Darkest Hour: How Churchill Brought Us Back From The Brink

This is a cinematic behind the scenes account of a crucial moment which takes us inside the mind of one of the world's greatest leaders and provides a revisionist, more rounded portrait of his leadership. May 1940. Britain is at war, European Democracies are falling rapidly and the public are unaware of this dangerous new world. Just days after his unlikely accession to the post of Prime Minister, Winston Churchill faces this horror - and a sceptical king and a party plotting against him. He wonders how he can capture the public mood, and does so, magnificently, before leading the country to victory. It is this fascinating period that Anthony McCarten captures in this deeply researched, gripping day-by-day (and often hour-by-hour) narrative. In doing so he revises the familiar view of Churchill - he made himself into the iconic figure we remember and changed the course of history, but through those turbulent and dangerous weeks he was plagued by doubt, and even explored a peace treaty with Nazi Germany. It's a scarier - and even more human - account than has ever been given.