Cromwell (1970)

Oliver Cromwell can no longer tolerate King Charles' policies, and the self-interest of the ruling class, and leads a civil war to install Parliament as the ultimate ruler of England.

Director:

Ken Hughes

Writer:

Ken Hughes (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Harris, Alec Guinness, Robert Morley

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Harris	...	Oliver Cromwell
Alec Guinness	...	King Charles 'Stuart' 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:

king | parliament | tyranny | roundhead | religion | 

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Taglines:

In his raised fist, the power of the people !

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 1970 (UK)

Also Known As:

Cromwell, hombre de hierro

Filming Locations:

Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£3,750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Irving Allen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Richard Harris' salary was five hundred thousand dollars.

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Goofs

The Battle of Naseby takes place in 1644, before the creation of the New Model Army, and Cromwell's Parliamentarian troops are heavily outnumbered by the King's Army. In reality, the Battle of Naseby was in 1645, the Parliamentarian troops were represented by the newly formed New Model Army which had a substantial advantage in numbers (some 13,000 to the King's 7400), and Sir Thomas Fairfax, not Cromwell, was in command.

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Quotes

Oliver Cromwell: The King is not England, and England is not the King.

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Connections

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

User Reviews

a good historical drama, if somewhat simplified & under funded

Oliver Cromwell the real person was not quite the people-loving man betrayed in this decent movie version drama of the English Civil War during the 1600s. In reality he became more the dictator & tyrant than the person he replaced in King Charles I.

However, putting that to one side, the film version of Cromwell's growing involvement in the War is marginally accurate and well done. Richard Harris, as Cromwell, makes a decent effort although I do feel he makes too much of a theatrical job with the role, with far too much posturing, self-smugness, and above all shouting....

I can understand his unhappiness at the Royalists encroachment of the Common People's liberties; and I can understand him fully remonstrating his feelings in the House of Commons, but Harris seems to shout in nearly every scene. So much so that by the end of the movie he is struggling for breath.

Conversely, Alec Guiness's Charles I is far more intelligently done. Underplayed yet convincing & too some extents we feel more sympathetic to his plight. After all he has a rather scheming Cathloic French Queen, the Catholic Church and a lot of other distractions to occupy his mind and usurp his powers.

The battle scenes are convincing but don't carry the same kind of savagery than the more prosaic Braveheart. But the supporting characters do a good job and add a more rounded feel from Harris' turgid performance.

The directing blows hot & cold, sometimes the story drifts & meanders before pulling back into sharp focus; while the choreography is sweeping & rich in content. The musical score, however, seems tacky & amateurish, lacking any depth in conjunction with what's going on in the film.

However, for all its faults and historical inaccuracies, we do get a slightly better insight into a rather grim & dark chapter in England's turbulent history.

Cromwell is a good film but should be taken with a large pinch of salt as far as retelling history is concerned.

***/*****