Cromwell

A great piece of British history But as for acting you have Richard Harris! and Alec Guinness! In the same movie! , Come on it doesn't get better than this , if you want a masterclass in superior acting then it's worth watching And learning Even if your not Keen on the film.. Hollywood is standing on the your shoulders of giants

A seriously solid, if not very imaginative, piece of historical pageantry, (Oscar winning costume design for starters), about the English Civil War and in particular, Oliver Cromwell's role in it. Ironically, in view of Cromwell's association with Ireland, he is played, and very well, by the Irish actor Richard Harris. The King is a very well cast Alec Guinness, (looking just like the many portraits of the time), and a host of acting royalty, (Dorothy Tutin, Robert Morley, Patrick Wymark, Patrick Magee, Frank Finlay, Nigel Stock), provide staunch support. Ultimately it works best as a beautifully photographed history lesson, (Geoffrey Unsworth is the DP). The director, Ken Hughes, who also wrote the verbose screenplay, does little to make it lively, though the battle scenes are spectacular and it's both handsome and intelligent. Worth seeing.

Ken Hughes's 'Cromwell', a few anachronisms aside, is surprisingly faithful to the actual history of England; for a British film made before the advent of CGI, the battle scenes are also quite impressive, although the intrusive soundtrack feels very dated. Richard Harris plays Cromwell as a strident, and not particularly interesting, idealogue, an impression strengthened by his Techicolour-blue eyes. But the star turn (perhaps unsurprisingly) is that of Alec Guinness playing Charles I and perfectly caputuring the petulant stoicism of the King. Although the closing credits acclaim Cromwell, the film's strength really lies in the balanced treatment of the King and his nemesis; and it's willingness to show the world through 17th century eyes.