Winstanley (1976)

Director:

Kevin Brownlow

Writers:

Kevin Brownlow, David Caute (novel),

Stars:

Miles Halliwell, Jerome Willis, Terry Higgins

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Miles Halliwell	...	Gerrard Winstanley
Jerome Willis	...	General Lord Fairfax
Terry Higgins	...	Tom Haydon
Phil Oliver	...	Will Everard
David Bramley	...	Parson Platt
Alison Halliwell	...	Mrs. Platt
Dawson France	...	Capt. Gladman
Bill Petch	...	Henry Bickerstaffe
Barry Shaw	...	Colonel Rich
Sid Rawle	...	Ranter
George Hawkins	...	John Coulton
Stanley Reed	...	Recorder
Philip Stearns	...	Francis Drake
Flora Skrine	...	Mrs. Drake
George Barratt

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

english civil war | one word title | independent film | based on novel | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 1979 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BFI Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in It Happened Here Again (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Alexander Nevsky"
Music by Sergei Prokofiev
Played by The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

User Reviews

Well-intentioned but flawed

Gerrard Winstanley (1609 – 1676) was an English Protestant religious reformer and political activist during the period after the English Civil Wat under the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He was one of the leaders of a movement which called itself the True Levellers, was known by others as the Diggers, and could be characterised as a form of Christian Communism.

This little-known and well-intentioned film about the radical movement

• directed and co-written by Kevin Brownlow - will not be to all

tastes. Visually, it reminds one of the best of early cinema such as that of Eisenstein: 4:3 ratio, black and white, distant shots of figures, close up shots of faces, a variety of framed shots. And it is a vivid and authentic reaction of the period. But much of the acting is very amateurish and there is a lack of both characterisation and narrative.