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:

oliver cromwell character | year 1640 | cambridge england | character name as title | earl of essex character | 

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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:

GBP3,750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, 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 Alec Guinness (King Charles I) and Richard Harris (Oliver Cromwell) played the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in different films: Guinness in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), and Harris in Gladiator (2000). Harris was originally cast as Marcus Aurelius' son Commodus in the former movie, but he was replaced by Christopher Plummer.

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Goofs

Hyde is called 'Sir Edward Hyde' and addressed by the Queen as 'my lord' in scenes which take place in 1641: he was not knighted until during the Civil War and not elevated to the peerage until 1661.

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Quotes

Oliver Cromwell: Your Majesty, it is my most solemn duty to place you under arrest.
King Charles: By whose command, sir?
Oliver Cromwell: By the command of Parliament, sir.
King Charles: I know of no authority in England above that of the king.
Oliver Cromwell: It is upon that issue that this war was fought.

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Connections

Featured 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.

***/*****