Cromwell (1970)
Genre: Drama / War
Duration: 139 minuten
Country:
United Kingdom
Directed by: Ken Hughes
Stars: Richard Harris, Alec Guinness and Robert Morley
IMDb score:
7,0 (8.181)
Releasedate: 16 September 1970
Cromwell plot
While in Germany the 30 Years War rages; there is oppression, mismanagement and corruption in the British kingdom. When nobleman Oliver Cromwell himself becomes a victim of this, he decides to fight for his rights. He becomes the king's biggest opponent and that leads to a civil war. Cromwell, the man who made history with the king's blood.
Actors and actresses
Oliver Cromwell
King Charles I
The Earl of Manchester
Queen Henrietta Maria
John Carter
Prince Rupert
The Earl of Strafford
Hugh Peters
Sir Edward Hyde
Captain Lundsford
Reviews & comments
Movsin
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- 8413 messages
- 8482 votes
An extremely well-produced historical film with cleverly staged mass and action scenes, but above all, a noteworthy piece of British history.
A story revolving around Cromwell, but also about King Charles I, majestically portrayed by Alec Guinness, and about a civil war that was in fact nothing less than a religious war. It is remarkable, however, to see how people went to such extremes back then to preserve their own nature and religion undisturbed. Current Western constitutions generally leave the choice open... It took quite a while.
Also worth noting is the excellent character development of the two main characters, the solid, balanced structure, the music, and the good acting across almost the entire range.
Translated from Dutch · View original
kissyfur
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- 338 messages
- 504 votes
A James Bond director making a historical film about a turbulent time in the UK, with religious tensions thrown into the mix… And what do you get? An epic poem in which historical accuracy is unashamedly thrown in the trash. That is bad enough, but at least make sure your hero can do more than three positions (hoarsely whispering, proclaiming, or fulminating), so you don't have to fear the anti-hero will outshine him.
I did wonder, though, what the purpose of this film was? Is it opportunistically riding the wave of the Marist zeitgeist? After all, Cromwell was not nearly as concerned with the common people and simply suppressed democratic movement as the Levellers Just trying to make an epic blockbuster but failing amateurishly at it like Redbad or Michiel de Ruyter?
Whatever the goal was, I found the result meager.
Translated from Dutch · View original
alle namen zijn in gebruik
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- 6 messages
- 6 votes
I finally bought it on DVD after years, and now I remember why I found this movie so annoying years ago.
Alec Guinness is sublime in this role, except for a few minor things (e.g., why does this colorful king wear the black suit from the day of his beheading for the entire film?).
Richard Harris is absolutely unconvincing as Cromwell; he just walks around screaming hatefully, and that starts to get very annoying after 45 minutes.
And indeed, as several people are saying: Cromwell is portrayed too much as a hero here because essentially nothing else happens after the beheading and the film feels unfinished and rushed; for the reasons why Cromwell is so controversial are absolutely not expressed here, and nothing is said about his Puritan reign of terror. Ultimately, he turned out to be a greater tyrant than Charles I, and the film is called "Cromwell" after all, but it is Charles who wipes him out in the film.
The mausoleum is a bit laughable; he was indeed buried like a king with a crown at his feet, but that was it. His son Richard became Lord Protector after him, but he was a wimp who had to flee quickly, and just like that, there was the Merry Monarch Charles II, who took revenge by condemning everyone who had signed his father's death warrant, and Cromwell's corpse was hanged, beheaded, and quartered.
Cromwell's head stood on Tower Bridge for years and subsequently surfaced at fairs and exhibitions, after which it was buried forever in a spot no one knows, to keep away the remaining supporters as well as the haters.
Fun fact: in London, near Parliament, there are a lot of statues of legal figures from English history, but only the statue of Cromwell stands behind a fence protected against vandalism. Opposite him, on the other side of the road, in the wall of a chapel (or church, I can't remember), stands a bust of Charles looking at Cromwell (the King has won!).
Translated from Dutch · View original
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