Darkest Hour (film)

In May 1940, the opposition Labour Party in Parliament demand the resignation of British prime minister Neville Chamberlain for being too weak in the face of the Nazi onslaught. Conservative Party colleagues want Lord Halifax as his successor, but Halifax does not feel it is his time. Chamberlain chooses the only man whom the opposition will accept as leader of a national government: Winston Churchill, who had correctly predicted the danger from Adolf Hitler before the war but has a poor reputation in Parliament.

As Germany invades the Low Countries, Churchill is brusque with his new secretary Elizabeth Layton for mishearing him, which earns him a rebuke from his wife Clementine. King George VI, who is sceptical of Churchill due to his actions during the abdication crisis, reluctantly invites him to form a government. Churchill includes Chamberlain as Lord President of the Council and Halifax as Foreign Secretary.

Parliament reacts coolly to Churchill's first speech promising "Blood, toil, tears, and sweat". Chamberlain and Halifax are appalled by Churchill's refusal to negotiate for peace, and plan to resign from the government to force a vote of no confidence and create a situation in which Halifax would likely become prime minister. Churchill visits French prime minister Paul Reynaud, who thinks that Churchill is delusional for not admitting that the Allies are losing the Battle of France, while Churchill is furious that the French do not have a plan to counterattack. Although US president Franklin Roosevelt is sympathetic to Churchill's plight, his actions are limited by an isolationist Congress and the Neutrality Acts.

Churchill draws ire from his cabinet and advisers for delivering a radio address in which he falsely implies the Allies are advancing in France, earning him a rebuke from the king. Halifax and Chamberlain continue to push to use Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Bastianini as an intermediary with Germany.

The British Expeditionary Force is trapped at Dunkirk and Calais, and Britain begins preparing for a German invasion. Against the advice of the War Cabinet, Churchill orders Brigadier Nicholson in Calais to lead the 30th Infantry Brigade to distract the enemy and buy time for the evacuation of soldiers from Dunkirk. The debacle in France causes the War Cabinet to support negotiating with Germany. Under heavy pressure, Churchill agrees to consider a negotiated peace but chokes on the words as he tries to dictate a letter requesting talks.

George VI unexpectedly visits Churchill, explaining that he has come to support Churchill to continue the war. Churchill's idea to have civilian boats evacuate troops from Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo) is initiated. Still uncertain, Churchill impulsively rides the London Underground (for the first time in his life) and asks startled passengers for their opinions: they all want to continue to fight. Churchill addresses the Outer Cabinet and other members of Parliament and finds that they, too, have little desire to surrender.

As Churchill prepares to address Parliament, Halifax asks Chamberlain to continue with their plan to resign, but Chamberlain decides to first listen to the address. Finishing his speech, Churchill proclaims "we shall fight on the beaches", should the Germans invade, to resounding support from the opposition, while the Conservative MPs behind him sit in silence until Chamberlain mops his brow with his handkerchief; a prearranged signal that they should support the PM. Churchill exits to cheers and enthusiastic waving of Order Papers.

A textual epilogue reveals that almost all of the soldiers trapped at Dunkirk were successfully evacuated; Chamberlain died six months later; Halifax was reassigned to a posting in Washington, D.C., and Churchill was voted out of office after the end of World War II in Europe.

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill
• Kristin Scott Thomas as Clementine Churchill
• Ben Mendelsohn as King George VI
• Lily James as Elizabeth Layton
• Ronald Pickup as Neville Chamberlain
• Stephen Dillane as Viscount Halifax
• Nicholas Jones as Sir John Simon
• Samuel West as Anthony Eden
• David Schofield as Clement Attlee
• Richard Lumsden as General Ismay
• Malcolm Storry as General Ironside
• Hilton McRae as Arthur Greenwood
• Benjamin Whitrow as Sir Samuel Hoare
• Joe Armstrong as John Evans
• Adrian Rawlins as Air Chief Marshal Dowding
• David Bamber as Admiral Ramsay
• Paul Leonard as Admiral Dudley Pound
• Demetri Goritsas as Cabinet Secretary Bridges
• Olivier Broche as Paul Reynaud
• Brian Pettifer as Kingsley Wood
• Richard Glover as Claude Nicholson {{div col end}}

David Strathairn provides the voice of US president Franklin D. Roosevelt, heard on a telephone call with Churchill.

