While perfect historical accuracy is nearly impossible, a scene in a celebrated WW2 movie was so inaccurate that an expert couldn’t hide their shock. Bringing the past to life on the big screen is a difficult, and often expensive, proposition. Therefore, filmmakers are always looking for ways to cut corners and cut costs too.
Furthermore, strict historical accuracy can sometimes tie a creator’s hands, and rob them of the tools of their storytelling trade. Therefore, even the most accurate WWII movies sometimes fudge the facts if it makes for a more interesting viewing experience. It usually goes by unnoticed, but there are audience members who care a great deal about history.
Whether the order of events is shuffled to make the story more compelling, or one location is swapped out for another, movies are not a perfect record of what did and didn’t happen. However, some choices seem to be made without any thought to the historical record, and it causes egregious errors that didn’t need to happen at all.
Darkest Hour’s Scene With Churchill On The Tube Is “Ludicrous,” According To An Expert
A Very Unlikely Place To Find Winston Churchill
Darkest Hour is certainly one of the best modern war movies, but historian Antony Beevor took umbrage with the film’s flippant regard for accuracy. In a piece for The Guardian, Beevor lamented what he called filmmakers’ “arrogance to imply that their version is as good as the truth,” and he discussed Darkest Hour specifically.
Though Beevor did not like the way major concepts like Winston Churchill’s relationship with Neville Chamberlain were portrayed in the film, he saw one minor scene detail as “ludicrous.” Writing about the scene in which Churchill rides the London tube, Beevor stated that “he had never set foot in his life,” on the subway.
Such a falsehood would be excusable in most instances, but it depicts Winston Churchill doing something he would never have done.
It makes for a more interesting scene and gives the moment a lively energy. Such moments likely really happened behind desks in stuffy offices, but by setting them on the tube, it allows for some visual interest. Such a falsehood would be excusable in most instances, but it depicts Winston Churchill doing something he would never have done.
Why Darkest Hour Is Still A Great WW2 Movie, Despite The Inaccuracies
The Excellent Film Makes Up For Its Historical Inaccuracies
Even if it fails to nail every detail perfectly, Darkest Hour is still an excellent WWII movie. Gary Oldman’s performance as Churchill was appropriately celebrated, and the movie uses a smaller scale to tell the tale of a global conflict with international scope. It’s very much a war film, but it’s mostly a biopic.
Darkest Hour was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and Gary Oldman won the award for Best Actor.
Instead of focusing on the fierce fighting, it creates an intellectual battlefield as Churchill carries the weight of the nation and the world on his shoulders. While it’s inaccurate, Darkest Hour is the type of movie that entertains and also inspires interest in the real-life story. The film is an excellent primer on what is a richer true story.
