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Darkest Hour (film)

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This article is about the 2017 war drama film. For the 2011 science fiction film, see The Darkest Hour (film).
Not to be confused with the film Churchill, also released in 2017.

Darkest Hour
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoe Wright
Written byAnthony McCarten
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBruno Delbonnel
Edited byValerio Bonelli
Music byDario Marianelli
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 1 September 2017 (2017-09-01) (Telluride)
  • 22 November 2017 (2017-11-22) (United States)
  • 12 January 2018 (2018-01-12) (United Kingdom)
Running time
125 minutes[2]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million[5]
Box office$150.8 million[6]

Darkest Hour is a 2017 British biographical war drama film directed by Joe Wright and written by Anthony McCarten. It stars Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, in his early days as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War and the May 1940 war cabinet crisis. The cast also includes Kristin Scott Thomas as Clementine Churchill, Lily James as Elizabeth Layton, Stephen Dillane as Viscount Halifax, Ronald Pickup as Neville Chamberlain, and Ben Mendelsohn as King George VI. The title of the film refers to a phrase describing the early days of the war, widely attributed to Churchill.

Darkest Hour had its world premiere at the 44th Telluride Film Festival on 1 September 2017.[7] It began a limited release in the US on 22 November 2017, followed by a wide release on 22 December, and was released on 12 January 2018 in the UK.[8] The film grossed $150 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics, who particularly lauded Oldman's performance and deemed it one of the best of his career. Darkest Hour received several accolades, including Best Actor for Oldman at the Academy Awards, the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, and the SAG Awards.[9][10]

Plot

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In May 1940, the opposition Labour Party in Parliament demand the resignation of British prime minister Neville Chamberlain for being too weak in the face of the Nazi onslaught. Conservative Party colleagues want Lord Halifax as his successor, but Halifax does not feel it is his time. Chamberlain chooses the only man whom the opposition will accept as leader of a national government: Winston Churchill, who had correctly predicted the danger from Adolf Hitler before the war but has a poor reputation in Parliament.

As Germany invades the Low Countries, Churchill is brusque with his new secretary Elizabeth Layton for mishearing him, which earns him a rebuke from his wife Clementine. King George VI, who is skeptical of Churchill due to his actions during the abdication crisis, reluctantly invites him to form a government. Churchill includes Chamberlain as Lord President of the Council and Halifax as Foreign Secretary.

Parliament reacts coolly to Churchill's first speech promising "Blood, toil, tears, and sweat". Chamberlain and Halifax are appalled by Churchill's refusal to negotiate for peace and plan to resign from the government to force a vote of no confidence, creating a situation in which Halifax would likely become prime minister. Churchill visits French prime minister Paul Reynaud, who thinks that Churchill is delusional for not admitting that the Allies are losing the Battle of France, while Churchill is furious that the French do not have a plan to counterattack. Although US president Franklin Roosevelt is sympathetic to Churchill's plight, his actions are limited by an isolationist Congress and the Neutrality Acts.

Churchill draws ire from his cabinet and advisers for delivering a radio address in which he falsely implies the Allies are advancing in France, earning him a rebuke from the king. Halifax and Chamberlain continue to push to use Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Bastianini as an intermediary with Germany.

The British Expeditionary Force is trapped at Dunkirk and Calais, and Britain begins preparing for a German invasion. Against the advice of the War Cabinet, Churchill orders Brigadier Nicholson in Calais to lead the 30th Infantry Brigade to distract the enemy and buy time for the evacuation of soldiers from Dunkirk. The debacle in France causes the War Cabinet to support negotiating with Germany. Under heavy pressure, Churchill agrees to consider a negotiated peace but chokes on the words as he tries to dictate a letter requesting talks.

George VI unexpectedly visits Churchill, explaining that he has come to support Churchill to continue the war. Churchill's idea to have "civilian boats" evacuate troops from Dunkirk, Operation Dynamo, is initiated. Still uncertain, Churchill impulsively rides the London Underground (for the first time in his life) and asks startled passengers their opinions; they all want to continue to fight Hitler. Churchill addresses the Outer Cabinet and other members of Parliament and finds they, too, have little or no desire to surrender.

As Churchill prepares to address Parliament, Halifax asks Chamberlain to continue with their plan to resign, but Chamberlain decides first to listen to the address. Finishing his speech, Churchill proclaims "we shall fight on the beaches" should the Germans invade, to resounding support from the Opposition, while the Conservative MPs behind him sit silently, until Chamberlain mops his brow with his handkerchief, a prearranged signal that they should support the PM. Churchill exits the Chamber to cheers and enthusiastic waving of Order Papers.

