7 Great Films Set in Britain During World War II

2017 appeared to center on British World War II history in cinema. Apart from "Dunkirk" and "Darkest Hour," Britain has offered a slew of highly acclaimed films and TV dramas. Collectively, these productions form a comprehensive overview or a sort of textbook on British World War II history when considered together.

Pre-World War II: "Downton Abbey"

The British drama "Downton Abbey" features storylines from World War I. When the sixth season came to an end, the series stopped at the moment when the New Year's bell rang in 1926. During that period, there were still fourteen years until the outbreak of World War II, which appeared to be a considerable span of time ahead.

In the third season, during a family dinner at Downton Abbey, Miss Edith informed her family about submitting an article to the newspaper upon their request. Lady Grantham, portrayed by Maggie Smith, was the first to stand up and oppose it, asserting that a noblewoman should refrain from expressing her opinions in the newspaper. Miss Edith immediately countered by using "Lady Sarah Wilson," one of the earliest female war correspondents in Britain, as an example. She mentioned that despite being a duke's daughter, she could still venture to the front lines to report on the war. Lady Grantham's response was quite clever. She said, "She's a Churchill. The Churchills are different."

Indeed, Lady Sarah Wilson's maiden name before marriage was Churchill. She was the youngest daughter of the 7th Duke of Marlborough, making her Winston Churchill's aunt. From Lady Grantham's comment, we can already see the differences within the Churchill family. They are passionate about politics, and the family has had several prominent members holding important positions. Their approach to various matters differs from that of typical noble families. Consider Lady Sarah Wilson, for instance. When she embarked on her journey as a war correspondent, she was already a mother of two children. Her arrests for war reporting were viewed as highly scandalous in early 20th-century Britain.

In the fourth and fifth seasons of "Downton Abbey," the rising star of the German political scene, Hitler, and the future Nazi Party, were directly featured. Edith Crawley's former boyfriend, Michael, divorced his mentally ill wife to go to Germany and coincidentally died in Germany during Hitler's "Beer Hall Putsch" on November 8, 1923. The series also mentions that after the "Beer Hall Putsch," although Hitler was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison, he was released after serving only 9 months. It was during this period of imprisonment that Hitler wrote "Mein Kampf," which is regarded as the manifesto of fascist ideology and actions.

Neville Chamberlain, the former British Prime Minister who resigned due to the policy of appeasement, also made an appearance in "Downton Abbey." In the final season, Chamberlain, then the Minister of Health, was invited to Downton by the Dowager Countess. The servants of Downton discussed in the kitchen, quoting comments from newspapers at the time, revealing the unfriendliness of Chamberlain’s Conservative Party towards the working class and the expectation that Chamberlain should be the next Prime Minister.

It is regrettable that "Downton Abbey" did not continue to portray the events of World War II, which was a disappointment for many fans. However, fortunately, there are many other works that allow us to have a comprehensive understanding of Britain during the wartime period.

During World War II: "Darkest Hour," "Dunkirk," "The Halcyon," "The King's Speech"

In the 2002 BBC survey "The Greatest Britons," where the public voted for the 100 greatest British individuals, Churchill was chosen as the greatest British person in history by the British people. However, after watching "Darkest Hour," you may see from the various dialogues in the film that Churchill was unpopular in the political arena and among the public before the outbreak of World War II.

This is indeed a historical fact. Although Churchill came from a political family and gained national fame early on for reporting on the war in South Africa and escaping from prison alone, his achievements before becoming Prime Minister were always criticized. These include the mentioned "party-switching" (from the Conservative Party to the Liberal Party, and then back to the Conservative Party), the failed naval operation to capture the Dardanelles Strait during his tenure as First Lord of the Admiralty, and the damage to the British economy during his tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Especially after the First World War, neither the public nor the government believed that another war would break out in the short term, but Churchill went against the tide by continuously warning of the threat posed by Nazi Germany and Hitler during the ten years before the outbreak of World War II, which made him even more unpopular.

Before Germany officially invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, Chamberlain's "appeasement policy" had been the mainstream ideology in British politics. Both Britain and France hoped to achieve a ceasefire with Nazi Germany through negotiations and treaties. As depicted in the movie, despite reluctantly declaring war on Germany and witnessing the surrender of the Netherlands and Belgium, numerous individuals in British politics underestimated Hitler's ambitions and held fantasies about negotiating with him.

From May 10, 1940, when Churchill formed his cabinet, to June 3, when the Dunkirk evacuation ended, it can indeed be called the "darkest hour" for Churchill and modern Britain. Britain not only encountered the successive surrender of its European allies but also grappled with the looming prospect of losing the bulk of its army at Dunkirk. As we can see in the movie "Dunkirk," the British and French forces trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk were surrounded by the German army from land, sea, and air. Initially, the Churchill government's estimation was that if they could successfully evacuate one-tenth of their forces, it would be deemed a success.

Under the requisition of civilian ships and the firepower cover of the Royal Air Force, the combined British and French forces were able to evacuate from the beaches of Dunkirk with 330,000 troops. Nevertheless, France's surrender left the United Kingdom as the sole nation to resist the invasion of Nazi Germany in the entirety of Western Europe.

