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Alfred the Great

  • 19691969
  • M/PGM/PG
  • 2h 2m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
34,125
2,049
Alfred the Great (1969)
DramaHistoryWar
While Old England is being ransacked by roving Danes in the ninth century, Alfred is planning to join the priesthood. But observing the rape of his land, he puts away his religious vows, to ... Read allWhile Old England is being ransacked by roving Danes in the ninth century, Alfred is planning to join the priesthood. But observing the rape of his land, he puts away his religious vows, to take up arms against the invaders, leading the English Christians to fight for their count... Read allWhile Old England is being ransacked by roving Danes in the ninth century, Alfred is planning to join the priesthood. But observing the rape of his land, he puts away his religious vows, to take up arms against the invaders, leading the English Christians to fight for their country. Alfred soundly defeats the Danes and becomes a hero. Although Alfred still longs for t... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
34,125
2,049
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Clive Donner
    • Writers
      • James R. Webb(story)
      • Ken Taylor(screenplay)
      • Eleanor Shipley Duckett(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • David Hemmings
      • Michael York
      • Prunella Ransome
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Clive Donner
    • Writers
      • James R. Webb(story)
      • Ken Taylor(screenplay)
      • Eleanor Shipley Duckett(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • David Hemmings
      • Michael York
      • Prunella Ransome
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 30User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos19

    Alfred the Great (1969)
    Michael York and Prunella Ransome in Alfred the Great (1969)
    David Hemmings in Alfred the Great (1969)
    Michael York in Alfred the Great (1969)
    Alfred the Great (1969)
    Prunella Ransome in Alfred the Great (1969)
    David Hemmings and Prunella Ransome in Alfred the Great (1969)
    Michael York and Prunella Ransome in Alfred the Great (1969)
    Julian Chagrin, David Hemmings, and Peter Vaughan in Alfred the Great (1969)
    Michael York in Alfred the Great (1969)
    Colin Blakely and David Hemmings in Alfred the Great (1969)
    Alfred the Great (1969)

    Top cast

    Edit
    David Hemmings
    David Hemmings
    • Alfred
    Michael York
    Michael York
    • Guthrum
    Prunella Ransome
    Prunella Ransome
    • Aelhswith
    Colin Blakely
    Colin Blakely
    • Asher
    Ian McKellen
    Ian McKellen
    • Roger
    Peter Vaughan
    Peter Vaughan
    • Burrud
    Alan Dobie
    • Ethelred
    Julian Glover
    Julian Glover
    • Æthelstan
    Vivien Merchant
    Vivien Merchant
    • Freda
    Julian Chagrin
    Julian Chagrin
    • Ivar
    Jim Norton
    Jim Norton
    • Thanet
    John Rees
    • Cuthbert
    Christopher Timothy
    Christopher Timothy
    • Cerdic
    Peter Blythe
    Peter Blythe
    • Eafa
    Sinéad Cusack
    Sinéad Cusack
    • Edith
    Barry Evans
    Barry Evans
    • Ingild
    Barry Jackson
    Barry Jackson
    • Wulfstan
    Henry Woolf
    Henry Woolf
    • Wenda
    • Director
      • Clive Donner
    • Writers
      • James R. Webb(story) (screenplay)
      • Ken Taylor(screenplay)
      • Eleanor Shipley Duckett(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Vivien Merchant has a prominent role in this movie, but doesn't say a word. Critic Pauline Kael suggested sarcastically that she'd probably refused to say her lines, as the dialogue in the movie was unspeakably bad. That turned out to be the truth.
    • Goofs
      Aelhswith's dress has a zipper around 1 hour 27 minutes into a film taking place over 1,000 years before zippers were invented.
    • Quotes

      Guthrum: I am Guthrum, son of Odin! This is Ivar, my warrior chief. He's called Ivar the boneless because his mother made him with gristle, instead of bone. Show them.

      [Ivar performs impressive acrobatics with a sword]

      Guthrum: He fights as well.

      Alfred: I am Alfred, king of Wessex. This is my cousin, Athelstan of Lamborn. I fear he only jumps on Danish graves.

    • Connections
      Featured in Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema: British History Movies (2020)

    User reviews30

    Review
    Top review
    I have provided background on the making of the movie
    Confession; I have not seen the movie, but I do have some interesting facts to share about the making of the movie: Many of the battle scenes were filmed in Ireland using Irish army regulars as extras. The men learned the marching chants and what you hear in the movie is at least in part the actual chants of the extras.

    Some of the men earned extra money by doing some of the riskier shots (guys carrying kicking and screaming women for example; my Father was one such extra and earned his extra money by lying on the battlefield and permitting a horse to walk up to his 'body' and then circle around his head; some extras were unwilling to risk being stepped on, but my father's familiarity with horses convinced him that the horse would avoid stepping on a person).

    The Viking ships were motorized with oarsmen acting to produce the realistic effects. One boat was offered to the local boy scouts at the end of filming, but was scooped up by a buyer before the deal was closed.

    After days of shooting with large numbers of extras on the shores of the River Shannon near Athlone, the crew would repaint the brown grass using large buckets of green paint.

    Although not a review, I hope this information is of interest to the site visitors, it comes from the recollections of my Father. Cheers!
    helpful•54
    4
    • dmccabe-4
    • Dec 2, 2005

    FAQ1

    • Where can I get a DVD copy of this film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1, 1969 (Hong Kong)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • A King Is Born
    • Filming locations
      • County Galway, Ireland
    • Production company
      • Bernard Smith Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 2 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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