A textual epilogue reveals that almost all the soldiers trapped at Dunkirk were successfully evacuated; Chamberlain died six months later; Halifax was reassigned to a posting in Washington, D.C., and Churchill was voted out of office shortly after the end of World War II in Europe.

Cast

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David Strathairn provides the voice of President Roosevelt, heard on a telephone call with Churchill.

This was the final film role for Whitrow, who died after the September premiere of the film.

Production

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Development and casting

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On 5 February 2015, it was announced that Working Title Films had acquired Darkest Hour, a speculative screenplay by The Theory of Everything screenwriter Anthony McCarten, about Winston Churchill in the early days of the Second World War.[11]

On 29 March 2016, it was reported that Joe Wright was in talks to direct the film.[12] In April 2016, Gary Oldman was reported to be in talks to play Churchill.[13] On 6 September 2016, it was announced that Focus Features would release the film in the United States on 24 November 2017, while Ben Mendelsohn was set to play King George VI and Kristin Scott Thomas was cast as Clementine Churchill.[8] On 8 November 2016, Stephen Dillane joined the cast.[14] John Hurt was initially cast as Neville Chamberlain, but dropped the role in pre-production as he was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer; Hurt died in January 2017.[15][16] Ronald Pickup assumed the role of Chamberlain instead.[17]

Filming

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Filming took place at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, as well as at Manchester Town Hall, to portray the Houses of Parliament.

By November 2016, Darkest Hour had begun principal photography,[18] and it was reported that Dario Marianelli would score the film.[19] For his role as Churchill, Oldman spent over 200 hours having make-up applied, and smoked over 400 cigars (worth about $20,000) during filming.[20][5] Filming took place in Manchester, England, at both the Town Hall and John Rylands Library, both doubling for the Houses of Parliament and featuring heavily in the film.[21]

For locations, the exterior of Chartwell House near Westerham, Kent (Churchill's actual country home), was used for the telegram sequence that sees Churchill's secretary Elizabeth Layton receive a telegram from Buckingham Palace. Fort Amherst in Kent featured as the location for both General Ramsay's Operations HQ and the Calais Garrison. For the interior of Buckingham Palace, Wentworth Woodhouse in Wentworth, South Yorkshire, was used.[22]

Interior of 1959 Driving Motor No.1030, as used in the film.

Filming also took place at Warner Bros Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire for the scene where Churchill gets onto the London Underground, with a 1959 stock train hired from Mangapps Railway Museum in Essex.

Reception

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Box office

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Darkest Hour grossed $56.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $93.8 million in other countries (including $33.4 million in the UK), for a worldwide total of $150.2 million.[6]

In the United States and Canada, the film began a limited release on 22 November 2017. In its first five days, it grossed $246,761 from four theatres (an average of $61,690), finishing 21st at the box office over the weekend.[23][24] The film had its wide release on 22 December 2017, alongside the openings of Downsizing, Pitch Perfect 3, and Father Figures, and the wide release of The Shape of Water, and grossed $3.9 million from 804 theatres over that weekend, and $5.5 million over the four-day Christmas frame.[25] 85% of its audience was over the age of 25, with 30% being 50 or older.[26] The following weekend, the film made $5.5 million, and a total of $7 million over the four-day New Years frame.[27] The weekend of 27 January 2018, following the announcement of the film's six Oscar nominations, it made $2.1 million.[28]

Critical response

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Oldman's performance as Winston Churchill earned him his first Academy Award for Best Actor.

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 317 reviews, with an average score of 7.3/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Darkest Hour is held together by Gary Oldman's electrifying performance, which brings Winston Churchill to life even when the movie's narrative falters."[29] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating to reviews, the film has a normalised score of 75 out of 100, based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30] PostTrak reported that over 90% of audience members gave the film a rating of either "excellent" or "very good".[24]

Oldman was praised for his performance, with numerous critics labelling him a frontrunner to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, which he went on to win.[31] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "Get busy engraving Oldman's name on an Oscar... those fearing that Darkest Hour is nothing but a dull tableau of blowhard stuffed shirts will be relieved to know that they're in for a lively, provocative historical drama that runs on its own nonstop creative fire".[32] David Ehrlich of IndieWire praised Wright's direction and the musical score, writing: "Unfolding with the clockwork precision of a Broadway play... it's a deliciously unsubtle testament to the power of words and their infinite capacity to inspire".[33] Damon Wise of the Radio Times described the film as a "near-perfect companion piece" to Dunkirk, concluding: "Wright's forceful direction depicts not so much a hero as a principled man snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Certain engineered Hollywood moments dilute the overall impact, including a twee meet and greet on a Tube train, but Oldman is never less than sensational."[34]

