Winstanley(film)
| Winstanley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Kevin Brownlow Andrew Mollo |
| Written by | David Caute(novel) Kevin Brownlow |
| Produced by | Andrew Mollo Kevin Brownlow |
| Starring | Miles Halliwell |
| Cinematography | Ernest Vincze |
| Edited by | Sarah Ellis |
| Music by | Sergei Prokofiev |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Winstanleyis a 1975 British black-and-white film about social reformer and writerGerrard Winstanley.It was made byKevin BrownlowandAndrew Mollo(creators ofIt Happened Here) and based on the 1961David CautenovelComrade Jacob.[1]
Plot
[edit]The film details the story of the 17th-century social reformer and writerGerrard Winstanley,who, along with a small band of followers known as theDiggers,tried to establish a self-sufficient farming community oncommon landatSt George's Hill( "Diggers' Hill" ) nearCobham, Surrey.The community was one of the world's first small-scale experiments insocialismorcommunism,and its ideas were copied elsewhere in England during the time ofthe ProtectorateofOliver Cromwell,but it was quickly suppressed, and in the end left only a legacy of ideas to inspire later generations of socialist theorists.
Cast
[edit]- Miles Halliwell–Gerrard Winstanley
- Terry Higgins – Tom Haydon
- Jerome Willis–Lord General Fairfax
- Phil Oliver–Will Everard
- David Bramley– Parson Platt
- Alison Halliwell– Mrs. Platt
- Dawson France– Captain Gladman
- Bill Petch– Henry Bickerstaffe
- Barry Shaw – Colonel Rich
- Sid Rawle– Ranter
- George Hawkins – John Coulton
- Stanley Reed – Recorder
- Philip Stearns– Francis Drake
- Flora Skrine– Mrs. Drake
Filming
[edit]Great efforts were made to produce a film of high historical accuracy. Armour used was real armour from the 1640s, borrowed from theTower of London.[2][3]Real-life activistSid Rawleplayed aRanter(i.e. a member of one or other of severalEnglish Revolution-periodanarchist-type groups).
The film was reissued on DVD and Blu-ray in 2009 by theBritish Film Institute(BFI), which had funded the original project.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Winstanley on DVD and Blu-Ray".Retrieved20 November2012.
- ^"Winstanley and the Historical Film: An Interview with Kevin Brownlow"(PDF).Retrieved20 November2012.
- ^Gardiner, David."Winstanley".Mindspring Reviews.Retrieved20 November2012.
External links
[edit]- WinstanleyatIMDb
- Dennis Schwartz review of 'Winstanley'
- Book 'Winstanley: Warts and All'by Kevin Brownlow (about the making of the film)
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