Darkest Hour (film)

This article is about the 2017 war drama film. For the 2011 science fiction film, see The Darkest Hour (film).
Not to be confused with the film Churchill, also released in 2017.

Darkest Hour
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoe Wright
Written byAnthony McCarten
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBruno Delbonnel
Edited byValerio Bonelli
Music byDario Marianelli
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 1 September 2017 (2017-09-01) (Telluride)
  • 22 November 2017 (2017-11-22) (United States)
  • 12 January 2018 (2018-01-12) (United Kingdom)
Running time
125 minutes[2]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million[5]
Box office$150.8 million[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9][10]

  1. ^ "Darkest Hour". Universal Pictures UK. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Darkest Hour". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Darkest Hour (2017)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  5. ^ Ritman, Alex (12 December 2017). "How 'Darkest Hour's' Grand Transformation of Gary Oldman Into Winston Churchill Took $20,000 Worth of Cigars". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Darkest Hour". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  7. ^ Hammond, Pete (31 August 2017). "'Darkest Hour', 'Battle of the Sexes', 'Lady Bird' Among World Premieres in 2017 Lineup – Telluride Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  8. ^ McNary, Dave (6 September 2016). "Gary Oldman's Winston Churchill Film 'Darkest Hour' Gets Release Date, Rounds Out Cast". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  9. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (11 December 2017). "Golden Globe Nominations: Complete List". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  10. ^ "The Shape of Water leads Bafta nominations". BBC News. 9 January 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.