Cromwell (1970)

Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World. But on the eve of their departure, Cromwell is drawn into the tangled web of ... See full summary »

Director:

Ken Hughes

Writer:

Ken Hughes (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Harris, Alec Guinness, Robert Morley

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World. But on the eve of their departure, Cromwell is drawn into the tangled web of religion and politics that will result in the English Civil War.

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Plot Keywords:

oliver cromwell | king charles i | king | politics | religion | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 September 1970 (France)

Also Known As:

Cromwell - Der Unerbittliche

Filming Locations:

Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Irving Allen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm prints) Dolby SR (DVD Release)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

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 an archbishop, and Bryan Pringle.

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Goofs

Henry Ireton is shown heading the parliamentary deputation who offer Cromwell the crown. Parliament's offer happened in 1657, by which time Ireton had been dead for 6 years.

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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!

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Connections

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

User Reviews

Oliver's army is here to stay.

The movie is some kind of misnomer ,cause Cromwell's reign is reduced to a short laudatory comment at the end of the movie.However,the film is good with a splendid cast.Richard Harris is every inch a puritan,never cracking a smile during the 2hours+ film.Harris's performance unlayers every nuance of his strength and his weakness (perhaps his best moment is when he discovers the man he's just executed was right).

Alec Guiness's king is impressive and his relationship with the catholic queen should have been more developed .Dame Dorothy Tutin's rendering is subtle and she makes all her scenes count.There is also Robert Morley and Timothy Dalton who give strong support.

Queen Henrietta took refuge in France and her daughter Henriette married the king Louis XIV 's brother ,"Monsieur" .Sadly she was to pass away at a very early age probably of peritonitis(few historians still speak of poisoning).

"Cromwell" ,which I saw when it was released ,has stood the test of time quite well,thanks to all these wonderful actors.In his own way,Cromwell was an incorruptible person ,ahead of his time,who predates Robespierre .The fact that he substituted a dictatorship for another one does not ruin his main revolutionary idea:a king is not infallible, the absolute monarchy means tyranny.A century and a half later ,minister Turgot told Louis XVI :"do not forget Charles the first,Sire!"