Cromwell is a 1970 film, based on the life of Oliver Cromwell who led the Parliamentary forces during
the English Civil War and, as Lord Protector,
ruled Great Britain and Ireland in the mid-17th century. It features an all-star cast
led by Richard Harris as Cromwell and Alec
Guinness as King Charles I. There is also Robert Morley as Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of
Manchester and Timothy Dalton as Prince Rupert of the Rhine.
Plot summary
Oliver Cromwell is a wealthy landowner and former politican. Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, he plans to take
his family to the New World, but, on the eve of their departure, he is drawn into the tangled
web of politics and religion that will result in the English Civil War.
Charles needs money in order to fight wars against the
Scots and the Irish. The Parliament of England will not grant him his requests unless he agrees to reforms that could lead
to a constitutional monarchy. Committed to the Divine Right of Kings, Charles refuses. When he attempts to arrest five members of Parliament (in
reality Cromwell was not one of them), war breaks out in England itself, Parliament against the King, both sides convinced that
God is on their side.
When the Parliamentary forces in which he is an officer prove ineffective, Cromwell sets up the New Model Army and soon turns the tide against the King. Charles goes so far as to call on help from
Catholic nations which disgusts even his most loyal Protestant supporters. He is finally defeated but, a brave man in his own way, he still refuses to give in
to the demands of Cromwell and his associates for a system of government in which Parliament will have as much say in the running
of the country as the King.
Unable to bring Charles round to their point of view, Cromwell and his supporters have him put on trial for treason. He is
found guilty and sentenced to death. Charles bravely faces execution and even his most ardent critics are moved by his dignity.
There is little celebration or satisfaction in his death, even from Cromwell.
However, Parliament soon proves itself just as useless in governing the country and, like the late King, Cromwell is forced to
undertake a coup. But where Charles failed, Cromwell succeeds and takes over in order to
bring in more stable government.
After Cromwell's death, Charles I's son, Charles II, returns to become King of
an England "never to be the same again".
Historical points
Although publicity for the movie boasted that it had been made "after ten years' research", it has been criticised for its
historical inaccuracies. Costumes, locations and the appearance of actors were generally
accurate (the layout of the then-House of Commons for example) but liberties were taken over the course of events.
The dates during which most of the events take place are not even mentioned in the film, so that the historical inaccuracies
concerning them would go completely unnoticed by people who are not experts on the subject.
| Film Depiction |
Reality |
| It seriously exaggerates Cromwell's role in the events leading up to the outbreak of the English Civil War. Neither he nor Ireton were among the five
Members of Parliament whom the King tried to arrest when he entered the House of
Commons. |
The five members were John Pym, John Hampden,
Denzil Holles, William Strode
and Sir Arthur Hesilrige. Charles' occupation of the Speaker's chair, signalling his
sovereignty over Parliament, and quip about "the birds have flown" are genuine, as is Speaker
Lenthall's claim that he had neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak save that which the Commons would let him use
[1]. |
| It puts forward a dated and inaccurate stereotype of Roundheads and Cavaliers wearing different clothing. |
In reality they dressed the same. |
| Cromwell tells Charles I that the kind of government that he believes England should have is a democracy. |
It is generally accepted that Cromwell made no such suggestion to the King. |
| Both the Earl of Essex and the Earl of Manchester are shown as sitting in the House of Commons |
They would actually have sat in the House of Lords. |
| Cromwell is shown as a Colonel at the Battle of
Edgehill |
At the time he was only a Captain. |
| The famous soldiers' prayer: "O Lord, Thou knowest how busy I must be this day. If I forget Thee, do not forget me" is put
into Cromwell's mouth. |
In fact, the prayer came from Sir Jacob Astley, a
Royalist. |
| The New Model Army is shown in black and gold hooped coats. |
The soldiers wore a trademark red coat. |
| The Battle of Marston Moor goes unmentioned. |
It was the biggest battle in the Civil War and Cromwell played an important role in the parliamentary victory. |
| Film Depiction |
Reality |
| The Battle of Naseby is 'reconstructed' with the New Model Army outnumbered 3:2 or maybe even 2:1 by the Royalists. |
The New Model Army outnumbered the Royalists led by Prince Rupert. |
Cromwell's son Oliver is depicted as having been killed during the Battle of Naseby
in 1645.
The elder Oliver is seen at his son's gravestone towards the end of the film, which clearly reads the younger Oliver's death
year as 1645.
|
The younger Oliver Cromwell died of smallpox during the spring of 1644 while in garrison at
Newport Pagnell. |
| Cromwell is named Commander-in-Chief of the Parliamentary forces, while Sir Thomas Fairfax is shown as Cromwell's
subordinate. |
In fact, Sir Thomas Fairfax was the actual head of the
New Model Army during the English Civil
War. |
| Cromwell enters Oxford and personally arrests the King in the name of Parliament. |
At the end of the First Civil War the King surrendered to the Scottish army
and was only handed over to the English Parliament some time later. |
| John Pym is pronounced dead in 1646 |
He died in 1643 |
| Henry Ireton appears with a delegation of MPs to offer Cromwell the throne. |
By the time Cromwell was actually offered the crown — towards the end of his life in 1657 —
Ireton, his son-in-law, had been dead for nearly six years. |
| Cromwell dismisses the idea of becoming King instantly, laughing it off as absurd after what he fought for. |
Cromwell actually took the offer very seriously, truly believing that England needed a King. He took a whole six weeks to
turn down the offer, which he did with a heavy heart and quite reluctantly. (In almost monarchical-like fashion, he was succeeded
by his son Richard but Richard lacked his father's drive and leadership skills and was
soon out of power.) |
| Near the end of the film, Cromwell tells the Rump Parliament that they had six years
to form a new government after the execution of Charles I. |
In truth, they had four years. |
| The film gives the impression that Cromwell spent those years on his farm and lands in Huntingdon. |
In fact he had been leading his infamous campaign in Ireland and had
fought the Battle of Worcester, subjects that go unmentioned in the film. |
Cast
Richard Harris .... Oliver Cromwell
Alec Guinness .... King Charles I
Robert Morley .... The Earl of
Manchester
Dorothy Tutin .... Queen Henrietta
Maria
Frank Finlay .... John Carter (fictional character)
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
Geoffrey Keen .... John Pym
Anthony May .... Richard Cromwell
Stratford Johns .... President
Bradshaw
Actors and Make-Up
To give the filmmakers their due, there was some accuracy in the locations and appearances of the characters. There is, for
instance, the dinning room at Whitehall where Charles I and his Queen Henrietta Maria are first shown eating together.
In particular, the actors wore make-up which, in many cases, made them closely resemble contemporary prints and portraits of
their subjects. Alec Guiness also stutters as did Charles
[1].
Trivia
Nigel Stock and Michael Jayston co-starred with
Guinness in the TV spy drama Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy made nine
years later. Guinness played the part of master spy George Smiley. Jayston, who as Ireton
subtly manipulates the overthrow of Charles in Cromwell, was, as Peter Guillam, far
more friendly and loyal to Guinness' character in this series. As Sir Edward Hyde, Stock had been one of Charles' closest
advisers, but this time he played Roddy Martindale, a man Smiley sees as a dim-witted bore.
Awards
References
External links
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