Carried very high by a masterful Oscar-winning composition by Gary Oldman who slips into the features and clothes of Winston Churchill, “The Dark Hours” is a formidable historical biopic, to see or see again on Prime Video.
Brian Cox, John Lithgow, Timothy Spall, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Burton, Rod Taylor… Many -and famous- talents have already slipped into the guise and clothes of Winston Churchill, one of the most important and influential political figures of the XXth century. We must now add to this already very respectable list the name of Gary Oldman.
Actor unanimously acclaimed and respected by his peers, highly appreciated by the public, Gary Oldman is undeniably an immense actor, whose talent has long been demonstrated. He is also a totally versatile artist, capable of evolving in very different registers, endowed with a great capacity to transform himself physically and vocally for the needs of a role.
With The Dark Hours, available on Prime Video, he therefore embodies this totemic figure of Great Britain, when the country is hit by the Dunkirk disaster, and England soon finds itself alone against Nazi Germany. threatened with invasion.
Endowed with an immense culture, known for his good words, also a fine manipulator, devious, all at the same time hated by his political enemies but capable of arousing the enthusiasm and the adhesion of the crowds by his brilliant talents as an orator, Churchill is an absolutely fascinating figure, full of contradictions, which Oldman makes his own in an extraordinary performance.
She has also been hailed, among other things, by the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama as well as by the Oscar for Best actor in 2018. The first of his already great career.
For him, it all started with the voice. “I had to convince myself that my voice could pass for Churchill’s. I took one of his speeches and an answering machine and set to experimenting. Then I went in search of information, to the beyond those contained in the screenplay, to understand the man who had challenged a dictator. I wanted to understand his psychology, the functioning of his thought, and rebuild him stone by stone” said the actor.
Beyond prostheses and make-up, it took the actor six months to find the right balance for the incarnation of his role, working on his diction in order to reach his model’s voice, right down to his gestures. The result is to be discovered in this fascinating historical biopic, filmed by a Joe Wright in great shape.