Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Gary Oldman's performance of Churchill in Darkest Hour is getting 'extraordinary' standing ovations in cinemas

Oldman has scored huge acclaim for his performance of the British PM

Jacob Stolworthy
Tuesday 16 January 2018 04:11 EST
Comments
(Working Title Films)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Gary Oldman's performance of Winston Churchill is capturing the imaginations of film fans as well as awards voters.

The rendition of the British Prime Minister's most rousing speech in new film Darkest Hour is reportedly generating spontaneous standing ovations around the world since its release last week.

Churchill's “magnificent oration” which saw him famously call to “fight on the beaches” in 1940 arrives towards the end of Joe Wright's film with producer Eric Fellner telling The Telegraph that Working Title Films has received reports of “extraordinary” applause.

“It has been reported back to us, not only here but in America, and across the whole of the country not just in the big metropolitan areas,” he said.

“We've been hearing it a lot. It's very surprising. It very rarely happens other than at the premiere or special screenings of the films, so it's quite extraordinary.”

Fellner added that he believes the film may tap into “a zeitgeist where people are fascinated by and feeling a need for leadership” in a post-Brexit Britain.

Oldman received a Golden Globe for his performance as well as a BAFTA nomination. He is expected to be in contention for Best Actor at the Oscars when the nominations are announced next Tuesday (23 January).

In an interview with The Independent, director Wright - whose previous credits include Atonement and Hanna - described Darkest Hour as “a return to drama” following the commercial flop of previous film Pan as well as his version of “a Hitchcockian thriller.”

Darkest Hour's 450 MPs perform Hey Jude with Gary Oldman

Darkest Hour is in cinemas now.

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in