As we all parted ways with 2017 and entered into the fresh and new 2018, we have all came across new and Oscar worthy films that have not only changed the views of the audience but also us writers, as we exchange our opinions on The Darkest Hour and The Post. Both films are actually Oscar nominated.
The Darkest Hour was released in November 22, 2017. The film was about the life of British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. The Darkest Hour was directed by Joe Wright and the screenwriter was Anthony McCarten. Churchill was portrayed by British Actor, Gary Oldman (Academy Award nominee). Oldman, as some of you may have seen behind the bars of Azkaban as Harry Potter’s godfather in the infamous series Harry Potter, did a spectacular job as Churchill. Wright did a great job finding the perfect collaborator, Gary Oldman, who is amazing with embracing his dramatic side making him the perfect person to embody the character of Churchill. The film took place around World War II. The movie opens with a parliament meeting. Wright thought it suitable to open in such manner to set the foundation; Britain was in crisis and seeking a new Prime Minister.
The audience can see that Churchill was not present at that meeting but on his chair lays his hat which can easily mean that we will see the entrance of Churchill soon. They present Churchill in his house, in bed, with his cigar giving light in the darkness of his room which shows how he was in his own “world” until he receives a telegraph, given by his secretary typist (who was portrayed by Downton Abbey actress Lily James), that changed his life forever. As he takes the job as Prime Minister, he has comes across new issues that were handed to him from the previous Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain. He had to make new decisions for his own country such as the negotiation peace treaty with Natzi Germany (which did not happen), the evacuations of the soldiers in Dunkirk, as well as how he will present himself to the public. In this film, the audience will see different aspects and relationships that Churchill came across. Churchill’s loving yet argumentative relationship with his wife Clementine (portrayed by Four Weddings and a Funeral actress Dame Kristin Scott Thomas), his pitched battles with his cabinet, his reliance with his personal secretary Elizabeth Layton (Lily James), and most importantly his relationship with King George VI (portrayed by Netflix’s Bloodline actor Ben Mendelsohn). We can now see different versions of this same relationship throughout different films. Actors such as Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) or Jared Harris (The Crown) who both portray King George VI have shown a much warmer relationship with Churchill compared to Ben Mendelsohn (The Darkest Hour) who gives off a colder relationship which later became slightly warmer. Wright was showing the evolution of Churchill and the King’s relationship. Wright makes a low reference of Churchill's plans of helping troops evacuate in Dunkirk. Wright also implied a more fictionalized scene of Churchill using the Underground Railroads as transportation to show that he not only wants to be in the favor of the people but it also emphasizes that he is determined and adding a more “glorious” feel. “Victory at all cost,” Churchill would say to give off a patriotic scene for his country.
I believe that anyone who has seen this film should also watch a few other films or shows that will fit in this topic. Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk(2016) is a good movie to watch after seeing The Darkest Hour. I feel like it is the prequel of that movie even though they are done by different directors. Regardless of that, if you watch The Darkest Hour you will finally understand the background or foundation of Dunkirk. If you don’t read the beginning introduction in Dunkirk you will not understand the movie as a whole because it jumps straight into the movie without as much dialogue, but is still very effective. Atonement(2007), which is directed by Joe Wright who is also the director of The Darkest Hour, is a film that gives more background on the beaches of Dunkirk, which is an adaptation of the book bearing the same name by Ian McEwan. The Gathering Storm(2002) was about the Prime Minister six year prior of succeeding Neville Chamberlain. The King’s Speech(2010) which gives another perspective of the relationship of King George VI and Churchill. The Crown(2016) which was based on an award-winning play The Audience which is now a Netflix original drama chronicles of Queen Elizabeth II’s life which shows a glimpse of Churchill and King George VI. Overall I highly recommend The Darkest Hour.
The Post emphasizes the importance of freedom of the press including the public’s right to know the truth behind every one of our government’s actions. In the film, Katharine Graham––played by the three time Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep––inherits The Washington Post from her husband, making her the first female publisher of a major American newspaper. Along with the executive editor Ben Bradlee––played by the two time Oscar winning actor Tom Hanks––Graham publishes a piece of governmental information to expose a secret spanning three decades and four U.S. Presidents. Katharine seeked advice from her lawyers and coworkers to decide whether she should publish the information or not. Risking both of their careers, Graham and Bradlee decided to publish the truth.
In the film, we notice how The New York Times had become the first newspaper to publish information about lies from the government regarding the progress in the Vietnam War. President Nixon had ensured with the Supreme Court that the top-secret information would never be published. Daniel Ellsberg, played by Matthew Rhys, was the one to actually expose the Pentagon Papers; he would copy the secret documents and report them to The New York Times, later returning the original ones to its place. In total, he had sent 7,000 pages of top secret information to the Times, exposing the government’s lies regarding the Vietnam War.
Luckily, with both the Post’s and Time’s actions, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of both the newspapers, declaring them not guilty for publishing the information. In the film, we notice afterwards how President Nixon had banned the Washington Post from the White House, however, in reality, this was not true. Although he was angered by the case, he did not ban actual Washington Post reporters.
I was actually quite shocked to hear about the background of the history behind the film when the idea had first come out. The film itself was a beautiful way of conveying the message of “freedom of press” and the public’s right to be aware of all governmental actions. Having secrets being hidden from American citizens and later exposing them through the media was terrifying. If our government had initially told our citizens of this situation in the first place, no one would be shocked. It was interesting to note that in 2011, all of the pages of the document had officially become exposed to the public and can be accessible anytime. Hiding information from the citizens can create much chaos and turmoil. The fact that Katharine Graham and Ben Bradlee risked their careers and jobs to publish the truth about a very important matter was amazing. This is what we must call true heroes. These individuals executed their jobs thoroughly in the most difficult time. They did not care about what would happen to their companies or their jobs, rather what would happen if the public was not notified of such important information. I would personally recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks since their union in the film was excellent; those interested in American history or the exciting world of journalism should also view.
In my belief, viewers of The Post would also enjoy watching the following films: All the President’s Men and Lincoln. The following center on important events that occurred in American history including the importance of freedom of the press in America. The film Lincoln acknowledges the great achievements of Abraham Lincoln and covers a very crucial part of our American history––the Civil War. All the President’s Men speaks of reporters from the Washington Post covering the 1972 burglary of the Democratic Party Headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex.
Written By: Veronica Mkhsi-Gevorkian and Aelita Arshakyan
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