GERMAN BLITZKRIEG OVERRUNS EUROPE
History buffs, take note. The movie DARKEST HOUR is right up your alley. If “the war to end all wars” is to be explored, one could hardly find a more intriguing person to poke and dissect than Prime Minister Winston Churchill. A giant of enormous import to the resolution of World War II.
The story – and it is a “story” – centers on the first few weeks of Churchill’s tenure as Prime Minister of England as the German “blitzkrieg” overruns Europe. Why does he ascend to this position? What aspects of the onslaught come into play? What informs the man’s decisions? Are there opposing forces that attempt to thwart his aims within his own government? Was there a Churchill in public at odds with his persona in private? As usual, there exists some critical carping about the movie’s accuracy from the purists. Take it with a grain of salt. This movie engages the viewer with a masterful story, allowing an intimate portrait of a titan of World War II history.
Gary Oldman seems to be winning all of the major film acting awards and there’s good reason for that outcome; the nuances of his performance help to personalize a brick-solid image of the man emblazoned in our psyche from reading those dry history books throughout our schooling. The estimable talents of Dame Kristin Scott Thomas as his wife “Clementine Churchill” help to humanize this politician as well. Other key historical figures like Neville Chamberlain, King George VI and Lord Halifax also receive worthy treatment onscreen compliments of director Joe Wright along with a stable of talented actors.
One scene in the movie, in particular, amps up the movie-going experience for this reviewer. Supposedly, Churchill ditches his entourage and rides the subway on his own. He wants to gauge the general public’s resolve in confronting the menace of the Nazis even though the war effort up to that moment had not been fruitful. Terrific storytelling!
“Operation Dynamo” (the evacuation of 300,000 British soldiers from Dunkirk) revs up during this portion of the war effort, impressing with its thimble-eye view. Moment by moment, moviegoers explore Churchill’s choices and their personal toll on the one crushed with the burden of all those lives at risk under his watch.
DARKEST HOUR wows us with its taut, spellbinding account of war’s ignominy and triumph, not on the battlefield, but in the cradle of power responsible for how dark the conflict becomes as time passes – hour by hour and day by day. Expect a movie sequel and/or a stage play.
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