Second World War

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Others (2001)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Others film poster- Nicole kidman holding a lamp looking scared. The others written on top on a black background

The Others © Cruise/Wagner Productions

Directed by: Alejandro Amenabar

The Lime Walk, Penshurst Place- misty forest with trees

The Lime Walk, Penshurst Place © Cruise/Wagner Productions

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Alakina Mann, James Bentley, Eric Sykes

Production Company: Cruise/Wagner Productions, Sogecine, Las Producciones del Escorpión, Dimension Films, Canal+, Lucky Red, Miramax 

Kent Locations Used: Penshurst Place 

The Others is a supernatural thriller set in Jersey after the Second World War about a woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children and becomes convinced it is haunted.

The film features Nicole Kidman (The Golden Compass, Moulin Rouge), Fionnula Flanagan (Four Brothers, Tears of the Sun), Christopher Eccleston (Elizabeth, The Invisible Circus), Alakina Mann (Girl With the Pearl Earring), James Bentley (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Imperium: Nero) and Eric Sykes (Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire). 

The Lime Walk at Penshurst Place was used for the scene where Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) is walking to the local village through the fog, and coincidently bumps into her husband who has returned from the war. Penshurst Place has previously welcomed other productions such as The Hollow Crown- Henry V (2012), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and Merlin (2008).

The Others was released in cinemas in November 2001 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

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