Conversely, Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com called the film "an acting exercise weighed down by costumes, make-up, and over-lighting", adding that "there's nothing new to the approach. It feels often like an obligation – a story that someone felt should be told again and a way to get a great actor his Oscar".[35] Writing for GQ, Stuart McGurk described it as "a bad film. It's not terrible, it's just, well, not good. It's the kind of film you'd watch on Netflix if it was raining, or on an iPad if it was the only film on the iPad, or on TV if you'd lost the remote. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is director Joe Wright, who never met a script he didn't dumb-down." However, McGurk also praised Oldman, continuing: "despite all this, Gary Oldman winning for Best Actor is well deserved [...] genuinely unrecognizable, his Churchill somehow both less growly but more grave. In short, he plays the character not the caricature."[36]

Awards and honours

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Main article: List of accolades received by Darkest Hour (film)

Home media

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Darkest Hour was released on digital streaming platforms on 6 February 2018,[37] and on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD Blu-ray on 12 June 2018.[38]

Historical accuracy

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Writing in Slate, historian and academic John Broich called Darkest Hour "a piece of historical fiction that undertakes a serious historical task", presenting the British decision to fight Hitler as a choice rather than an inevitability. The situation in 1940 was as dire as depicted, but liberties were taken with the facts. The shouting matches over possible peace negotiations are a dramatic exaggeration of the May 1940 War Cabinet Crisis. Churchill's journey on the London Underground was also fictional, and there is evidence that many British people were not immediately inspired by his speeches.[39]

There is no conclusive evidence that Chamberlain and Viscount Halifax were planning an imminent vote of no confidence, though that threat existed until the mid-war victories in North Africa. It is a fact that Churchill was an object of suspicion for his fellow Tories.[39] The Labour Party confirmed that they would serve in a national government under a leader other than Chamberlain, but would have been prepared to serve under Halifax.[40]

In The New Yorker, Adam Gopnik wrote: "in late May of 1940, when the Conservative grandee Lord Halifax challenged Churchill, insisting that it was still possible to negotiate a deal with Hitler, through the good offices of Mussolini, it was the steadfast anti-Nazism of Attlee and his Labour colleagues that saved the day – a vital truth badly underdramatized in the current Churchill-centric film, Darkest Hour".[41] This criticism was echoed by Adrian Smith, emeritus professor of modern history at the University of Southampton, who wrote in the New Statesman that the film was "yet again overlooking Labour's key role at the most dangerous moment in this country's history ... in May 1940 its leaders gave Churchill the unequivocal support he needed when refusing to surrender. Ignoring Attlee's vital role is just one more failing in a deeply flawed film".[42]

The film gives the impression that both Clementine Churchill and the King listened to Churchill's 'beaches' speech on the radio as Churchill delivered it. In reality, radio broadcasts from Parliament did not start until the 1970s. Churchill recorded the speech for posterity in 1949. Nor did he, like he did with some other speeches, repeat that speech on the radio shortly after giving it in Parliament. The 'beaches' speech was first delivered on 4 June 1940 – after the Dunkirk evacuation – not on 28 May 1940, as suggested by the film.[43][44]

Elizabeth Layton did not become Churchill's secretary until a year after the events of the film. She also tells Churchill that her brother was killed during the retreat to Dunkirk, which is a fictional detail.[45]