This was the final film role for Whitrow, who died after its September premiere.

On 5 February 2015, it was announced that Working Title Films had acquired Darkest Hour, a speculative screenplay by The Theory of Everything screenwriter Anthony McCarten, about Winston Churchill in the early days of the Second World War.{{cite news|last1=Fleming|first1=Mike Jr.|title='Theory of Everything's Anthony McCarten & Working Title Set Winston Churchill WWII Epic|url=https://deadline.com/2015/02/winston-churchill-wwii-darkest-hour-theory-of-everything-anthony-mccarten-working-title-1201366466|date=5 February 2015|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=4 November 2016|archive-date=5 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205191258/http://deadline.com/2015/02/winston-churchill-wwii-darkest-hour-theory-of-everything-anthony-mccarten-working-title-1201366466/|url-status=dead}}

On 29 March 2016, it was reported that Joe Wright was in talks to direct the film.{{cite news|last1=Jaafar|first1=Ali|title=Joe Wright in Talks To Direct Winston Churchill Pic For Working Title|url=https://deadline.com/2016/03/joe-wright-winston-churchill-darkest-hour-working-title-world-war-2-1201727865|date=29 March 2016|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=4 November 2016|archive-date=4 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104203901/http://deadline.com/2016/03/joe-wright-winston-churchill-darkest-hour-working-title-world-war-2-1201727865/|url-status=dead}} In April 2016, Gary Oldman was reported to be in talks to play Churchill.{{cite news|last1=McNary|first1=Dave|title=Gary Oldman in Talks to Play Winston Churchill in 'Darkest Hour'|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/gary-oldman-winston-churchill-darkest-hour-1201754152/|date=14 April 2016|website=Variety|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=4 November 2016|archive-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051212/https://variety.com/2016/film/news/gary-oldman-winston-churchill-darkest-hour-1201754152/|url-status=live}} On 6 September 2016, it was announced that Focus Features would release the film in the United States on 24 November 2017, while Ben Mendelsohn was set to play King George VI and Kristin Scott Thomas was cast as Clementine Churchill. On 8 November 2016, Stephen Dillane joined the cast.{{cite web|last1=Lodderhose|first1=Diana|title=Stephen Dillane Joins Working Title's Churchill WWII Epic 'Darkest Hour' As Production Begins in UK|url=https://deadline.com/2016/11/stephen-dillane-working-title-darkest-hour-winston-churchill-focus-features-gary-oldman-lily-james-joe-wright-1201850629|date=8 November 2016|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=14 December 2016|archive-date=14 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114223009/http://deadline.com/2016/11/stephen-dillane-working-title-darkest-hour-winston-churchill-focus-features-gary-oldman-lily-james-joe-wright-1201850629/|url-status=dead}} John Hurt was initially cast as Neville Chamberlain, but dropped the role in pre-production as he was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer; Hurt died in January 2017.{{Cite web|last=Babbage|first=Rachel|date=16 May 2017|title=John Hurt won't appear in Darkest Hour, what was thought to be his final film|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a828492/john-hurt-not-in-darkest-hour-final-film/|access-date=2021-10-17|website=Digital Spy|language=en-GB|archive-date=19 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019053815/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a828492/john-hurt-not-in-darkest-hour-final-film/|url-status=live}}{{cite journal|last=Barbage|first=Rachel|date=16 May 2017|title=John Hurt won't appear in Darkest Hour, what was thought to be his final film|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a828492/john-hurt-not-in-darkest-hour-final-film/|journal=Digital Spy|publisher=Hearst Magazines UK|access-date=20 May 2017|archive-date=20 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520204137/http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a828492/john-hurt-not-in-darkest-hour-final-film/|url-status=live}} Ronald Pickup assumed the role of Chamberlain instead.{{cite journal|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=6 September 2016|title=Gary Oldman's Winston Churchill Film 'Darkest Hour' Gets Release Date, Rounds Out Cast|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/gary-oldman-winston-churchill-darkest-hour-release-date-1201852817/|journal=Variety|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=5 January 2018|archive-date=15 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815002917/https://variety.com/2016/film/news/gary-oldman-winston-churchill-darkest-hour-release-date-1201852817/|url-status=live}}

File:The John Rylands Library Interior.jpg in Manchester, as well as at Manchester Town Hall, to portray the Houses of Parliament.]]

