[cert 12A, 102 mins]
Opening in 1645, at the gruesome aftermath of the
Royalist defeat at Naseby, the film focuses on the
relationship between aristocrat General Thomas
Fairfax, leader of the parliamentary army, and
Oliver Cromwell, his puritanical deputy. It’s less
Oliver’s Army than Fairfax’s struggle to maintain
peace – his own and the nation’s – as the reluctant
class traitor is torn between family interests and his
friend’s revolutionary zeal. To make matters worse,
Cromwell rightly suspects Lady Fairfax’s sympathy
for the imprisoned monarch and when parliament is
exposed as corrupt, he begins a reforming purge of
blood.
Director:Mike Barker
Starring:Tim Roth, Rupert Everett, Dougray Scott, Olivia Williams
Level:AS, A2, GCSE
Subjects:English, History, Media Studies
