The Darkest Hour * * *
Again with the Winston! What with John Lithgow's excellent portrayal in the TV series The Crown, and Brian Cox in Churchill (only last year) and now this new production starring Gary Oldman, it's starting to look like a bit of a Winston Churchill act-off.
Lucky for the actors Churchill was so individual, so unique in dress, speech and mannerisms, he was almost a caricature. Not a great deal of subtlety or nuance is required to "do a Churchill".
Therefore I never get over excited or impressed when I see another actor pulling it off. (Ironically, Hitler is the same when you think about it. There aren't too many shades required when portraying him either).
Both The Darkest Hour and Churchill are based around significant events with the suggestion that Winston Churchill almost single-handedly supervised them.
In Churchill it is at the end of the war with Operation Overlord, and with The Darkest Hour it is at the beginning of the war with the Dunkirk rescue.
In The Darkest Hour Churchill's greatest nemesis is Halifax who is constantly pushing for a peace agreement. Like the useless Chamberlain agreement Churchill has no confidence in such an agreement but he carries the burden of subjecting the people of Britain to war. The gravity of this is conveyed quite well.
Interestingly both films use his Secretary as a form of emotional leverage and a device to keep the great man in contact with"The People"
It is somewhat sentimental like those BBC dramas set in the recent past, of which there are many: in fact nearly all their successful dramas are set in the 30s through to the 50s. Right or wrong, Britain's mainstream Film and Television strikes me as product for a country that is pining for the nation that it was before mass immigration, preachy left wing councils, political correctness, the European Union and the messiness of Brexit.
Lucky for the actors Churchill was so individual, so unique in dress, speech and mannerisms, he was almost a caricature. Not a great deal of subtlety or nuance is required to "do a Churchill".
 |
| Oldman does a Winnie |
Both The Darkest Hour and Churchill are based around significant events with the suggestion that Winston Churchill almost single-handedly supervised them.
In Churchill it is at the end of the war with Operation Overlord, and with The Darkest Hour it is at the beginning of the war with the Dunkirk rescue.
In The Darkest Hour Churchill's greatest nemesis is Halifax who is constantly pushing for a peace agreement. Like the useless Chamberlain agreement Churchill has no confidence in such an agreement but he carries the burden of subjecting the people of Britain to war. The gravity of this is conveyed quite well.
Interestingly both films use his Secretary as a form of emotional leverage and a device to keep the great man in contact with"The People"
It is somewhat sentimental like those BBC dramas set in the recent past, of which there are many: in fact nearly all their successful dramas are set in the 30s through to the 50s. Right or wrong, Britain's mainstream Film and Television strikes me as product for a country that is pining for the nation that it was before mass immigration, preachy left wing councils, political correctness, the European Union and the messiness of Brexit.
Comments
Post a Comment