By November 2016, Darkest Hour had begun principal photography,{{cite news|last1=Raup|first1=Jordan|title=First Look: Gary Oldman Thoroughly Transforms into Winston Churchill in 'Darkest Hour'|url=https://thefilmstage.com/news/first-look-gary-oldman-thoroughly-transforms-into-winston-churchill-in-darkest-hour|date=3 November 2016|work=The Film Stage|access-date=4 November 2016|archive-date=4 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104203628/https://thefilmstage.com/news/first-look-gary-oldman-thoroughly-transforms-into-winston-churchill-in-darkest-hour/|url-status=live}} and it was reported that Dario Marianelli would score the film.{{Cite web|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2016/11/08/dario-marianelli-to-score-joe-wrights-darkest-hour|title=Dario Marianelli to Score Joe Wright's 'Darkest Hour'|work=Film Music Reporter|date=8 November 2016|author=filmmusicreporter|access-date=15 May 2017|archive-date=8 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708221327/http://filmmusicreporter.com/2016/11/08/dario-marianelli-to-score-joe-wrights-darkest-hour/|url-status=live}} For his role as Churchill, Oldman spent over 200 hours having make-up applied, and smoked over 400 cigars (worth about $20,000) during filming.{{cite web|title=Gary Oldman Spent 200 Hours in Make-Up Chair To Become Winston Churchill In 'Darkest Hour'|url=https://deadline.com/2017/03/gary-oldman-winston-churchill-movie-darkest-hour-make-up-cinemacon-1202055102|date=29 March 2017|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=30 March 2017|first=Anita|last=Busch|archive-date=30 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330000349/http://deadline.com/2017/03/gary-oldman-winston-churchill-movie-darkest-hour-make-up-cinemacon-1202055102/|url-status=dead}} Filming took place in Manchester, England, at both the Town Hall and John Rylands Library, both doubling for the Houses of Parliament and featuring heavily in the film.{{Cite web |title=Manchester looms large in Darkest Hour |url=https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/broadcasting/2018/01/manchester-looms-large-darkest-hour |first=Stephen |last=Chapman |access-date=24 August 2018 |work=Prolific North |date=18 January 2018 |archive-date=23 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623005132/https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/broadcasting/2018/01/manchester-looms-large-darkest-hour |url-status=live }}

For locations, the exterior of Chartwell House near Westerham, Kent (Churchill's actual country home), was used for the sequence that sees Churchill's secretary Elizabeth Layton receive a telegram from Buckingham Palace. Fort Amherst in Kent featured as the location for both Admiral Ramsay's operational HQ and the Calais garrison. For the interior of Buckingham Palace, Wentworth Woodhouse in Wentworth, South Yorkshire, was used.{{cite web |work=Kent Film Office |access-date=24 August 2018 |url=https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/2018/01/darkest-hour-2017/ |title=Kent Film Office Darkest Hour Article (2018) |author=Kent Film Office |date=9 January 2018 |publisher=Kent County Council |archive-date=15 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115223920/https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/2018/01/darkest-hour-2017/ |url-status=live }}

File:Interior of 1959 Stock Driving Motor No.1030 Mangapps Rly Museum.jpg

Filming also took place at Warner Bros Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire for the scene where Churchill gets onto the London Underground, with a 1959 stock train hired from Mangapps Railway Museum in Essex.

Darkest Hour grossed $56.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $93.8 million in other countries (including $33.4 million in the UK), for a worldwide total of $150.2 million.

