Cromwell (1970)
Movie · 1970 · Drama, History, War · 2h 20m · G · English
Curator score: 4.9/10 (15.1K ratings)
Overview
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.
Ratings
- Curator score: 4.9/10
- IMDb: 7.0/10
- Letterboxd: 3.53/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 33%
- TMDB: 6.6/10
Director
Ken Hughes
Production
Columbia Pictures, Irving Allen Productions
Cast
Richard Harris, Alec Guinness, Robert Morley, Dorothy Tutin, Frank Finlay, Timothy Dalton, Patrick Wymark, Patrick Magee, Nigel Stock, Patrick Holt, Charles Gray, Michael Jayston, Michael Goodliffe, Jack Gwillim, Richard Cornish, Anna Cropper, George Merritt, Basil Henson, Stratford Johns, Geoffrey Keen
Where to watch
FlixFling
Curator Review
Verdict
A stately, old-school historical epic with strong performances and impressive pageantry, but it can feel heavy, uneven, and more interested in speeches than dramatic momentum. It’s most rewarding if you enjoy political-religious history, grand costumes, and 1970s prestige filmmaking, and less so if you want tight storytelling or strict historical nuance.
Best for
- fans of historical epics and period politics
- viewers interested in the English Civil War
- people who enjoy performance-driven prestige dramas
- audiences who like long, dialogue-heavy costume films
Skip if
- you need brisk pacing or modern editing
- you’re looking for rigorous historical accuracy
- you dislike sermon-like political debate
- you prefer intimate character studies over pageantry
Overview
Cromwell is the kind of large-scale historical drama that feels built from granite: solemn, expansive, and occasionally unwieldy. Ken Hughes stages the conflict with real visual authority, and Geoffrey Unsworth’s photography gives the film a weathered, painterly grandeur that suits the era well. The production design and battle material help sell the sense of a nation breaking apart under theology, ego, and power.
Worth noting
The film’s biggest asset is its casting. Richard Harris brings volcanic force to Cromwell, while Alec Guinness gives Charles I a tragic, aristocratic composure that keeps the central conflict alive even when the script turns blunt. The movie is often more compelling as a clash of personalities than as a clean political narrative, and that tension is part of its appeal.
Bottom line
Its limitations are just as clear: the film can be stodgy, overlong, and dramatically repetitive, and it takes liberties with history that may frustrate viewers who want a more disciplined account. Still, as a piece of 1970s prestige cinema, it has enough scale, conviction, and old-fashioned seriousness to remain worthwhile for the right audience.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Fint (3.5★) · 137 likes
Alec Guinness really is extraordinary casting for Charles I. If you look at the Van Dyck portraits of the King, it could be Guinness in his regal pomp. He also acts the part as impressively as the script allows. The template for this is clearly A Man for All Seasons but Cromwell lacks the crispness of Fred Zinnemann's direction and the complexity of Robert Bolt's script. The opening scene, shot exquisitely on flat marshlands by Geoffrey Unsworth, promises something pictorially… more
Max Victory (3★) · 120 likes
There's something immediately perverse about casting the Irish Richard Harris as Oliver Cromwell, who infamously described a massacre during his conquest of Ireland as "the righteous judgement of God on these barbarous wretches." Why put an IRA supporter in the role of an English dictator? Harris isn't hiding his accent here, either, which casts absurdity upon Cromwell's not-infrequent rages against Catholicism. Yet the casting made much more sense to me after Cromwell got past the opening. Who better than an… more
mrbalihai (4★) · 90 likes
Some may feel disembiggened by this quasi-historical account of the English Civil Wars, but I don't know why. It's a perfectly Cromwellulent film. Now that I've got that horribly bastardized Simpson's quote out of the way, let me get back to my usual mix of boring nostalgia and shallow cinematic insights. My father passed away in 1971, and my mother turned to playing bridge and drinking a lot to assuage her grief. In order to better facilitate both of those… more
Colin the dude (3.5★) · 48 likes
My understanding is that this film takes huge liberties with the real story and that is why it was shellacked by critics at the time. But I'll tell ya, I still enjoyed myself. There are not enough films that cover the 17th century, 1600 to 1700. The Baroque, Rembrandt, Puritan century. It's this muddy middle period between barbaric aristocratic rule and the Enlightenment. And the English Civil War is a fascinating lightening rod for this clash. Again, inaccuracies abound, apparently,… more My understanding is that this film takes huge liberties with the real story and that is why it was shellacked by critics at the time. But I'll tell ya, I still enjoyed myself. There are not enough films that cover the 17th century, 1600 to 1700. The Baroque, Rembrandt, Puritan century. It's this muddy middle period between barbaric aristocratic rule and the Enlightenment. And the English Civil War is a fascinating lightening rod for this clash. Again, inaccuracies abound, apparently,… more
J.King🕊 (4★) · 45 likes
Cromwell, dogmatic in his own certainty, acting outta desperation. God doesn't say a word, yet he takes that silence for a yes, for holy fire, it’s life or death, it’s "God’s work", and across from him there’s Guinness playing Charles, king of nothing, clinging to the divine right of kings while his kingdom burns. Admittedly, it’s a pretty slow watch. 29 minutes in, my brother had to take a nap and said the dialogue was starting to sound like the adults from an episode of Charlie Brown, "Wompwompwomp." loved it
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Topics
historical epic, period drama, war drama, political intrigue, 17th century, prestige cinema, costume drama, religious conflict, biographical drama, old-fashioned filmmaking