Darkest Hour comments...

[fairfaxvadem]

So, for those of you who are WWII afficiandos, you might be a little frustrated. At least I was. Yes, the movie takes the usual Hollywood liberties, often due to compressed time which is common, and this is no different. Gary Oldham, for those who have read enough history, IMHO, captured the very quirkiness of WC. There have been many comments made about his racism, etc., not undeserved at all. WC was who he was, generationally, social status, the whole British Empire enchilada.

So, Darkest Hour. I very much enjoyed it, but I wish filmmakers, when they make these movies, would do a better job at the end of the credits when they show the “postscript.” Yes, the US entering WWII was the only salvation with money and manpower. BUT. Americans need to be reminded that Great Britain was left to their own devices for years. They were at war in 1939. FDR had to circumvent the isolationist laws to try to even help until Pearl Harbor, which wasn’t until 1941, and even then, we had the Pacific Theatre and North Africa to start. No troops in Europe. My dad started off in Tunisia in 1942 until invasion of Europe in 1944.

So all this is to say that fine, make the Darkest Hour, but make it a more forceful reminder and a learning moment that these were frightening days for the Brits. We weren’t there to save the day for quite a long time and they deserve the praise of the fortitude they showed in those early years of the war when there was a very real possibility that GB wouldn’t survive Nazi Germany, whether militarily or by political decisions.

Rant off.

[pangaia]

1. And don't forget the Russians.

[fairfaxvadem]

2. A whole other thread!!

Did much of my undergrad on WWII, plus mom, dad and uncles all served, so try to keep myself restrained on comments. Darkest Hour mostly focused on the early internal Brit politics. Appease or War. It seems laughable now, but entertaining an intermediary from Mussolini seemed reasonable to some at the time, as the film reflects. And then his hanging some years later...you just never know. Careful with the friends you choose, I guess.

[Sneederbunk]

3. Russia was not attacked by Germany until June 1941.

The bastards had a non-agression pact with Germany from 1939. They got part of Poland when Germany started the war.

[rusty quoin]

8. The bastards? That was Stalin.

You are thinking like back then. Stalin and Hitler were complete assholes.

The people had to follow. Let’s make sure we don’t have to follow Trump.

[msongs]

4. did he have any MPs* or US senators demanding he resign for being a sexist?

*members of parliament often referred to as MPs

[rusty quoin]

5. I think I know what you are saying.

Like a lot of Americans like to say...we saved your British asses, they don’t know history.

If it wasn’t for the British we would not have had the cushion of them dying to defeat the axis. Cushion is the wrong word, and it pisses me off when we Americans act like we saved the world. If Britain did not save themselves, alone, except with American cargo, what would have happened? It was the only military in Western Europe left to fight Germans.

We were the allies, and we worked together like nothing else has ever been done to beat the axis.

[fairfaxvadem]

6. Thank you, Rusty

I by no means want to diminish the sacrifices that many of our faimilies made during WW2. I have a history in photographs from all theatres of war that I and my siblings cherish and reflect on. My parents are buried at Quantico, having both served our country.

My frustration isn’t with our patriotism, but with our general lack of historical accuracy and appreciation of how things really were. I don’t think the unvarnished truth undermines one iota the turning point that occurred with the US entering the war. Yes, the Brits and French lobbied for an earlier US invasion of Europe, but we determined our own course, for the most part. My dad was there from beginning to end w/Patton. He had some interesting observations when he was in the mood.

I can never learn enough.

[rusty quoin]

7. Yeah...whats wrong with real history. It doesnt make me feel bad. I like truth.