In the United States and Canada, the film began a limited release on 22 November 2017. In its first five days, it grossed $246,761 from four cinemas (an average of $61,690), finishing 21st at the box office over the weekend.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/coco-justice-league-wonder-thanksgiving-box-office-1202213755/|title=Thanksgiving B.O. At $268M, +3% Over 2016 Spurred By 'Coco' & Holdovers – Sunday Update|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|date=26 November 2017|access-date=26 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032727/http://deadline.com/2017/11/coco-justice-league-wonder-thanksgiving-box-office-1202213755/|url-status=live}} The film had its wide release on 22 December 2017, alongside Downsizing, Pitch Perfect 3, and Father Figures, and the wide release of The Shape of Water, and grossed $3.9 million from 804 cinemas over that weekend, and $5.5 million over the four-day Christmas period.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/12/last-jedi-dwayne-johnson-jumanji-zac-efron-greatest-showman-box-office-1202230784/|title=Last Jedi' Lords Over Christmas Weekend B.O. With $100M+ As 'Jumanji' Roars $65M+ & 'Pitch Perfect 3' Sings $27M|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|date=24 December 2017|access-date=24 December 2017|archive-date=23 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223172216/http://deadline.com/2017/12/last-jedi-dwayne-johnson-jumanji-zac-efron-greatest-showman-box-office-1202230784/|url-status=live}} 85% of its audience was over the age of 25, with 30% being 50 or older.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-darkest-hour-conquers-us-pulls-lady-bird-1077154|title=Box Office: 'Darkest Hour' Conquers U.S., Pulls Ahead of 'Lady Bird'|first=Pamela|last=McClintock|work=The Hollywood Reporter|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|date=22 January 2018|access-date=30 January 2018|archive-date=23 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123061540/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-darkest-hour-conquers-us-pulls-lady-bird-1077154|url-status=live}} The following weekend, the film made $5.5 million, and a total of $7 million over the four-day New Years period.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/01/last-jedi-jumanji-new-years-weekend-box-office-2018-1202233711/|title='Last Jedi' Has Upper Hand Over 'Jumanji' In New Year's Weekend Duel As 2017 B.O. Closes With $11.1B – Monday Update|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|date=31 December 2017|access-date=1 January 2018|archive-date=25 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125193638/https://deadline.com/2018/01/last-jedi-jumanji-new-years-weekend-box-office-2018-1202233711/|url-status=live}} Over the weekend of 27 January 2018, following the announcement of the film's six Oscar nominations, it made $2.1 million.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/01/maze-runner-death-cure-weekend-box-office-1202269925/|title=Fox Controls Close To 40% Of Weekend B.O. Led By 'Maze Runner' & Oscar Holdovers; 'Hostiles' Gallops Past $10M|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|date=28 January 2018|access-date=28 January 2018|archive-date=27 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127083806/http://deadline.com/2018/01/maze-runner-death-cure-weekend-box-office-1202269925/|url-status=live}}

File:Gary Oldman by Gage Skidmore.jpg.]]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 317 reviews, with an average score of 7.3/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Darkest Hour is held together by Gary Oldman's electrifying performance, which brings Winston Churchill to life even when the movie's narrative falters."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darkest_hour_2017 |title=Darkest Hour (2017) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=15 June 2021 |archive-date=13 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713174811/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darkest_hour_2017 |url-status=live }} On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating to reviews, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 50 critics.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/darkest-hour |title=Darkest Hour Reviews |publisher=CBS Interactive |work=Metacritic |access-date=10 January 2018 |archive-date=11 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111034948/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/darkest-hour |url-status=live }} PostTrak reported that over 90% of audience members gave a rating of either "excellent" or "very good".{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/call-me-by-your-name-best-average-darkest-hour-robust-start-specialty-box-office-1202214595/|title='Call Me By Your Name' Scores Year's Best Average Opener At $101K; 'Darkest Hour' Has Robust Start – Specialty Box Office|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|date=26 November 2017|first=Brian|last=Brooks|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-date=26 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126194136/http://deadline.com/2017/11/call-me-by-your-name-best-average-darkest-hour-robust-start-specialty-box-office-1202214595/|url-status=live}}

