Winston Churchill, as the British Prime Minister during the II World War, is the main protagonist of Darkest Hour directed by Joe Wright and released in the USA in November 2017. Gary Oldman (Winston Churchill), Oscar-winning as the actor in a leading role, brakes the historical-political stereotypes behind one the most influent characters of the XIX century in portraying the routine life beyond the good and bad sides. 

Close-ups and tracking shots make the scene more real and take into consideration the emotions and the human weaknesses in the world of politics in the UK. The controversial relationship between the royal family, King George (Ben Mendelsohn), and the parliament members plays one of the crucial roles on a more human side. Churchill’s wife, Clementine Churchill (Kristin Scott Thomas), supports his husband in the political campaign and in the private life, even they should be both interested to consider couple therapy as a remedy. Churchill’s eloquence is the crucial point in the way the British government is living its “darkest hour”: he appeals to the people for testifying the horrible omen for the entire nation. Winston Churchill, while manipulating his political rivals, he must confront the ultimate choice: negotiate with Hitler and save the British people at a terrible cost or rally the nation and fight on against incredible chances.

The main intent of the movie is to give a more private introspection into the Prime Minister’s life. In fact, Winston Churchill seems to be a romantic figure, rather than a determined and strong political character. In fact, Churchill would work until three or four in the morning and he wrote to his wife in 1924, he said I like champagne at every meal and plenty of claret and soda, in between.

Another important character in determining the “new” Churchill is his typist Elizabeth Layton (Lily James). When he sees a photo on her desk of a British soldier Churchill assumes it’s her boyfriend. Instead, Layton reveals it is her brother who was fighting in France and never made it back to the relative safety of Dunkirk. This confession stops Churchill in his tracks as the human toll of the war begins to truly wear him down.

Also, the main success behind the Prime Minister’s character is its secret make-up recipe, jealousy treasured by the legendary make-up artist Kazuhiro Tsuji: he is the sculptor who makes Winston Churchill alive than ever for the meticulous attention to every single detail. 

Finally, Churchill decides to take the train to Parliament for the first time, which is much surprising for the Underground’s regular riders. He asks the people he meets on whether the country should negotiate a peace treaty or fight for control of their island. As each rider voices their anger that anyone would succumb to Hitler, a young girl punctuates their feelings saying they should fight and it brings him to tears. The family-run attitude towards the working class in the subway suggests that the Prime Minister can be every one of us, even in a modern-day time of crisis.