Possible sequel

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Oldman stated in February 2018 that there was talk of making a sequel to Darkest Hour that might include Franklin D. Roosevelt and take place in 1945 during the Yalta Conference.[46]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Darkest Hour". Universal Pictures UK. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Darkest Hour". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Darkest Hour (2017)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b Ritman, Alex (12 December 2017). "How 'Darkest Hour's' Grand Transformation of Gary Oldman Into Winston Churchill Took $20,000 Worth of Cigars". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Darkest Hour". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  7. ^ Hammond, Pete (31 August 2017). "'Darkest Hour', 'Battle of the Sexes', 'Lady Bird' Among World Premieres in 2017 Lineup – Telluride Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  8. ^ a b McNary, Dave (6 September 2016). "Gary Oldman's Winston Churchill Film 'Darkest Hour' Gets Release Date, Rounds Out Cast". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  9. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (11 December 2017). "Golden Globe Nominations: Complete List". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  10. ^ "The Shape of Water leads Bafta nominations". BBC News. 9 January 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  11. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (5 February 2015). "'Theory of Everything's Anthony McCarten & Working Title Set Winston Churchill WWII Epic". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  12. ^ Jaafar, Ali (29 March 2016). "Joe Wright in Talks To Direct Winston Churchill Pic For Working Title". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  13. ^ McNary, Dave (14 April 2016). "Gary Oldman in Talks to Play Winston Churchill in 'Darkest Hour'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  14. ^ Lodderhose, Diana (8 November 2016). "Stephen Dillane Joins Working Title's Churchill WWII Epic 'Darkest Hour' As Production Begins in UK". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  15. ^ Babbage, Rachel (16 May 2017). "John Hurt won't appear in Darkest Hour, what was thought to be his final film". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  16. ^ Barbage, Rachel (16 May 2017). "John Hurt won't appear in Darkest Hour, what was thought to be his final film". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  17. ^ McNary, Dave (6 September 2016). "Gary Oldman's Winston Churchill Film 'Darkest Hour' Gets Release Date, Rounds Out Cast". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  18. ^ Raup, Jordan (3 November 2016). "First Look: Gary Oldman Thoroughly Transforms into Winston Churchill in 'Darkest Hour'". The Film Stage. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  19. ^ filmmusicreporter (8 November 2016). "Dario Marianelli to Score Joe Wright's 'Darkest Hour'". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  20. ^ Busch, Anita (29 March 2017). "Gary Oldman Spent 200 Hours in Make-Up Chair To Become Winston Churchill In 'Darkest Hour'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  21. ^ Chapman, Stephen (18 January 2018). "Manchester looms large in Darkest Hour". Prolific North. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  22. ^ Kent Film Office (9 January 2018). "Kent Film Office Darkest Hour Article (2018)". Kent Film Office. Kent County Council. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  23. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (26 November 2017). "Thanksgiving B.O. At $268M, +3% Over 2016 Spurred By 'Coco' & Holdovers – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  24. ^ a b Brooks, Brian (26 November 2017). "'Call Me By Your Name' Scores Year's Best Average Opener At $101K; 'Darkest Hour' Has Robust Start – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 26 November 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (24 December 2017). "Last Jedi' Lords Over Christmas Weekend B.O. With $100M+ As 'Jumanji' Roars $65M+ & 'Pitch Perfect 3' Sings $27M". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  26. ^ McClintock, Pamela (22 January 2018). "Box Office: 'Darkest Hour' Conquers U.S., Pulls Ahead of 'Lady Bird'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  27. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (31 December 2017). "'Last Jedi' Has Upper Hand Over 'Jumanji' In New Year's Weekend Duel As 2017 B.O. Closes With $11.1B – Monday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  28. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (28 January 2018). "Fox Controls Close To 40% Of Weekend B.O. Led By 'Maze Runner' & Oscar Holdovers; 'Hostiles' Gallops Past $10M". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  29. ^ "Darkest Hour (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  30. ^ "Darkest Hour Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  31. ^ Nolfi, Joey (2 September 2017). "Darkest Hour reviews hail Gary Oldman as Oscar frontrunner". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  32. ^ Travers, Peter (21 November 2017). "'Darkest Hour' Review: Gary Oldman Gives Us a Fearsome, Oscar-Worthy Churchill". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  33. ^ Ehrlich, David (2 September 2017). "'Darkest Hour' Review: Gary Oldman Makes Joe Wright's Biopic as Rousing and Ferocious as Winston Churchill Was Himself". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  34. ^ Wise, Damon. "Darkest Hour". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  35. ^ Tallerico, Brian (13 September 2017). "Darkest Hour". RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC. Archived from the original on 26 November 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  36. ^ McGurk, Stuart (5 February 2018). "Oscar-winning Gary Oldman is the master of being brilliant in bad movies". GQ. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  37. ^ "Darkest Hour (2017)". DVDs Release Dates. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  38. ^ Duarte, M. Enois (13 June 2018). "Darkest Hour – 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray". High-Def Digest. Internet Brands. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  39. ^ a b Broich, John (8 December 2017). "What's Fact and What's Fiction in Darkest Hour". Slate. The Slate Group. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  40. ^ Overy, Richard (17 January 2018). "How Churchill replaced Chamberlain". Gulf News. Al Nisr Publishing. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  41. ^ Gopnik, Adam (2 January 2018). "Never Mind Churchill, Clement Attlee Is a Model for These Times". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  42. ^ Smith, Adrian (19 January 2018). "The errors and omissions of Winston Churchill film Darkest Hour". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  43. ^ Toye, Richard (2 December 2013), "We shall fight on the beaches: three things you never knew about Churchill's most famous speech", History of Government, Government of the United Kingdom, archived from the original on 28 September 2018, retrieved 24 August 2018
  44. ^ UK Parliament Hansard, Commons Vol. 361, cols. 787-96 (4 June 1940). "War Situation". hansard.parliament.uk/commons. Retrieved 23 November 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  45. ^ "How Accurate is Darkest Hour? The True Story vs. The Churchill Movie".
  46. ^ Galloway, Stephen (26 February 2018). "Gary Oldman Eyes A Post-'Darkest Hour' Return to Churchill". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
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