Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Rory Kinnear | ... | Henry Hunt | |
Maxine Peake | ... | Nellie | |
Pearce Quigley | ... | Joshua | |
David Moorst | ... | Joseph | |
Rachel Finnegan | ... | Mary | |
Tom Meredith | ... | Robert | |
Simona Bitmate | ... | Esther | |
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Robert Wilfort | ... | Lord Liverpool, the Prime Minister |
Karl Johnson | ... | Lord Sidmouth, the Home Secretary | |
Sam Troughton | ... | Mr. Hobhouse | |
Roger Sloman | ... | Mr. Grout | |
Kenneth Hadley | ... | Mr. Golightly | |
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Tom Edward-Kane | ... | Mr. Cobb |
Lizzy McInnerny | ... | Mrs. Moss | |
Alastair Mackenzie | ... | General Sir John Byng |
An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter's Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reform and protest against rising levels of poverty. Many protesters were killed and hundreds more injured, sparking a nationwide outcry but also further government suppression. The Peterloo Massacre was a defining moment in British democracy which also played a significant role in the founding of The Guardian newspaper.
Like most working-class Brits, I knew nothing of Peterloo (and I am from Manchester into the bargain).
Mike Leigh has done an excellent job, documenting this momentous event in British history, an event conveniently airbrushed out of my secondary school education. Imagine that.
A good 2.5 hrs long, it would make a decent 12 part Netflix drama. Though, he'd never get the funding for that.
It is long, it is educational, it is historical, it is incredibly worthy. Watch it and draw parallels with the Britain of today. FPTP electoral system, zero-hours contracts, food banks, Brexit, et al.
i gave it a 9.