The phrase is found several times in books, often specifically referring to the deepest hour of need, or the darkest hour of night. You're welcome to peruse the several examples shown there, but I'll list my favorite, from a book called Chance published in 1921:
I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it seemed the theater was filled with others who were already fans of Churchill - many of them looked old enough to have followed his career in real time :) - but anyone who was not or who is not otherwise a real history nut, may have found themselves a little bored.
The intent of the film was to cover a very short period in history - the darkest hour - during which people were called on to make decisions that would change the course of history for an entire world. It did that well if you ask me, but the film suffers a bit at several points.
Secondly, the movie centers around an event in history that is already covered in great detail in another great film from the same year. The films tell quite different stories about that event, but I have heard people make the comparison. If this film is judged based on how well it tells the story from the other film, it will not hold up.
The Darkest HourOriginalOfficial ReprintGeneralAuthor:Cherith Baldry[1]Cover artist:Wayne McLoughlin,[2] Owen Richardson[3]Jacket designer:Karin Paprocki,[2] Ellice Lee[3]Interior artist:Owen Richardson[4]Audiobook narrator:MacLeod Andrews[5]DetailsPublish date:5 October 2004[6]Identification:ISBN 0060525851Editions:Hardcover, paperback, e-book, audiobook,[6] audio CD[7]SummaryThunderClan's darkest hour is upon them, and Firestar must protect his Clan from a threat unlike any the forest has every seen, as the time comes for prophecies to unfold and heroes to rise.ResourcesChapter-by-chapter notes
Allegiances
Character list
Minor characters
The Darkest Hour is the sixth book in The Prophecies Begin arc, formerly known as the Original arc.[6] Firestar is the cat depicted on the original and reprinted cover.[9][10] It features Firestar as the main protagonist, and Tigerstar is featured in the prologue.
Two decades after the Yugoslav Wars, a group of veterans gather at a remote mountain hotel to undergo therapy. But in this volatile situation each wrong look or imprudent remark can trigger a new conflict. An intense drama, boasting a cast of top Balkan actors.
During the early days of World War II, with the fall of France imminent, Britain faces its darkest hour as the threat of invasion looms. While manoeuvring his political rivals, the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill must confront the ultimate choice: negotiate with Hitler and save the British people at a terrible cost or rally the nation and fight on against incredible odds.
In this unconventional love story, two introverted people, both workers at a meat-processing plant, find out by chance that they share the same dream every night. Although puzzled and frightened at first, they begin to accept this strange coincidence and try to recreate what happens in their shared subconscious.
Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox) returns with another bombshell animation, packed with social commentary, deadpan humour and Japanese pop culture, and voiced by a stellar cast, including Yoko Ono. Berlin Silver Bear for Best Director.
In Gaza, young social media activists have attracted huge audiences posting images of what it is like to live under war. One of those Instagram personalities spent years building his following with feel-good videos about life in Gaza until his darkest hour came at a moment of celebration in Israel. NPR's Daniel Estrin and our producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, bring us his story. And we'll note it contains graphic descriptions of casualties.
ESTRIN: He is 30-year-old Ibrahim Hassouna. I've followed him on Instagram for years, and I recognized him at a cafe a few years ago on a reporting trip to Gaza. At the time, he worked with restaurants and businesses promoting their brands. His videos were all smiles and laughter.
ESTRIN: Those two videos were from October 6, 2023. The next day, Hamas attacked Israel, then Israel attacked Gaza, and Kazanova's world was forever changed. NPR's producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, met him last week.
ESTRIN: Kazanova says, "I tend to spread positive energy, but when the war started, there was no positive energy." He, his mom and dad, his brother, his sister-in-law and his two twin nieces fled Gaza City and fled again and again as Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets instructing Palestinians to evacuate farther and farther south for their own safety. He still tried to cheer up his family and his followers on Instagram.
ESTRIN: He says, "we're here for a change of atmosphere." They buy two cauliflowers in the market and smile as they hitch a ride on a horse-drawn cart back to where they're sheltering. But all that was the Instagram version of the day. Off-camera...
ESTRIN: ...He says it was hard to enjoy the cauliflower meal. The wartime price of two cauliflowers was as much as what an entire meal used to cost. His mom said she didn't feel like going out to the market anymore. Then last weekend his mom bought four chickens, but he went to sleep at a friend's house, so she promised to wait for him for their first chicken meal in months.
ESTRIN: One body was without a head, but he recognized his dad's finger. He looked in the second bag and saw one side of his mother's face, the side he would see sleeping near her every night where they were sheltering. Another bag had pieces of his brother. He spent hours collecting the remains of his family.
ESTRIN: Little Susan he identified by the small purse she always slept with. The Israeli strikes that had killed his family were part of an Israeli special forces operation. Two Israeli hostages, 61 and 70 years old, captured by Hamas on October 7, were freed. The military says it unleashed massive airstrikes as a diversion to provide the special ops forces with cover. The operation was celebrated in Israel as a rare win, a ray of light with so many other hostages still held in Gaza.
ESTRIN: Kazanova considers the Israeli perspective. He says, "you wanted to retrieve two elderly prisoners. It's their right. Aren't they humans? They're humans. And a child is also a human. Just as you want to recognize the rights of the human whose life you want to save, you destroyed the lives of many people who had nothing to do with the whole war." Kazanova considers the big picture - the attack from Gaza on Israel October 7 and Israel's response - and says on both sides, there were many things that could have been handled more appropriately. His voice quivers.
ESTRIN: He says, "now I'm by myself. There's no one. I'm speaking to you from a cemetery. I can't even smell my mother's smell, hear my father's voice, check up on my brother, play with the younger ones. A nightmare you can wake up from. But this you can't wake up from. Why should I live my life without a family?"
ESTRIN: Kazanova says, "the darkness will be in my heart, not on the outside. I'll continue to spread happiness, goodness and hope." He says it's something his mother taught him. He has the phrase my mom tattooed in Arabic on his wrist.
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