Darkest Hour

My dad wanted to see this, and since we didn't go to any of the movies he suggested last year, I offered to go to this one with him.

My dad ended up enjoying it. There were some historical inaccuracies, things added for dramatic effect, and certain things excluded. The evacuation of the British Army (and parts of the French and Belgian armies) is prominent, but there's no mention of the 30,000 French troops who tried to hold off the Nazis to buy time. Or of the fact the Nazis halted 50 miles from Dunkirk for a period of time. Given the movie takes the time to mention the evacuation is delayed because they have to clear all the wrecked boats from the harbor before rescue boats can go in, my dad felt that was a curious detail to omit.

From my perspective, given there's so much focus on Halifax and Chamberlain trying to maneuver Churchill into either opening negotiations with the Nazis, or getting him to say he absolutely won't do that, so they can give him the boot, it seems like they could have played up the delay as one more thing Churchill has to weigh. Does he seize it as an opportunity, does Halifax use it as another lever to show Hitler being reasonable to get Churchill to agree with negotiations?

The movie shows his struggle with how much sacrifice he's prepared to demand. If they choose to keep fighting, lots of British citizens are going to die, and there's no guarantee at that moment, with the Nazis non-aggression pact with the USSR, and the U.S. wanting to stay out of it, that the British can win. Does he want to risk all that death and struggle, when they could still lose? Maybe it'd be easier to just negotiate, Hitler might be reasonable. . . But Churchill does understand Hitler, in a way Hitler seemingly never understood Churchill, enough to know any treaty with the Nazis might as well be used to wipe your butt.

All that aside, as I said, my dad enjoyed it. He thought Oldman did a pretty good job, although he mentioned something about Winston's sibilant "s" being missing from his speech. He thought Kristin Scott Thomas as Clemmie, Winston's wife, was giving an excellent performance, and that the film in general handled their relationship well in relatively limited screentime. I'm never sure how to assess a performance when someone is playing a historical figure. Am I seeing the actual person, or some caricature, or idealized version? But it seems like a good performance.

I really liked the lighting work. Lots of use of shadows to create mood, lighting to isolate particular characters. Especially when they would shoot Winston as being in these small rooms (or an elevator), alone, and the shot is set up so most of the screen is total darkness beyond the confines of the space Winston is in. As though it had been cut out of the world and dumped in some void. The sense of isolation and being trapped, the claustrophobia of it, was tremendously effective.

I enjoyed the scenes between the King and Churchill. The King struggling to understand this man he has to trust, and Churchill knowing he has to bow and scrape and all that, but not being particularly good at it. The mismatched pair.

I ended enjoying it more than I thought I would. It helped they let Churchill get in some quips. He was pretty good with the one-liners and comebacks, so it's at least appropriate to the man.