Chartwell

Darkest Hour (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Gary Oldman in his role as Chrurchill giving the Victory sign in parliament in the film the Darkest Hour (2017)

Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour (2017) Photo by Jack English © 2017 FOCUS FEATURES LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


Writer: Anthony McCarten

Director: Joe Wright

Starring: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, Samuel West

Production Company: Wanda Pictures and Working Title Films

Kent Locations Used: Fort Amherst and Chartwell House

Darkest Hour is a war drama that follows Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) as he becomes Prime Minister at the start of the Second World War. Churchill is faced with a tough decision: negotiate with Adolf Hitler, who rages war across Europe, or fight and risk many British lives.

Darkest Hour is written by Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) and directed by Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice). The film stars Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises), Lily James (Cinderella), Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One), Kristin Scott Thomas (Only God Forgives), Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones), Ronald Pickup (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Samuel West (Suffragette) and many others.

Several scenes from the production were filmed at Fort Amherst which itself was used during World War II as an Air Raid Warning command post. Fort Amherst has tunnels that have featured in many films, such as Jekyll and Hyde (2015).

Other scenes were filmed in the grounds of Chartwell House, Churchill’s former home. Set in delightful gardens, Chartwell is a National Trust property in Westerham and the rooms remain much as they were when Churchill lived there. Chartwell has previously been used as a film location by productions such as Flog It! (2014) and The Gathering Storm (2002).

Darkest Hour will be released in the UK on 12th January 2018.

See Darkest Hour trailer here:

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Churchill’s Secret (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Churchill's Secret - Michael Gambon as Winston Churchill holding a cigar

Churchill’s Secret – Michael Gambon as Winston Churchill © ITV

Director: Charles Sturridge

Writer: Jonathan Smith (Novel), Stewart Harcourt (Adaption)

Starring: Michael Gambon, Lindsay Duncan, Romola Garai, Matthew Macfadyen, Daisy Lewis, Daisy Lewis, Rachael Stirling, Tara Fitzgerald

Production Company: Daybreak Pictures, Masterpiece

Kent Locations: Chartwell, Westerham

Set in 1953, ITV’s Churchill’s Secret is a feature length drama which tells the little known story of Winston Churchill’s (Michael Gambon) second time as Prime Minister when he suffered a life-threatening stroke, which is kept from the public.

Based on Jonathan Smith’s book, The Churchill Secret: KBO, the drama is told from the perspective of Churchill’s family, his doctor and young Nurse, Millie Appleyard (Romola Garai). Whilst his political peers plot his succession, family tensions surface when his long suffering wife, Clemmie (Lindsay Duncan) calls his children to visit him at his  Chartwell home in Kent, unsure if he will survive.

Michael Gambon (Harry Potter series, Gosford Park) plays Sir Winston Churchill with a supporting cast including Lindsay Duncan (Birdman, Alice in Wonderland), Romola Garai (The Hour, Emma), Matthew Macfadyen (Ripper Street, Anna Karenina), Daisy Lewis (Downton Abbey, Pusher), Rachael Stirling (Snow White and the Huntsman, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) and Tara Fitzgerald (Game of Thrones, Legend).

The film is adapted by Stewart Harcourt (Treasure Island, Dracula) and directed by Charles Sturridge (Gulliver’s Travels, Lassie).

Chartwell was the real life Churchill family home from 1924 until Winston Churchill’s death in 1965 and was naturally chosen by the production to feature as the Churchill home. Exteriors of the house and garden were filmed on location at Chartwell, whilst the interiors were recreated at West London Film Studios.

Set in delightful gardens, Chartwell is a National Trust property in Westerham and the rooms remain much as they were when Churchill lived there. Chartwell has previously been used as a film location by productions such as Flog It! (2014) and The Gathering Storm (2002).

Churchill’s Secret will be shown on ITV1 on Sunday 28th February 2016 at 20:00.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

 

Flog It! (2014)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

 

Presenter Paul Martin wear a blue suit and stands leaning on a wooden banister of a staircase

Paul Martin in Flog It! ©BBC

 

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations: Chiddingstone Castle, Chartwell

Flog It! is a BBC One programme where members of the public bring their antiques to be examined and valued by a team of experts, with an option to sell at auction.

Chiddingstone Castle and grounds

Chiddingstone Castle

The popular show is now in its thirteenth series and in July 2014, presenter and antiques dealer Paul Martin and the Flog It! team visited Kent’s Chiddingstone Castle where experts Thomas Plant and Adam Partridge find some fascinating antiques and collectables for members of the public to take to auction. Paul also pays a visit to Chartwell, the former home of Sir Winston Churchill.

Chiddingstone Castle is a delightful historic house near Edenbridge, set in 30 acres of parkland and boasting breath-taking views of the North Downs, a rose garden, woodland and a beautiful fishing lake. Chiddingstone Castle has previously featured in Bargain Hunt (2012) and nearby one-street Tudor village Chiddingstone has been used as a film location by productions such as  A Room With A View (1986) and Elizabeth R (1971).

Chartwell is a National Trust property set in delightful gardens and was the home to Winston Churchill from 1924 until his death in 1965. The location has previously been used by feature film The Gathering Storm (2002).

Don’t miss the Kent episode of Flog It! Which will be shown on Tuesday 9th December 2014 at 16:30 on BBC One.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

The Gathering Storm (2002)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Two actors staring at each other through an open door frame

The Gathering Storm © HBO Films and BBC Films

Director: Richard Loncraine

Starring: Albert Finney, Vanessa Redgrave, Jim Broadbent, Ronnie Barker, Hugh Bonneville, Tom Hiddleston

Production Company: HBO Films, BBC Films, Scott Free Productions

Kent Locations: Chartwell, Westerham

The Gathering Storm is a BBC-HBO co-produced film for TV about Winston Churchill in the years leading up to World War II. It’s emphasis is on the relationship between Winston and his wife Clementine, their financial problems and his struggle as an isolated backbench MP when warning Parliament about the coming of a second major war.

Chartwell House - red brick large house surrounded by greenery

Chartwell House © National Trust

Albert Finney (The Bourne Ultimatum, Erin Brockovich) plays Churchill and won a host of awards for his performance including a Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA.

Starring alongside Albert Finney are Vanessa Redgrave (Call the Midwife, Deep Impact), Jim Broadbent (Gangs of New York, Cloud Atlas), Ronnie Barker (Open All Hours, Porridge), Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, The Monuments Men) and Tom Hiddleston (Thor, War Horse).

Chartwell was the real life Churchill family home from 1924 until Winston Churchill’s death in 1965 and was therefore chosen by the production to feature in The Gathering Storm as his house and grounds.

Chartwell is a National Trust property in Westerham set in delightful gardens. The rooms remain much as they were when Churchill lived there. Other National Trust locations in Kent which have been used for filming include Scotney Castle which was used for BBC drama Hunted (2012), Knole House featured in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and The White Cliffs of Dover appeared in On a Clear Day (2005).

The Gathering Storm was shown in 2002 and is now available to buy on DVD.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.