
Darkest Hour is a 2017 British biographical war drama film directed by Joe Wright and written by Anthony McCarten. It stars Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, in his early days as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War and the May 1940 war cabinet crisis. The cast also includes Kristin Scott Thomas as Clementine Churchill, Lily James as Elizabeth Layton, Stephen Dillane as Viscount Halifax, Ronald Pickup as Neville Chamberlain, and Ben Mendelsohn as King George VI. The title of the film refers to a phrase describing the early days of the war, widely attributed to Churchill.
Darkest Hour had its world premiere at the 44th Telluride Film Festival on 1 September 2017. It began a limited release in the US on 22 November 2017, followed by a wide release on 22 December, and was released on 12 January 2018 in the UK. The film grossed $150 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics, who particularly lauded Oldman's performance and deemed it one of the best of his career. Darkest Hour received several accolades, including Best Actor for Oldman at the Academy Awards, the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, and the SAG Awards.
Shooting[]
- Filming was done in late 2016.
Cast[]
- Gary Oldman - Winston Churchill
- Kristin Scott Thomas - Clemmie
- Ben Mendelsohn - King George VI
- Lily James - Elizabeth Layton
- Ronald Pickup - Neville Chamberlain
- Stephen Dillane - Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
- Nicholas Jones - Sir John Simon
- Samuel West - Sir Anthony Eden
- David Schofield - Clement Atlee
- Richard Lumsden - General Hastings Ismay
- Malcolm Storry - General Edmund Ironside
- Hilton McRae - Arthur Greenwood
- Benjamin Whitrow - Sir Samuel Hoare
- Joe Armstrong - John Evans
- Adrian Rawlins - Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding (as Adrian Rawlings)
- David Bamber - Admiral Bertram Ramsay
- Paul Leonard - Admiral Dudley Pond
- David Strathairn - President Franklin D. Roosevelt (voice)
- Eric MacLennan - Tom Leonard
- Philip Martin Brown - Sawyers
- Demetri Goritsas - Cabinet Secretary Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
- Jordan Waller - Randolph Churchill
- Alex Clatworthy - Diana Churchill
- Mary Antony - Mary Churchill
- Bethany Muir - Sarah Churchill
- Anna Burnett - Pamela Churchill
- Jeremy Child - Lord Stanhope
- Brian Pettifer - Lord Kingsley Wood
- Michael Gould - Lord Londonderry
- Paul Ridley - House of Commons Speaker
- Robin Pearce - Ernle Hastings
- Michael Bott - Equerry
- Olivier Broche - Paul Reynaud (as Oliver Broche)
- Mario Hacquard - Édouard Daladier
- Pip Torrens - BBC Producer
- Edmund Wiseman - BBC Actor
- Hannah Steele - Abigail Walker
- Nia Gwynne - Alice Simpson
- Adé Dee Haastrup - Marcus Peters (as Ade Haastrup)
- James Eeles - Maurice Baker
- Flora Nicholson - Jessie Sutton
- Bronte Carmichael - Young Girl on Tube
- Roisin O'Neill - Agnes Dillon
- John Locke - Oliver Wilson
- Jo Neary - Margaret Jerome (as Joanna Neary)
- Richard Glover - Brigadier Claude Nicholson
- Tom Ashley - Ramsay Staffer
- Joshua Higgott - Reporter
- Imogen King - Teenage Girl at Tube Map
- Miles Gallant - Naval Map-Room Officer
- Faye Marsay - Sybil
- John Atterbury - Sir Alexander Cadogan
- James Harkness - A. D. Nicholl (Secretary #1)
- Joshua James - W. D. Wilkinson (Secretary #2)
- Charley Palmer Rothwell - Christopher Wilson (Photographer)
- Patsy Ferran - Maid
- Sarah Flind - Cook
- Steffan Donnelly - Back Bencher
- Kieran Buckeridge - Cecil Beaton
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
- Clive Aitkins - Member of Parliament (uncredited)
- Clare Almond - Member of Parliament (uncredited)
- David Olawale Ayinde - Civilian (uncredited)
- Antony Barlow - Labour MP (uncredited)
- Michael Barron - Member of Parliament (uncredited)
- Christopher Ben - Sir Robert Tasker (uncredited)
- Annarie Boor - Londoner (uncredited)
- Stephen T Box - Duff Cooper (uncredited)
- Keith Bunnett - Member of Parliament (uncredited)
- John Byrne - Ambassador (uncredited)
- Ruth Clarson - Downing Street Passerby (uncredited)
- Michael Deighton - Member of Parliament (uncredited)
- Nigel Eaton - Member of Parliament (uncredited)
- David Evestaff - WWII Sailor (uncredited)
- Mike Firth - Labour MP (uncredited)
- Shane Griffin - Young Couple (uncredited)
- Richard Gumm - Cabinet Minister (uncredited)
- Cris Haris - Downing St KB (uncredited)
- Michael Haydon - London Refugee (uncredited)
- Justin Hayward - George the Cook (uncredited)
- Adolf Hitler - Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Zak Holland - Civilian (uncredited)
- Nick Howden-Steenstra - Sentry (uncredited)
- Tobias James-Samuels - Houses of Parliament (uncredited)
- Angelique Joan - French Girl (uncredited)
- Davey Jones - Soldier (uncredited)
- Ethan Keaton - Royal Marine Guard (uncredited)
- Keith Lomas - Conservative MP (uncredited)
- Marian Lorencik - Businessman (uncredited)
- Stewart Mathers - Politician (uncredited)
- Martyn Mayger - Conservative MP (uncredited)
- Robert McLanachan - Labour MP (uncredited)
- Andy Mihalache - John Parker (uncredited)
- Johnny Mindlin - Radio Engineer (uncredited)
- Arnold Montey - Member of Parliament (uncredited)
- Paul A Munday - Worker (uncredited)
- Hugh O'Brien - Rear Admiral (uncredited)
- Perry J. O'Halloran - British Soldier (uncredited)
- Yves O'Hara - Artist (uncredited)
- Niall D O'Loughlin - French Dignitary (uncredited)
- Richard Peter O'Sullivan - MP (uncredited)
- Johnny Otto - Member of Parliament (uncredited)
- Ian Ray-White - Conservative Front Bench MP (uncredited)
- Jamie Read - Army Liaison Officer (uncredited)
- Andrew Reed - The Marquess of Hartington (uncredited)
- Lewis Reynolds - Reporter (uncredited)
- Nig Richards - Opposition MP (uncredited)
- Paul Riddell - Labour MP (uncredited)
- James Thomas Scott - Conservative MP (uncredited)
- Janette Sharpe - Civilian (uncredited)
- Nick Simons - Politician (uncredited)
- John Skerritt - Paramedic (uncredited)
- Danny Stewart - Dowager's Son (uncredited)
- Neil Swift - Churchill's Security (uncredited)
- Sam Thompson - Boy on Bike (uncredited)
- Kevin Winkley - Member of Parliament (uncredited)