General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums(Churchill) "Darkest Hour" Reviews. THIS is a must see movie.
About the ONLY movie I'd be willing to pay outrageous cinema prices to see. Haven't seen it yet, but it is at the top of my "to-do" list now...once I get a few days off work.
From The Atlantic:
Nov 27, 2017
In short, Churchills reputation precedes himboth in Britain in 1940 and for any viewer watching todayand Wright knows that. Hes happy to celebrate the theatricality of the man, the thundering bulldog who became emblematic of the British blitz spirit, and an international symbol of resistance to Nazi rule. When Churchill finally enters the film, its in the grandest manner possible, first shrouded in darkness, then briefly illuminated as he lights his cigar. But, as it turns out, hes ensconced in bed at home, fretting over his own worthiness for a post hes sought his entire career.
Thats the dichotomy Wright is trying to pick apart in Darkest Hour. Hes reminding viewers of the undeniable power of Churchill the politician at a pivotal time in his life, when his oratory helped bolster Britains resolve to stay in the war after the fall of France and before the entry of the United States. But the director also wants to get at the interiority of this famed public figure, to explore Churchills insecurity and fits of depression, and to present a portrait of a man who wasnt entirely sure he was doing the right thing when he demanded victory at all costs from his country.
Wrights approach works because of the narrow focus of his story. The films script, written by Anthony McCarten, is centered on the five weeks between Churchill taking office as prime minister in May 1940 and the evacuation of Dunkirk in June. At the time, Britains future as a nation seemed most under threat, and political leaders like Halifax were seriously entertaining negotiating peace with Hitler after watching him sweep through mainland Europe. Outwardly defiant yet inwardly fearful of failure, Churchill is Wrights perfect embodiment of that tenuous moment.
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https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/11/darkest-hour-review/546497/
From Rolling Stone
November 21, 2017
Gary Oldman is one of the greatest actors on the planet and he proves it again as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, director Joe Wright's rip-roaring take on the celebrated Prime Minister's first tumultuous month in office in May, 1940, when France and Belgium are a whisper away from surrendering to Hitler and Great Britain may be next. (How I'd love to see Oldman's take on the Fuhrer).
The British actor, 59, has played real people before, from Sid Vicious (Sid and Nancy) to Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK). But his Churchill is something different. At first, the slender chameleon is barely recognizable in his fat suit and buried under layers of artful, award-caliber makeup, courtesy of Japanese craftsman Kazuhiro Tsuji. But then something magical happens, like it does when the gods of cinema align. Those flashing eyes, brimming with mischief, are unmistakenly Oldman's, and his vocal technique rises to the challenge of capturing one of the most eloquent, inspiring voices in history without indulging in mere mimicry. In his 35-year-film career, Oldman has only received one nomination from the Academy, for playing master spy George Smiley in 2011's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. This will surely end that oversight. Get busy engraving Oldman's name on an Oscar right bloody now.
And those fearing that Darkest Hour is nothing but a dull tableau of blowhard stuffed shirts will be relieved to know that they're in for a lively, provocative historical drama that runs on its own nonstop creative fire. Wright introduces us to the great man lighting a cigar in bed but from then on, the hard-drinking Churchill is on his feet and demanding attention like the brawling infant he resembles. Whether he's terrorizing a timid, young typist (Lily James) or grumbling at criticism doled out by his loyal, impatient wife, Clementine (a sublimely tart Kristin Scott Thomas), Churchill, at 66, is a lion who's definitely not ready for winter.
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https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-darkest-hours-gary-oldman-gives-us-a-fearsome-churchill-w512243
This is an important and timely film - especially given the resurgence of neo-nazi sentiment in certain pockets. A movie that the younger generation needs to see.
question everything
(47,544 posts)go at -2 and try to find parking..
It will, eventually.
Squinch
(51,053 posts)Alexander Hamilton was totally ginchy before the play was even written.) So I have been reading a lot about Churchill.
I've come up with something much more complex than a crush. Churchill was a lot of things I find repulsive. For example, he absolutely LOVED war. Thought it was the most fun thing evah. And he formed that opinion during the Boer War and WW1, both of which were bloodbaths full of tragedy. There needs to be some psychosis to hold that opinion in a trench.
For another thing he was a total sexist, which I usually believe makes a person a complete moron.
But Churchill was exactly who was needed at the moment he was needed. If he didn't love war so much, he could not have been the guy saying, "We will never give up" after all of Europe had fallen, and the US didn't seem likely to come into the war. He was made for his moment, and he truly did save the world.
Life is complicated.
I'll have to see this one.
GreenPartyVoter
(72,382 posts)Squinch
(51,053 posts)NastyRiffraff
(12,448 posts)It really is a must see. Gary Oldman channeled Churchill. NOBODY used language like Winston Churchill, then or now. His "We will fight on the beaches" speech in Parliament had me in tears. I very rarely see movies at a theatre--to expensive, but I'm glad I saw this one on the big screen. It deserves the big screen and great sound.
inanna
(3,547 posts)Thanks for your comments.
bathroommonkey76
(3,827 posts)n/t