Just got back from "Darkest Hour."

[Laffy Kat]

Suspect Gary Oldman will win Oscar for best actor. The film was enlightening as it showed Churchill as more vulnerable than I ever appreciated. My boys enjoyed it too and thought it was a good follow-up movie to "Dunkirk". I left feeling the same way with both films: thinking my father would have loved it.

[rusty quoin]

1. Gary Oldman has been one of my fav actors a long time.

I do not like his politics, but that’s mostly beside the point.

I want to see Dunkirk, because I am such a history fan, and always wait for good movies about that.

[Laffy Kat]

3. Oh, Oldman is a right-winger? That's too bad.

Had no idea. Oh well, the movie was good.

[rusty quoin]

8. He is a right winger like Robert DuVall . There is a difference from extreme right.

And they are so close in their acting that they both create characters who are not acting to you or me. I don’t know how the two do it, but it seems natural. Or even unnatural in the case of Oldman in Dracula.

[underpants]

11. As noted below, yes he is.

This movie is being heavily promoted by RW media. That won't prevent me from seeing it. Oldman is fantastic actor.

As far as The Oscars - he will probably be nominated but I'd be surprised if he wins. The Academy doesn't tend to reward biopics. See Downey Jr as Chaplin and Denzel as Malcom X.

[TexasBushwhacker]

12. Doesn't reward biopics?

Jamie Fox for Ray
Julia Roberts for Erin Brokovich
Colin Firth for The King's Speech
Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln AND My Left Foot
Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything
Sean Penn for Milk
Susan Sarandon for Dead Man Walking

And the list goes on...

[longship]

20. Albert Finney as Churchill in "The Gathering Storm"

Well, yup. Not rewarded as it should have been.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. "Darkest Hour" is on my must-see list!

We'll wait for it on Netflix.

Just saw "Dunkirk" last week and omigod! I loved it.

The Oscars should be interesting this year.

[Laffy Kat]

5. Yeah, it's not one of those movies that's better in the cinema..

Should be just as good on Netflix.

[Kablooie]

4. I didn't know who played Churchill when I saw it.

I was trying to figure out who this older, large actor was. I knew he had makeup but I thought it was just a little bit for character.
I was shocked to find it was Gary Oldman who is not an old man (even though he is an Oldman)
He is totally convincing.

[Laffy Kat]

6. That's good make up and great acting!

[JayhawkSD]

7. I thought the movie was totally awesome.

I would take issue with, "The film was enlightening as it showed Churchill as more vulnerable than I ever appreciated." This was not a documentary, and I would not count on it as providing accuracy on such matters. I suspect you are falling for some artistic license.

I have no problem with a movie doing that kind of thing. It is produced for the purpose of entertaining, which this movie did to a rare degree. I will recommend it as a "must see" to everyone I know.

[Laffy Kat]

10. A "must see" for history buffs, especially.

And I'm sure you're correct about the artistic license. It was created in Hollywood after all.

[EricMaundry]

9. Great movie

Thanks for posting this.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

13. Loved Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious in "Sid and Nancy"

A classic film about his time with Nancy Spurgen and the Sex Pistols. A must-see.

Will See The Darkest Hour. Having been to the Churchill War Rooms in London, seeing the famous Bowler and Coat, seeing other artifacts from WWII, will make seeing the film all the more memorable.

[susanna]

14. I just saw it tonight.

I am a huge history buff, so of course I was going to see it. Gary Oldman is an amazing actor, beyond whatever his politics might be. (There are very few I can say that about, but he is one of them.)

He was very believable as Churchill, though I suspect a touch "nicer" than Churchill actually was. My own take is that Churchill was someone who understood that properly applied, politics change the world, and that sometimes you MUST come out swinging, damn the cost. This I liked. Gave me courage.

I do think it was some really great filmmaking, all in all. Will watch it again and am recommending it to others.

[Laffy Kat]

15. I agree with your review.

Now I'm looking forward to "The Post". On to the Pentagon papers, LOL! It opens in my area tomorrow.

[susanna]

16. Next on my list too! :) n/t

[Ron Obvious]

17. Finally saw it yesterday. (slight spoilers)

We thoroughly enjoyed it and Oldman was absolutely immense, but I expected that. I don't mind slight historical inaccuracies, such as giving the secretary a brother dying at Dunkirk, but I almost lost it at that ridiculous, misguided tube (subway) scene. Churchill, the aristocrat, rubbing elbows with the commoners in the tube who convinced him to never give up? Nonsense! A black man capping Churchill's Horatio at the Gate quote and Churchill, a bigot even by the standards of his day, listening respectfully and clasping his hand? Ludicrous!

And so totally unnecessary as the real story is more than fascinating enough without that farcical, Hollywoodesque nonsense.

Still 8 stars out of 10 for me, but I hope the director's cut takes it out.

[longship]

18. High on my must see list. I am a huge Churchill fan.

Last edited Mon Jan 29, 2018, 07:18 AM - Edit history (1)

Here, for some perspective is some Albert Finley as Sir Winston, with Vanessa Redgrave as Clemmie, from The Gathering Storm, which relates Churchill's years in the wilderness, out of power when the whole world was melting.

Two scenes:

The third scene, "Winston is back!" is apparently true. When he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty that signal went out to all ships of the fleet.

Hitler eventually found out what that meant when King George asked him to form a new government as Prime Minister. It took him some time, though. Hitler should have paid more attention.

We are told that Herr Hitler has a plan for invading the British Isles. This has often been thought of before. When Napoleon lay at Boulogne for a year with his flat-bottomed boats and his Grand Army, he was told by someone, "There are bitter weeds in England." There are certainly a great many more of them since the British Expeditionary Force returned.

This is from the famous "We will fight" speech, immediately after Dunkirk.

An extraordinary account of those days' bravery was related by JB Priestley on the BBC. This iconic broadcast speaks for itself of the sacrifices.

[longship]

19. Here's Churchill's speech on that occasion.

I suspect that few here have actually heard it. Granted, there was no recording in the Houses of Parliament at the time, so this is a recording made after the war by Churchill from his notes. Thankfully, Sir Winston wrote his speeches and practiced them ad nauseum, so when he stood in the well of Parliament he knew exactly what he would say. His notes nearly precisely echoed those words.

This is one of those astounding events in history which can only be related by somebody of Churchill's stature. At a time when Britain stood alone against a conquered Europe, it is an extraordinary pronouncement of resolve.

Every one of us should listen to what was said then. We can learn much.

https://m.

Hope you enjoy this extraordinary speech.

[FSogol]

21. Just saw it too. Good film, bookends great with Dunkirk.

Great performance by Gary Oldman.

Question for WWII buffs or movie fans. Anyone know of good films about Churchill during the war? Any suggestions?