By Karen - 09 September 2021
It can be said that this is the best supplement to Nolan's Dunkirk. It just so happened that the only angle that the latter pulled away was the story of the leader who issued the retreat order and called on the people to rescue him during those days. This film presents Churchill's various characteristics very accurately and vividly. His impassioned speeches, his straightforward, decisive and tenacious personality, his careful consideration of words, and his momentum and occasional sense of humor when he speaks. . Gary Oldman is obviously completely incarnate in this role in makeup and performance. He can hardly be seen, and his voice has changed. It is a perfect performance that is worthy of being the actor.
In history, any country or political leader, especially during the war, is really difficult to evaluate them in a few sentences or a single word. Therefore, most of the biographies of political figures are about a certain event or a certain stage of development. Regardless of whether the decision he made is perfect, whether everyone agrees, at least, this film shows the difficult choices that Churchill faced as the British Prime Minister when World War II broke out, and the decisions and influences made during those days. From the beginning, the film focused on Churchill's figure, movements, attitude and voice of speaking, and the feelings of people around him. The kings of England thought he was scary, and the secretary played by Lily James was scolded and ran out crying when she saw him for the first time. Each of his speeches is also very shocking, fully demonstrating the charm and deterrence of this person as a leader.
Of course, in a parliament where 99% of them are bald old white men, giving long speeches again and again will make this film look like any historical biopic, and it will inevitably have dull moments. Fortunately, Churchill is also very humorous, often bursting out surprising words. For example, say to a mother holding a baby: "I am born with a baby face, and little babies look like me!" He will also show a gentle side when he is alone with his wife, which makes people surprised to see this. People who are not afraid of anything are actually afraid of their wives. You can also see a lot of interesting historical content. For example, during the Dunkirk retreat, Churchill used to call for help like the American president, hoping to borrow a boat to rescue the British soldiers, and even pulled down and said anxiously to the American president: "I used you to borrow mine. Money, I bought your weapon, why can’t you give it to me now?!” The President of the United States said coldly, “I thought of a way, but it’s really nothing. I don’t have a boat, but I can lend you some horses.”
If you can watch Nolan’s Dunkirk before watching this film, you will have a better and deeper understanding of this film, and you will also see that at the moment when the soldiers are on the line of life and death, this fat man, who is not on the front line, actually fights. It's very difficult. Obviously his decision is the key to this retreat. And his decision did not make him a traitor in British history. In times of war, such brave and unyielding people are more likely to gain popular support.
What is very impressive is that Churchill, who was so eloquent, didn't know what to describe when he was evaluating Hitler, and finally only used "that person" to refer to Hitler. At that time, it may be difficult for him to define, but history will naturally give a fair evaluation.
Most people's decisions only determine their own lives, but some people's decisions have changed the destiny of a country and many people.