Oldman was praised for his performance, with numerous critics labelling him a frontrunner to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, which he went on to win.{{cite magazine |last=Nolfi |first=Joey |date=2 September 2017 |title=Darkest Hour reviews hail Gary Oldman as Oscar frontrunner |url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/09/02/telluride-darkest-hour-reviews-gary-oldman-best-actor/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927001424/http://ew.com/movies/2017/09/02/telluride-darkest-hour-reviews-gary-oldman-best-actor/ |archive-date=27 September 2017 |access-date=26 September 2017 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |publisher=Time}} Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "Get busy engraving Oldman's name on an Oscar... 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".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-darkest-hours-gary-oldman-gives-us-a-fearsome-churchill-w512243|title='Darkest Hour' Review: Gary Oldman Gives Us a Fearsome, Oscar-Worthy Churchill|last=Travers|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Travers|date=21 November 2017|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=22 November 2017|archive-date=8 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108105749/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-darkest-hours-gary-oldman-gives-us-a-fearsome-churchill-w512243|url-status=dead}} David Ehrlich of IndieWire praised Wright's direction and the musical score, writing: "Unfolding with the clockwork precision of a Broadway play... it's a deliciously unsubtle testament to the power of words and their infinite capacity to inspire".{{cite web |last=Ehrlich |first=David |date=2 September 2017 |title='Darkest Hour' Review: Gary Oldman Makes Joe Wright's Biopic as Rousing and Ferocious as Winston Churchill Was Himself |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/09/darkest-hour-review-gary-oldman-winston-churchill-telluride-1201872512/ |work=IndieWire |publisher=Penske Business Media |access-date=4 September 2017 |archive-date=4 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904121942/http://www.indiewire.com/2017/09/darkest-hour-review-gary-oldman-winston-churchill-telluride-1201872512/ |url-status=live }} Damon Wise of the Radio Times described the film as a "near-perfect companion piece" to Dunkirk, concluding: "Wright's forceful direction depicts not so much a hero as a principled man snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Certain engineered Hollywood moments dilute the overall impact, including a twee meet and greet on a Tube train, but Oldman is never less than sensational."{{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/ff28hj/darkest-hour/ | title=Darkest Hour | work=Radio Times | first=Damon | last=Wise | access-date=5 August 2021 | archive-date=5 August 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805144856/https://www.radiotimes.com/film/ff28hj/darkest-hour/ | url-status=live }}

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com called the film "an acting exercise weighed down by costumes, make-up, and over-lighting", adding that "there's nothing new to the approach. It feels often like an obligation{{snd}}a story that someone felt should be told again and a way to get a great actor his Oscar".{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals-and-awards/tiff-2017-the-shape-of-water-first-reformed-darkest-hour|title=Darkest Hour|last=Tallerico|first=Brian|date=13 September 2017|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|work=RogerEbert.com|access-date=21 November 2017|archive-date=26 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126140604/https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals-and-awards/tiff-2017-the-shape-of-water-first-reformed-darkest-hour|url-status=live}} Writing for GQ, Stuart McGurk described it as "a bad film. It's not terrible, it's just, well, not good. It's the kind of film you'd watch on Netflix if it was raining, or on an iPad if it was the only film on the iPad, or on TV if you'd lost the remote. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is director Joe Wright, who never met a script he didn't dumb-down." McGurk continued: "Gary Oldman winning for Best Actor is well deserved [...] genuinely unrecognizable, his Churchill somehow both less growly but more grave. In short, he plays the character not the caricature."{{cite web | url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/gary-oldman-darkest-hour-oscar | title=Oscar-winning Gary Oldman is the master of being brilliant in bad movies | work=GQ | first=Stuart | last=McGurk | date=5 February 2018 | access-date=13 August 2021 | archive-date=13 August 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813042426/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/gary-oldman-darkest-hour-oscar | url-status=live }}

