Film review ‘The Darkest Hour’

Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one
pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst
form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.
(W. Churchill)

Representative democracy is a system where citizens of a country vote for

government representatives to handle legislation and ruling the country on their
behalf.
There are some common characteristics of representative democracy. When we
watch the movie "The Darkest Hour" we can see representative democracy in
action, its mechanisms, and meaning in the circumstances of Great Britain
during the Second World War.
In the face of the fascist threat, the British Parliament finally became
disillusioned with the incumbent Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. The
opposition Labor Party is demanding his resignation, arguing that he is unable
to lead the country at the moment. Here we are shown the right of parliament to
impose a lack of confidence in a government or a minister entailing the
resignation of a government or minister. Speaking about the real modern world,
in most states, the government and ministers are removed by the decree of the
president or monarch, based on parliamentary distrust. Doubts of the Labor
party became the reason for the election of a new prime minister. In my view,
this is the most appropriate scene in the film to illustrate what representative
democracy is. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the current
head of the state - King George VI - cannot make a decision on his own, and in
a democracy, all parties participate in decision-making.
Another point is the existence of the opposition - the Labor Party. This is a
common feature of democracy and we can see that it has a powerful voice in the
choice of prime minister in the film. If it had not been for the party's frustration
with Chamberlain during the war, Winston Churchill may not have become a
prime minister.
The film shows indirect democracy. This means that citizens have chosen
various representative bodies that govern the state on their behalf. Therefore,
the film shows a repeated number of scenes from a parliamentary meeting,
where everyone expresses their opinion, exchange information, and debate. It
should be noted that according to the film, the final decision of the strategy
against the German fascists rests with the Prime Minister.
Personally speaking, the most gripping and revealing scene throughout the film
is Winston Churchill's descent into the subway for the second time in his life.
He did this in a fit of despair, as he did not know what decision to make - to
start peace negotiations with Adolf Hitler to obtain the most favorable
conditions or to fight to the end. Ordinary townspeople on the subway
unanimously exclaimed that they were ready to fight to the last drop of blood.
And at that moment the Prime Minister had already made a decision. When it
comes to representative democracy, this scene is key. We clearly see that
ordinary citizens expressed their opinion, and Winston Churchill made the final
decision based on this since he was chosen by the British citizens and he is
obliged to represent their interests in the government.

The description of representative democracy in my essay is quite positive and it

seems that with such a government, everyone's opinion will be taken into
account and the world will be perfect.
Nevertheless, any political system has its drawbacks and limits. The main
question remains what freedom is and whether it exists in principle.
Some politicians, for example, liberals, raised the question of the tyranny of
democracy and asked questions about the imposition of moral principles on the
population.
Bertrand Russell British philosopher, logician, and public figure once said, ‘In a
democracy, fools have the right to vote; in a dictatorship, they can rule’. It is
obvious that the meaning of this quote can be interpreted in different ways.
From my point of view, we can connect it to the movie and the condition of the
War. On the one hand, in a democracy, the decision consists of the votes of all
citizens. But in conditions of war, when it is necessary to make a decision on
which the lives of thousands of people depend, can people without military
education and strategic thinking make such decisions? To my mind, these are
the limits of democracy. On the other hand, the head of the state cannot always
correctly assess the situation and make the right decision. One person cannot
decide the fate of the entire population of the country and he needs different
opinions and people who control him.
Some hold the hopeful stance that governments can and will carry out the ‘will
of the people’ as soon as we elect the right people into government, but in my
opinion, this is wishful thinking as the limits of implementing the ‘will of the
people’ will always be set by the functioning of the economy. Also, I believe
that in the modern world the government will always be beholden to business. It
is worth asking whether democracy at all is what this definition implies.

To sum up, the movie ‘The Darkest Hour’ shows us the modes, mechanisms,
and meanings of representative democracy at work. We have been able to look
at only a small fraction of representative democracy in action, but even so, it is
clear what it is and how it works. Of course, there are many types of democracy
and each has its own nuances. I can't say for sure if this type of government is
the best, but it definitely has its advantages. As I said, representative democracy
has its limits and everything should be in moderation and under control.
Personally, the film helped me in an entertainment format to understand how
this system works.