In January 2017, ITV launched the British drama series "The Halcyon," which connected all the major events from Neville Chamberlain's resignation to the "Battle of Britain" during the 1940s.

After the Dunkirk evacuation, Hitler commanded the German Air Force to launch the largest aerial battle in World War II against Britain. The main plot of "The Halcyon" takes place during the "Battle of Britain" period. In the series, the capital city of London constantly faces bombings from German aircraft, and multiple air-raid shelters are established in the urban area. Whenever the air-raid alarm sounded, people had to swiftly seek shelter in the nearest air-raid shelter. This reality portrayed in the series is not dramatized; historically, from September 7th to November 3rd, 1940, German forces bombed London for 57 consecutive days, sending an average of 200 aircraft per night, and even Buckingham Palace was not spared from the bombings.

The Halcyon played an important role in London during this period, becoming a centre for gathering and spreading information. In "The Halcyon," various themes were explored, including British elites with pro-German sentiments, the determined resistance from air force soldiers, the tragic plight of Jewish refugees, the wavering neutral stance of the United States, and the optimistic and composed attitude of Londoners who continued to work and live normally despite enduring intense air raids. It wasn't until October 1941 that Nazi Germany halted its attacks on Britain, partly due to the excessive loss of aircraft in aerial battles and the formulation of plans to invade the Soviet Union, marking the end of the Battle of Britain.

In "Darkest Hour," there is a scene where Churchill calls President Roosevelt from the bathroom, requesting support but receiving no response. In reality, in order to facilitate the evacuation, the British army abandoned a large number of weapons and supplies at Dunkirk. By the end of 1940, Britain's foreign exchange reserves were also nearly depleted. Fortunately, during the Battle of Britain, Churchill, with Roosevelt's assistance, successfully persuaded the U.S. Congress, securing substantial military aid from the United States. They also jointly signed the "Atlantic Charter." It was also during the Battle of Britain that Hitler declared war on the Soviet Union, causing Churchill to temporarily set aside his anti-communist stance and form an alliance with the Soviet Union, laying the foundation for the future comprehensive anti-fascist alliance.

Winston Churchill's exceptional oratory skills are also showcased in "Darkest Hour," with his two famous speeches in the House of Commons being brilliantly portrayed. In comparison to the Nobel Prize-winning genius orator, the speech delivered by King George VI of Britain at the end of 1939, overcoming his stammer, also holds significant importance in British World War II history. The Oscar-winning film "The King's Speech" recounts the story of George VI's experience and its impact.

King George VI is also an integral figure in British World War II history. As mentioned earlier, Buckingham Palace was also bombed during the Battle of Britain, but George VI and his queen refused the Cabinet's advice to "leave Britain," which greatly inspired the morale of the people to fight against Nazi Germany. "Darkest Hour" briefly touches upon the friction and origins between the royal family and Churchill. To explore this topic in depth, one would need to watch the next show that delves deeper into this dynamic.

After World War II: Season 1 of "The Crown"

Netflix's highly acclaimed series "The Crown" is a must-watch for audiences interested in understanding British history. Although the series revolves around the current Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, the first season primarily focuses on the events leading up to her ascension to the throne, making it an excellent educational resource for learning about Britain's involvement in World War II.

Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the British monarchy was already facing turmoil. King Edward VIII reigned for merely 325 days before abdicating the throne in order to marry Wallis Simpson, who was divorced. The "king who loved the woman but not the crown" caused a constitutional crisis in Britain. Since Edward VIII had no heirs, his younger brother, King George VI, who had a speech impediment, reluctantly assumed the throne. (Edward VIII also made an appearance as the Prince of Wales in Season 4 of "Downton Abbey," where he danced with Lady Rose, played by Lily James, who later portrayed Churchill's secretary in "Darkest Hour.")

During the period when Edward VIII was negotiating his marriage to Simpson with the Church of England and the British government, Winston Churchill was one of the few parliamentary members who supported the Duke of Windsor. This support led King George VI to hold a grudge against Churchill.

The first season of "The Crown" began in 1951. In that year, five years after stepping down as wartime Prime Minister, Churchill returned to become the Prime Minister once again. In the following years, King George VI passed away and Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne. Churchill played the role of a mentor to the Queen, aiding in a smooth transition for the royal family. In the ten episodes, we can see the alternating appearances of Churchill, the Duke of Windsor, and the next British Prime Minister, Robert Anthony Eden (who also appeared in "Darkest Hour"). More importantly, we can see the profound impact of World War II on British society. While Britain emerged victorious in the war with assistance from the United States, the Second World War profoundly devastated Britain. This resulted in the replacement of its global status and influence by the United States, as well as the collapse of its overseas colonial rule.

In the later part of the first season of "The Crown," the birth of nuclear weapons and the Cold War between the two major camps in the world began to emerge. The second season of "The Crown" provides history enthusiasts with a new perspective on examining the Western world during the Cold War period.