I saw this one before I read much on Cromwell and the Commonwealth so I was a little annoyed when I found out the producers gave this period the "Hollyweird" treatment-though I remember reading a review in "Punch" pointing out the film's flaws. IIRC this was filmed in Spain with the Spanish Army providing the large numbers of troops that give the battle scenes an epic quality and the attention given to the costumes, the speech and the mannerisms does let you feel you are looking in on England in the 1640s. As a history buff I note that the British Army was we know it from the 17,18th and 19th Centuries did not exist yet, it has its genesis in the English Civil Wars. The scenes of the New Model Army training look a little too modern to this US Army veteran but it was that Army's training and discipline, or before that the training and discipline of Cromwell's Ironsides that made them so effective. Alec Guiness was an excellent choice for Charles I just on appearance alone, as to the complaints about "Irishman" Richard Harris playing Cromwell, I suspect a hefty paycheck and the challenges of the role played a part.
The movie tries to compress 9 years of history into 2 hours screen time, as others have noted there are no references to dates, battles like Marston Moor, etc. See it for the battles, the costumes, the scenery, read the history books for the real dialog.
The movie tries to compress 9 years of history into 2 hours screen time, as others have noted there are no references to dates, battles like Marston Moor, etc. See it for the battles, the costumes, the scenery, read the history books for the real dialog.