Darkest Hour – fantasy film that contributes little to historic understanding of World War II

The film the Darkest Hour amounts to a flight of fantasy, with little basis in historical fact.

While Gary Oldman provides a magnificent acting performance as Churchill, it is a shame that he was not provided with a better script.

The Darkest Hour falls into the usual trap of lionising Churchill to the extent of once again making it appear as though he won the war almost single handed.

The political representation is risible. The biggest omission has to be the role played by the Labour Party. Aside of an opening sequence showing Labour leader Clement Attlee calling for Neville Chamberlain to step down, there is no further reference to the crucial role played by the party.

The fact that Churchill largely came to be Prime Minister, working together with the Labour Party, most notably Attlee, Ernest Bevin and Herbert Morrison, was totally omitted.

It was clear what was coming in the film with a derisory Churchill comment about Attlee being a sheep in sheep’s clothing.

The film gives an unduly prominent role to Lord Halifax, who is seen seeking to strike a peace deal with Hitler. Halifax was known to favour negotiation but he seems to be given far too big a role in this film.

Also the ring craft of Churchill, who in the circumstances would have to have worked cleverly within the confines of Parliament to sideline Halifax and win the day - which he did. This aspect of the story is non-existent.

Another invention of the film is the idea of Churchill descending onto the tube system to talk to ordinary working people. There is no record of Churchill ever setting foot on a tube train and he was generally despised by working class people, as evidenced by the 1945 election that saw him kicked out of office at the first opportunity.

The Darkest Hour is a disappointment because it adds nothing new to the cinematic drama of the World War II. It distorts and further reinforces many people’s fantasies about that conflict. We still wait for a film that shows how parties came together and operated a command economy to win the war. It was the ability of Churchill, Attlee and others to collectively bring together  a number of disparate personalities from the political, military and civilian worlds that led to the triumph of 1945, not Churchill nipping down the tube before getting off at Westminster to deliver his we will fight them on the beaches speech.

A film that promised much but delivers little.

*Books that offer insight on the World War include: Churchill by Roy Jenkins, The diaries of Field Marshal Alan Brook. Clem Attlee by Francis Beckett and Citizen Clem by John Bew