Churchill speech in Darkest Hour receives 'extraordinary' standing ovations in cinemas

 It has gone down in history as one of the most rousing speeches of all time.

Sir Winston Churchill’s call to “fight on the beaches” has lost none of its power, it seems, as cinema-goers report a spate of spontaneous standing ovations at the conclusion of new biopic Darkest Hour.

The film, starring Gary Oldman as Churchill, is said to be inspiring patriotic fervour around the country and even in the United States, as audiences react to the recreation of the famous Second World War oration with an “extraordinary” show of clapping.

Fans of the film have speculated that the reaction is down to both the appreciation of the film and an acknowledgement of the British war effort, with one suggesting it captured a “Dunkirk Spirit coming out” in 2018.

Eric Fellner, co-chairman of Working Title Films and producer of Darkest Hour, said filmmakers had received numerous “surprising” reports of audiences breaking into applause, admitting it “very rarely happens”.

Darkest Hour ends with Oldman delivering Churchill’s House of Commons speech of June 4, 1940, responding to the Dunkirk evacuation and vowing: “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.”

Asked about standing ovations and applause in ordinary cinemas, Fellner said: “It has been reported back to us, not only here but in America, and across the whole of the country not just in the big metropolitan areas.

“We’ve been hearing it a lot. It’s very surprising. It very rarely happens other than at the premiere or special screenings of the films, so it’s quite extraordinary.

“It’s completely unusual, totally unusual.

“When we decided to make the film it was two years ago. We made the film because we believed it was a fascinating piece of history that most people don’t know the detail of, that it was incredibly engaging and exciting in the way it was going to be told, and it was entertaining.

"Those were the reasons for making it.

“However, since then, the world has changed politically. We’ve had Brexit, we’ve had Trump, we’ve had all sorts of volcanic political and social eruptions and I think we’ve just hit a zeitgeist where people are fascinated by and feeling a need for leadership.

“This story goes beyond the reasons for which we made it, and now it’s playing into those themes.”

David Cowgill, from Knutsford, told the Telegraph: “Our small local cinema was packed and, at the end, a large section of the audience applauded.

“I asked myself if they were showing appreciation of a good film or was it the Dunkirk Spirit coming out.

“My gut reaction says it was the latter.”

Patricia Eastwood, from Skipton, reported a similar phenomenon across the pond.

“It is particularly poignant in light of recent events that I have been told by an American friend that the whole theatre stood up and applauded at the end of Darkest Hour so great was their admiration for Winston Churchill and the British war effort,” she wrote to this newspaper.

“Also that speaks volumes about the film.”

One British cinemagoers wrote Twitter: “First time I have seen a film that has the audience clapping at the end. Darkest Hour is amazing and Oldman is outstanding as Churchill.”

A film fan in Arizona used social media to share that he was “choking back tears” after loud applause as the credits rolled, while US film critic J Don Birnam‏ noted: “Darkest Hour is one of the movies that are still getting sustained applause at guild screenings I have attended.

“I think it appeals to older audiences which means expect a smattering of Oscar love. And Oldman has it #oscars2017”

Phil Clapp, chief executive of UK Cinema Association, said members had not yet reported data on the frequency of applause or standing ovations, as Darkest Hour has only been in UK cinemas for a matter of days.

"It’s fair to say that such audience reaction to a particular film is not that common these days and where it has happened has tended to be at films with a ready-made fan base,” he said. “So we heard a lot of reports of fans clapping and cheering when familiar Star Wars characters appeared on screen in The Force Awakens a couple of years back, for example.

“But clearly cinemas want audiences to be as engaged with what’s happening on the big screen as possible, and if that includes clapping and cheering during the film or as the credits roll, then all good.”