{{main|List of accolades received by Darkest Hour (film)}}

Darkest Hour was released on digital streaming platforms on 6 February 2018,{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/8245/darkest-hour|title=Darkest Hour (2017)|website=DVDs Release Dates|access-date=12 June 2018|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141135/https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/8245/darkest-hour|url-status=live}} and on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD Blu-ray on 12 June 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/58526/darkesthour4kultrahdbluray.html|title=Darkest Hour – 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray|first=M. Enois|last=Duarte|date=13 June 2018|website=High-Def Digest|access-date=12 June 2018|publisher=Internet Brands|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140759/https://ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/58526/darkesthour4kultrahdbluray.html|url-status=live}}

Writing in Slate, historian and academic John Broich called Darkest Hour "a piece of historical fiction that undertakes a serious historical task", presenting the British decision to fight Hitler as a choice rather than an inevitability. The situation in 1940 was as dire as depicted, but liberties were taken with the facts. The shouting matches over possible peace negotiations are a dramatic exaggeration of the 1940 British war cabinet crisis. According to historian Ashley Jackson, Darkest Hour's depiction of Churchill having personal doubts, and even considering negotiating a settlement with Nazi Germany, is not true to the historical Churchill, who Jackson argues had "supreme confidence".{{cite interview |last=Jackson |first=Ashley |subject-link=Ashley Jackson (historian) |interviewer= |title=Did Darkest Hour Get Much Right? |url=https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p06241m0/did-darkest-hour-get-much-right- |work= |publisher=BBC Online |location= |date=23 February 2022}} Churchill's journey on the London Underground is also entirely fictional, and there is evidence that many British people were not immediately inspired by his speeches.{{cite news |last= Broich |first= John |title= What's Fact and What's Fiction in Darkest Hour |url= http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/12/08/what_s_fact_and_what_s_fiction_in_darkest_hour.html |access-date= 4 February 2018 |work= Slate |publisher= The Slate Group |date= 8 December 2017 |archive-date= 5 February 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180205001628/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/12/08/what_s_fact_and_what_s_fiction_in_darkest_hour.html |url-status= live }}

There is no conclusive evidence that Chamberlain and Viscount Halifax were planning an imminent vote of no confidence, although that threat existed until the victories in North Africa. It is a fact that Churchill was an object of suspicion for his fellow Tories. The Labour Party confirmed that they would serve in a national government under a leader other than Chamberlain, but would have been prepared to serve under Halifax.{{cite web | url= https://gulfnews.com/culture/books/how-churchill-replaced-chamberlain-1.2158652 | publisher= Al Nisr Publishing | title= How Churchill replaced Chamberlain | work= Gulf News | first= Richard | last= Overy | date= 17 January 2018 | access-date= 23 June 2018 | archive-date= 23 June 2018 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180623112839/https://gulfnews.com/culture/books/how-churchill-replaced-chamberlain-1.2158652 | url-status= live }}

Adam Gopnik wrote for The New Yorker that Darkest Hour under-dramatises the role of Labour Party leader Clement Attlee; historically, "it was the steadfast anti-Nazism of Attlee and his Labour colleagues that saved the day" when Halifax argued for a settlement, but Darkest Hour failed to accurately portray this and was a "Churchill-centric" film.{{cite magazine | url= https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/never-mind-churchill-clement-attlee-is-a-model-for-these-times | title= Never Mind Churchill, Clement Attlee Is a Model for These Times | magazine= The New Yorker | publisher= Condé Nast | date= 2 January 2018 | access-date= 16 April 2018 | first= Adam | last= Gopnik | archive-date= 7 January 2018 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180107183143/https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/never-mind-churchill-clement-attlee-is-a-model-for-these-times | url-status= live }} This criticism was echoed by Adrian Smith, emeritus professor of modern history at the University of Southampton, who wrote in the New Statesman that the film was "yet again overlooking Labour's key role at the most dangerous moment in this country's history ... in May 1940 its leaders gave Churchill the unequivocal support he needed when refusing to surrender. Ignoring Attlee's vital role is just one more failing in a deeply flawed film".{{cite web | url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2018/01/errors-and-omissions-winston-churchill-film-darkest-hour | title=The errors and omissions of Winston Churchill film Darkest Hour | work=New Statesman | date=19 January 2018 | access-date=16 April 2018 | first=Adrian | last=Smith | archive-date=16 April 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416201224/https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2018/01/errors-and-omissions-winston-churchill-film-darkest-hour | url-status=live }}

