaring war as a means to the ends of victory, thus undermining the appeasement policies of Chamberlain and Halifax. The Labour Party applauds it, but the Conservative Party sits on its hands, as Chamberlain and Halifax (both selected by Churchill to be a part of his war cabinet to “keep his enemies close”) still remain politically influential in the direction of the party. It isn’t very long until Chamberlain and Halifax try and cook up a scheme (exploiting Churchill’s refusal to negotiate with Hitler) to have the Prime Minister removed from office.
Politics, Strategy, and Peril at Every Turn:
Apart from Halifax and Chamberlain’s working to try and have Churchill removed from office, an anxious King, leading a political party of MPs, many of which have unflattering opinions of him, and tremendous skepticism towards his policies, and being a leader to the public, Churchill has a tremendous number of challenges on his plate. To lift morale and give confidence to an unprepared and fearful public, Winston addresses the people (albeit by the simple act of using words alone) to assure them that despite the Nazi efforts to take over western Europe, matters are being taken care of, and that Britain will “wage war until victory is won,” despite the cost, and never surrender themselves to servitude and shame. Churchill is then informed that 300,000 British soldiers are stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk, France. So Winston tries thinking strategy to save as many as he can, while doing all he can to build a coalition to push back the ever advancing Nazi presence in Western Europe, only to find that most are unprepared to deal with a Nazi invasion. The United States, led by Franklin Roosevelt, is taking a neutral stance on the matter, citing the Neutrality Act of 1939 as the reason his hands are tied in lending a hand. And so, Churchill takes to the war room and enables a military strategy to rescue the soldiers at Dunkirk, and sets Britain on a course to defend itself from an invasion, secure its independence as a free society, alert the public of the danger ahead, and be ready to engage the Nazis with military force.
Memorable quote:
“Nations which go down fighting rise again and those that surrender tamely are finished.”
--Winston Churchill
My take:
I enjoyed this movie very much. This movie speaks on so many levels. If you are into history, it provides insight on some of the background dynamics behind some of history’s (Western Europe’s history) biggest events. If you are in a leadership position, it will benefit you in that there are many insights one can learn from, especially when your instincts are strong in your approach to a particular objective, and you are surrounded by others who are critical and skeptical of your approach, and perhaps embrace an alternative approach that counters those instincts, or maybe even logic. The drama in this movie is captivating and fast paced, carrying a sense of urgency and critical importance in each situation as it develops and moves forward.
Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Winston Churchill is powerful and strong, making you feel as if you are a bystander who A. is present in these events and B. can relate to him personally on a human level as he takes on the challenges he faces. Gary Oldman won the Oscar for best actor for his performance earlier this year.
Darkest Hour was nominated for 6 Academy Awards in 2018, of which it won two, one for Best Actor and one for Best Hair and Makeup (Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, and Lucy Sibbick).
Out of 4 stars, I enthusiastically give Darkest Hour 4 stars.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 2 hours and 5 minutes.
To view a trailer for this movie, please click on the “Play” button below.
An Extra Feature:
Larry Arnn, the president of Hillsdale College (a liberal arts college based in Hillsdale Michigan, that teaches the American Constitution and champions free markets, liberty, and teaches on western civilization) wrote a book in 2015 entitled “Churchill’s Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government” and in 2016 opened up a study course in studying Churchill called “Winston Churchill and Statesmanship.” When Darkest Hour opened at the end of 2017, Larry Arnn saw the movie, was captivated by it, and arranged to have a special screening of the movie at Hillsdale College. Since that screening, Hillsdale College opened a page dedicated to the movie Darkest Hour and on it, you will see video of President Larry Arnn’s review along with his conversation with Director Joe Wright and Actor Gary Oldman discussing the film, and the historicity behind it. It is a very interesting conversation, and there is more on that page, so I am going to make that page available to you.
You can find it at:
lp.hillsdale.edu/darkest-hour/
Darkest Hour is currently available to buy on the new 4K-Ultra format, as well as available to buy on Blu-ray, DVD, and is available to watch on a number of various streaming services.