CROMWELL's fidelity to history is questionable, but it must be admired for rejecting gratuitous humor or romance. This does not mean, of course, that the film had to be dry or dull, but it is. Richard Harris' Cromwell rants and glowers, but we never get a good look at his humanity; Alec Guinness' prissy, shy Charles I is much more interesting; the rest of the cast is solid. The production values are fine, and the desire to make an intelligent epic was clearly there. But it's inescpably sluggish.

This is one schizophrenic epic of a period piece. Constantly going back and forth between historical accuracy & that sad reliance films seem to have about forming a hero thesis for the lead. It's all very well made but you don't even need to know much about history to spot its flaws. Richard Harris is serviceable but next to Guinness he's almost entirely eclipsed [as most are]. Worthwhile cinematography is the only constant. I'm a bit conflicted on where to rate this.

Good.