Referring to Charles Moore's comment that the film was "superb Brexit propaganda", Afua Hirsch wrote in The Guardian: "I would call the film propaganda, more generally – and a great example of the kind of myth we like to promote in modern Britain. Churchill has been re-branded as a tube-travelling, minority-adoring genius, in line with a general understanding of him as 'the greatest Briton of all time'."{{cite news | url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/21/russia-propaganda-skripal-britain-churchill | title= If you talk about Russian propaganda, remember: Britain has myths too | work= The Guardian | publisher= Guardian News and Media | date= 21 March 2018 | access-date= 15 April 2018 | first= Afua | last= Hirsch | archive-date= 15 April 2018 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180415190926/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/21/russia-propaganda-skripal-britain-churchill | url-status= live }} Hirsch also criticised "the idea that Winston Churchill stood alone at the Darkest Hour, as Nazi fascism encroached, with Britain a small and vulnerable nation isolated in the north Atlantic. In reality, the United Kingdom was at that moment an imperial power with the collective might of Indian, African, Canadian and Australian manpower, resources and wealth at its disposal."{{cite news | url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/29/britain-glorify-violent-past-defensive-empire-drug | title= Britain doesn't just glorify its violent past: it gets high on it | work= The Guardian | publisher= Guardian News and Media | date= 29 May 2018 | access-date= 1 June 2018 | first= Afua | last= Hirsch | archive-date= 31 May 2018 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180531161144/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/29/britain-glorify-violent-past-defensive-empire-drug | url-status= live }}

The film implies that both Clementine Churchill and the King listened to Churchill's 'beaches' speech on the radio as Churchill delivered it. In reality, radio broadcasts from Parliament did not start until the 1970s. Churchill recorded the speech for posterity in 1949. Nor did he, unlike for other speeches, repeat it on the radio shortly afterwards. The 'beaches' speech was first delivered on 4 June 1940 – after the Dunkirk evacuation – not on 28 May 1940, as suggested by the film.{{Citation |last=Toye |first=Richard |title=We shall fight on the beaches: three things you never knew about Churchill's most famous speech |date=2 December 2013 |url=https://history.blog.gov.uk/2013/12/02/we-shall-fight-on-the-beaches-three-things-you-never-knew-about-churchills-most-famous-speech/ |work=History of Government |access-date=24 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928111035/https://history.blog.gov.uk/2013/12/02/we-shall-fight-on-the-beaches-three-things-you-never-knew-about-churchills-most-famous-speech/ |url-status=live |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |archive-date=28 September 2018}}{{Cite web |last=UK Parliament Hansard |first=Commons Vol. 361, cols. 787-96 |date=4 June 1940 |title=War Situation |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1940-06-04/debates/60ee1caa-abcf-48e5-8c55-c4e587b94de7/WarSituation |access-date=23 November 2023 |website=hansard.parliament.uk/commons}}

Elizabeth Layton did not become Churchill's secretary until a year after the events of the film. She also tells Churchill that her brother was killed during the retreat to Dunkirk, which is a fictional detail.{{Cite web|url=https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/darkest-hour/|title = How Accurate is Darkest Hour? The True Story vs. The Churchill Movie}}

Oldman stated in February 2018 that there was talk of making a sequel to Darkest Hour, which might include Franklin D. Roosevelt, set during the 1945 Yalta Conference.{{cite web |last=Galloway |first=Stephen |date=26 February 2018 |title=Gary Oldman Eyes A Post-Darkest Hour Return to Churchill |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gary-oldman-eyes-a-post-darkest-hour-return-churchill-1088094 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316000234/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gary-oldman-eyes-a-post-darkest-hour-return-churchill-1088094 |archive-date=16 March 2018 |access-date=18 March 2018 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |publisher=Prometheus Global Media}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website}}
• {{IMDb title}}
• {{Rotten-tomatoes|darkest_hour_2017|Darkest Hour}}
• [http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/darkest-hour/ Darkest Hour] at History vs. Hollywood

{{Joe Wright}}

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