Cromwell (1970)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Ken Hughes

Writer:

Ken Hughes (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 September 1970 (France)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Plot:

Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World...

Plot Keywords:

King | English Civil War | Dictator | Parliament | Puritan

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Richard Harris	...	Oliver Cromwell
Alec Guinness	...	King Charles I
Robert Morley	...	The Earl of Manchester
Dorothy Tutin	...	Queen Henrietta Maria
Frank Finlay	...	John Carter
Timothy Dalton	...	Prince Rupert
Patrick Wymark	...	The Earl of Strafford
Patrick Magee	...	Hugh Peters
Nigel Stock	...	Sir Edward Hyde
Charles Gray	...	The Earl of Essex
Michael Jayston	...	Henry Ireton
Richard Cornish	...	Oliver Cromwell II
Anna Cropper	...	Ruth Carter
Michael Goodliffe	...	Solicitor General
Jack Gwillim	...	General Byron

Runtime:

USA:139 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | West Germany:12 | Finland:K-11 (re- rating: 2001) | France:U | Finland:K-12 | Ireland:PG | UK:U (original rating) | USA:G | UK:PG (video rating) (1985)

Filming Locations:

Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Irving Allen Productions

Trivia:

The final version of Cromwell at one stage was 180 minutes long, but it was cut down to 141 minutes, deleting a number of featured roles in the process including: Felix Aylmer (in his final film) as a Archbishop, and Bryan Pringle.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Cromwell's dismissal of the Rump Parliament happened before he was offered the crown, not afterwards.

Quotes:

King Charles: Do you mean, sir, that I should declare war on my own people?
The Earl of Strafford: Aye, before they declare war on you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

A good piece of English history, badly told.

As a lover of history, especially the history of my own nation, I never miss an opportunity to see a great historical epic, with Kings and Queens fighting the very battles of words and blood, which have carved our nation into what it is today.

I also feel that for a film to be educational and informative it has to be accurate and unfortunately Cromwell is never going to win any awards in the 'what really happened' category.

Despite these inaccuracies, the film does give us a general idea of what went on in the England of the 1640's so it still has the power to be enjoyable.

Alec Guinness steals the entire film with the only accurate portrayal in the movie as Charles I. The stuttering Scot who believes in the divine right of Kings. A man who looks upon Parliament as a challenge to his authority over the people, and a head of a protestant state wrestling with his own strong catholic leanings and sympathies.

Richard Harris is outstanding and brilliant, but portrays Cromwell as someone he most certainly wasn't. As an Irishman, it amazes me what ever persuaded him to take on the role. With Cromwell being the most hated Englishman in Irish history, I was surprised he didn't portray him as an evil oppressor and murderer complete with handlebar moustache, top-hat and cape accompanied by Hammond organs and loud hissing sounds from the audience.

Instead Harris' Cromwell is so nice and decent, honourable and just that by movies end he would have been welcomed at any dining table in County Cork.

Cromwell's belief was that Parliament runs the country and the people run the Parliament (reminder for Tony Blair!!!) The system we have today. However during his time as head of a republic state, he seemed to have forgot this and went his own way on nearly everything despite what the people wanted (remind you of anyone Tony Blair!!!)

So again inaccuracies rain on what is on the whole a very good parade.

The battle scenes also fail to excite as they are not filmed on the dramatic scale needed to have done them justice. In fact sometimes they are reminisent of Monty Python's reenactment of the Battle of Pearl Harbour by the Batley Towns-women's Guild.

Watch this film and enjoy it as I did, but I beg of you, don't use it as a basis for a factual thesis in your History Degree...you will fail big time.