"He wanted to avoid looking too bellicose," Bishop said. Michael Bishop, executive director of the National Churchill Library and Center at George Washington University and executive director of the International Churchill Society, said the movie might have conveyed a sense that Churchill wobbled more than he did, but he credits the writers for capturing the nuances of the political game he played. In addition, the French wanted Britain to cut a deal with Italy so France could free up troops on its east and use them against the Germans.Ĭhurchill was firmly skeptical that anything would come of any talks. "Halifax’s suggestion was not to negotiate directly with Hitler, but rather to inquire about possible peace terms through (Italian leader Benito) Mussolini, as Italy was nominally neutral at this point," said Allen Packwood, director of the Churchill Archives Centre at Cambridge University. No one questions that the pressure was real.įrom the War Cabinet minutes at the British National Archives, it is clear that Halifax pressed Churchill to explore negotiations. In the movie, Halifax sees negotiations as the only way to save Britain. Much of the tension in the film revolves around the political scheming to get Churchill to ease off his full-throated commitment to stop Hitler.Ĭhurchill’s opposition is Viscount Halifax, the foreign secretary in Churchill’s War Cabinet. Yes, Churchill sometimes did give the V for Victory sign backwards, and he probably knew exactly what it meant.Some great scenes, like the King dropping by in the middle of the night, never happened.The navy activated the small boat pool well before Churchill thought of it.Those bold timeline graphics in the film? Don’t take them literally. ![]() ![]() ![]() Churchill was ready, however much it sickened him, to sacrifice 1,000’s of troops to delay the German advance and buy time for the hundreds of thousands on the beach at Dunkirk.The War Cabinet debates over negotiations were intense, but Churchill had plenty of support.Churchill firmly believed war was the only way to stop Hitler and he never truly questioned it.Meanwhile, here's our rundown of what's right and what's wrong. If you’re prepping for a history test, go read some books. In the view of many historians, it’s pretty solid - for a movie. The question for us is how well the film tracks with what actually happened. Ultimately, they end up on the beaches of Dunkirk in France, desperate for evacuation across the English Channel. The status of the main bulk of the British Army, well over 300,000 men, grows increasingly precarious. With each day, the battlefield reports from Belgium, Holland and France turn more grim. Churchill takes over, because he is the one man who’s both willing to take the job and enjoys enough trust among the opposition party to assemble a government. The film purports to take us through 20 days in May 1940, after the German offensive in Europe triggers the fall of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Gary Oldman captures Churchill as he wrestles with his inner desire to fight Adolf Hitler at any cost and the political pressure to negotiate terms. The production is up for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor. The movie Darkest Hour delivers a riveting 125 minutes of Winston Churchill’s first weeks as Britain’s prime minister precisely as Western Europe crumbles under the Germans’ blitzkrieg assault. ) Warning, major spoilers and plot points ahead! (We've also factchecked Dunkirk and The Post. With this year’s Oscars featuring historically based movies up for honors, we wanted to help you sort out the facts from the dramatic liberties. Editor's note: Have you ever wondered if the movie you just saw - that claimed to be based on a real story or historical events - was really accurate? So have we.
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