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Originally Posted by Trollheart
For the ECW, I believe a very old show called By the Sword Divided is worth watching. I literally watched it when I was at school (so, say 45 years ago or more) and I think it's one of those BBC period dramas. If you haven't seen it, though it's a movie rather than a series, Richard Harris in Cromwell is tremendous viewing. Again, it's old, maybe 1960s/70s.
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Never heard of By the Sword Divided, will check out.
Harris is a powerful Cromwell but Alec Guinness as Charles is something truly special
Quote:
Originally Posted by jadis
Cromwell (1970), a boring and dated historical drama. Alec Guinness is absolutely amazing as Charles I though.
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One of the things I was bored with in this film is how traditional the narrative is. King vs Parliament, Charles vs Cromwell, royalists and roundheads, Arminians vs the godly puritans etc. There was a lot more going on there, between the radical wing in Cromwell's army (who had to be violently put down and were seen by some as a threat even bigger than Catholics) and various radical sects preaching anarchy, who were emboldened by the chaos of war and the decline in the power and authority of the Church of England, and were seen as a threat to the already ravaged social fabric. And because the film touches on none of that, it ends up presenting Cromwell as far more radical and champion of the people than we know him to be (see the Putney Debates for example).
A film I find more compelling is Winstanley, about the Digger leader. Amazing monochrome cinematography as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeLzc7s08ZU