Darkest Hour

It is a dangerous thing to live in ignorance of history.  The last several generations have lived with World World 2 as a chapter in a history text book.  We tend to take for granted that Hitler’s intentions all along were nefarious, the British saved their army at Dunkirk, the United States was galvanized by Pearl Harbor, the D-Day invasion was a resounding overall operational success, and “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” pushed the Japanese to surrender.

However, to have lived during that time was to know uncertainty, trepidation, and outright terror.  In the European theater of operations, the German war machine, under the command of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, was a terrifying machine of destruction.  It rolled like a tidal wave over Western Europe in a matter of days and weeks, leaving the forlorn country of Great Britain in fear for its very survival as a nation.

Looking back on this time now, again, through the lens of clinical text books, we view men like Winston Churchill as titans of courage who faced down the wrath of Germany and were willing to fight to the bitter end, ultimately ensuring the freedom of the world from the cruel and satanic oppression of Nazism.  Yet, these men were just that, men.  They were flawed and frail creatures of limited sight and imperfect vision.  They knew not what the future would bring, and that lack of certainty at times brought them to their knees in desperation.

“Darkest Hour” is a film that endeavors to capture a period of about a month, in May and June of 1940, just after the German invasion of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.  Winston Churchill had just become the Prime Minister of Great Britain.  He was immediately faced with the difficult proposition of what to do to ensure the safety of his nation.  With opposition from within his own party, the almost certain annihilation of the entire 300,000 soliders of the British Expeditionary Force that was trapped between the advancing German Panzer divisions and the English Channel, and his own inner demons that threatened to unhinge him, Churchill entered into a dark night of the soul such as most of us have never endured.

While taking some historical liberties, as movies are wont to do, this film does a wonderful job of capturing the inner turmoil of this man who history has come to know as one of the great leaders of the Second World War.  It reminds us that in spite of uncertainty, there are certain inalienable and unchanging principles of conduct that are always applicable and eternally relevant to the human condition.  Courage, tenacity, loyalty, integrity, and honesty are a few of the terms that come to my mind in attempting to describe the character qualities that ultimately prevailed in this great conflict.  We would do well to remember such lessons from history as we face our own darknesses.

Prominently displayed is Churchill’s outstanding ability as an orator.  It warms my heart to see represented so well the incalculable power of ideas, communicated through the medium of language.  Churchill had the capacity to take individual words, string them together into stirring sentences, and craft those sentences into speeches of unparalleled motivational effect.  “Darkest Hour” ends with a small portion of Churchill’s speech to the House of Commons, delivered on June 4, 1940.  Here is an excerpt from the actual speech, part of which made it into this film, to give you an idea of the power of Churchill’s oratory:

“Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail.  We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

The final words of “Darkest Hour” are powerful and have left an impression in my mind.  It is a quote by Edward R. Murrow, the famous American journalist, who in 1954 was describing Churchill’s actions during the war.  In the film, the quote is given to Viscount Halifax, one of Churchill’s most powerful opponents from within his own political party who wanted to sue for terms of peace with Hitler.  After Churchill delivered the rousing speech mentioned above, and with virtually the entire House of Commons standing in ovation, one of Halifax’s confidantes turns to him and says, “What just happened?”.  Halifax, in the words of Murrow, responds: “He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.”  May we all strive to recognize the tremendous power, both for good and for evil, that has been granted to us via language.  May we all take exceeding care that our words are utilized for the same purpose as the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth almost 400 years ago.  That of the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.