HOLLYWOOD: In January Gary Oldman earned the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the critically-acclaimed film Darkest Hour. Oldman has now been nominated for an Oscar for the same performance and is considered the odds-on favorite to win. Read More >
The newest issue of Finest Hour explores “Churchill at the Movies” and includes both studies of his involvement with the film industry and an analysis of depictions of Churchill on film. Winston Churchill visited Hollywood only once. This was in September 1929 as part of a grand tour of North America Churchill made in the company of his son Randolph, brother Jack, and nephew Johnny. His visit coincided with the period when the motion picture industry was making the transition from silent film to “talkies.” At the end of the year Churchill published a description of what he found in Hollywood in an article for the Daily Telegraph, which we reprint below. Read More >
February 1 became “Churchill Day” at the Lycée Jeanne d’Arc in the city of Tarbes, reports Gérard Crozat, an English teacher at the Roman Catholic school in Southern France. “We welcome all occasions to encourage our students to understand the importance of modern languages,” said Olivier Hautier, the school’s headmaster. That is why the teachers in the English department decided to organise a “Churchill Day” when the film Darkest Hour was released. Read More >
The National Churchill Library and Center (NCLC) at the George Washington University in Washington, D. C. begins its second year with another impressive list of speakers. Novelist Robert Harris led off 2018 by discussing his new book Munich, which explores the inner workings of the infamous 1938 conference. Watch his interview with NCLC Director Michael F. Bishop. Read More >
The month of March will be busy for Churchillians on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to the spring lineup of speakers at the National Churchill Library and Center in Washingon (see accompanying story), exciting events have been planned for London, Toronto, and Fulton, Missouri. Read More >
Undergraduate courses on Winston Churchill are lamentably rare, but one of them is currently on offer at the George Washington University, home of the National Churchill Library and Center. “Churchill’s World” is taught by Professor Dane Kennedy of the History Department, with the assistance of NCLC Director Michael F. Bishop, who will serve as an occasional guest instructor. The class meets weekly in the Reading Room of the NCLC. Read More >
When Victory in Europe Day was announced on 8 May 1945, manufacturers quickly began production for the multi-day celebrations that followed. The results included cloth banners by textile manufacturers in Wembley. At the onset, many people made their own celebratory pieces, including hand decorated mugs and beakers, clothing, hats, and posters. More commercially made items were quickly mass produced as soon as the manufacturers were able. Later, more patriotic VE-Day items were manufactured for the 1946 one year anniversary celebrations. Read More >
