Darkest Hour

United Kingdom

Watch Trailer
Darkest Hour
Play Video

Synopsis

Synopsis

A witty and brilliant statesman, Churchill is a stalwart member of Parliament but at age 65 is an unlikely candidate for Prime Minister; however, the situation in Europe is desperate. With Allied nations continuing to fall against Nazi troops, and with the entire British army stranded in France, Churchill is named to the position with urgency on 10 May 1940.

As the threat of an invasion of the UK by Hitler’s forces looms and with 300,000 British soldiers cornered in Dunkirk, Churchill finds his own party plotting against him and King George VI, who is skeptical that his new Prime Minister can rise to the challenge. He is confronted with the ultimate choice: negotiate a peace treaty with Nazi Germany and save the British people at a terrible cost or fight on against incredible odds.

With the support of his wife Clemmie, Churchill looks to the British people to inspire him to stand firm and fight for his nation’s ideals, liberty, and freedom. Putting his power with words to the ultimate test, with the help of his tireless secretary, Winston must write and deliver speeches that will rally a nation. As Winston withstands his own darkest hour, he attempts to change the course of world history forever.

Biography

Born to a family of puppeteers, Joe Wright and grew up in the theatre his parents founded, The Little Angel Theatre in Islington, London.
Joe studied Fine Art, Film and Video at Central St Martin’s College of Art. After college he worked on music videos and short films until 1997 when he was commissioned to direct NATURE BOY, a four-part mini-series for BBC2. This was followed by several other highly acclaimed, nominated, and awarded mini-series, including BOB AND ROSE and CHARLES II for the BBC1.
Joe made his feature film directorial debut in 2005 with PRIDE & PREJUDICE, starring Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Rosamund Pike, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn and Carey Mulligan. The critically-acclaimed film won BAFTA’s Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in Their First Feature Film.
His second feature ATONEMENT, based on Ian McEwan’s novel, stars Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch and Saoirse Ronan. The film received thirteen BAFTA Award nominations, and won for Best Film and Best Production Design;
Joe Wright next directed THE SOLOIST, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, followed by the sleeper hit HANNA with an electro music score by The Chemical Brothers, starring Saoirse Ronan and Cate Blanchett.
In 2011, he directed ANNA KARENINA, starring Keira Knightley, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jude Law, Domnhall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander – in her first English-speaking role – from a screenplay penned by Tom Stoppard.
In 2015, Wright directed PAN, an original story of the beloved Peter Pan characters, starring Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara and Levi Miller.
Wright lives in London with his wife, classical sitarist Anoushka Shankar, and their two sons.

A witty and brilliant statesman, Churchill is a stalwart member of Parliament but at age 65 is an unlikely candidate for Prime Minister; however, the situation in Europe is desperate. With Allied nations continuing to fall against Nazi troops, and with the entire British army stranded in France, Churchill is named to the position with urgency on 10 May 1940.

As the threat of an invasion of the UK by Hitler’s forces looms and with 300,000 British soldiers cornered in Dunkirk, Churchill finds his own party plotting against him and King George VI, who is skeptical that his new Prime Minister can rise to the challenge. He is confronted with the ultimate choice: negotiate a peace treaty with Nazi Germany and save the British people at a terrible cost or fight on against incredible odds.

With the support of his wife Clemmie, Churchill looks to the British people to inspire him to stand firm and fight for his nation’s ideals, liberty, and freedom. Putting his power with words to the ultimate test, with the help of his tireless secretary, Winston must write and deliver speeches that will rally a nation. As Winston withstands his own darkest hour, he attempts to change the course of world history forever.

Nominations

  • People's Choice Award 2018

Cast & Crew

  • Directed by: Joe Wright
  • Written by: Anthony McCarten
  • Produced by: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
  • Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel
  • Cast: Gary Oldman (Winston Churchill), Kristin Scott Thomas (Clemmie Churchill), Lily James (Elizabeth Layton), Stephen Dillane (Viscount Halifax), Ronald Pickup (Neville Chamberlain), Ben Mendelsohn (King George VI)
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Email

Contact

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Name