Jason MoorePalma06/03/2018 00:00
TW
3

My comment when I saw The Darkest Hour was that if you are British you would leave the cinema walking a few inches taller. It is a good film, not a great one, and Gary Oldman deserved the Oscar for best actor. Historian and academic John Broich says that The Darkest Hour is "a piece of historical fiction which undertakes a serious historical task, presenting the British decision to fight Hitler as a choice, not as inevitable. The situation in 1940 was as dire as depicted, but liberties were taken with the facts". And that is certainly true.

What is clear is that the world has a fascination with Winston Churchill which shows no sign of going away. In fact, IB3, the local television station, is in the process of recording a programme about Churchill and his visits to Majorca in the 1930s and 1950s. Oldman portrays a very human Churchill, a man who is afraid of "messing things up" and a man who was remembered in 1940 for his defeats rather than his victories, a man who does not appear to be in touch with the people.

The on-screen shouting matches over possible peace negotiations were fictional, but Churchill did privately say that he would consider terms offered by Hitler. However, he was not on the verge of seeking terms, as implied by the film. The ride on the London Underground was fictional, and there is historical evidence that most British people were not immediately inspired by Churchill’s speeches. But overall it is a good film which shows Britain and the great man in a good light during The Darkest Hour.