Alfred the Great (1969)

Across the centuries, there are special men who rise above others and for a few brief moments in history have the honor of becoming more than the summit of their work, they become 'Great.' This is the story of one such man. He was raised well and educated by monks for the priesthood, however, war enveloped England (West Saxony) and his family persuaded him to become king. In this film "Alfred The Great" it is the superb actor David Hemmings who plays Alfred with much conviction against the Danish King Guthrum played by another notable actor Michael York. From the passages of English lore, Alfred's legend lends itself to a few of the many deeds and innovations which shaped his country and it's reforms. The battle tactics which he gleaned from ancient military journals and used effectually against the Danes as well as the inner intrigues of the royal family are chronicled in this movie. What is offered is nothing short of exceptional. A good attempt at capturing the mood of the times and the interaction between the early Saxon king and the mighty Vikings. A film which offers enough to certify it as a classic. ****

I've been looking forward to seeing this movie for over a decade. Was it worth the wait?.....No.It's possible to make a great historical drama that combines plausible human interaction, Christian vs. Pagan triumphalism and rousing battle scenes. Franklin Schaffner's "The War Lord" with Charlton Heston works on all the prescribed levels, and has an unexpected emotional delicacy as well. It takes place only two hundred years after "Alfred the Great" does, so if you want a good costume picture that you will remember without regret, track down "The War Lord" immediately and dismiss this glum opus from your mind.James Webb wrote some crackerjack movies, among them "Trapeze," "The Big Country" and "Cape Fear." This is not one of his better ones. Clive Donner directed some good movies, including "The Caretaker," "Nothing But The Best," and "What's New, Pussycat." This is not one of his better ones."Alfred the Great" offers tiresome characters who interact in implausible ways, unpleasant and unsatisfying religious harangues, unattractive physical surroundings (the only picture I can think of offhand that makes the Irish countryside look repellent) and battle scenes that are long but only occasionally interesting. The script is clumsy and inaccurate, the direction is hit-or-miss. The whole proceedings are faintly depressing at best, and if you are feeling uncharitable, a lot worse.Among the actors, only Michael York appears to be having fun, playing a hairy villain for once instead of a saccharine juvenile. However, there is the grim pleasure of watching Ian McKellen in his film debut looking ugly and awkward, with no way of knowing that he would ultimately become a bigger movie star than the entire rest of the cast put together.

Alfred ,King of England was a man of vital importance in the history of his nation -the first to set down a written legal code in the vernacular and a staunch defender of the realm against the incursions of the Danes ,he also can be regarded with some validity as the founder of the English navy ,throughout history the great barrier against foreign invasion .Sadly these are only touched on in this proficient but not terribly gripping late sixties movie . It opens with a Danish raid on England .Alfred is about to take holy orders but is summoned to lead the resistance ,taking over from his charming but distinctly unmilitary brother Ethelred the Unready .The strategy is successful and the Danes temporarily repulsed and Alfred is reluctantly propelled to kingship by the death of his brother . When the Danes return he is forced to buy time to regroup by paying the Danes to stay away .giving the Danish leader his estranged wife as hostage. Miltary defeat forces him into a guerilla campaign until -with the aid of an outlaw band -he is able to face the enemy in the final battle. The battle scenes are well staged conveying the reality of close quarter combat ,and there is an admirable and accurate description of the tactics used against the Danes .Some striking location photography helps a lot too. There are some fine peformances among the supporting cast -a dignified Ethelred from Alan Dobie and strong turns from stalwart character actors like Peter Vaughan ,Julian Glover and Colin Blakely while a young Ian McKenna impresses as the outlaw leader . David Hemming takes an intelligent stab at the title role but comes over as lacking in charisma and power and thus the core of the movie is somewhat hollow a fact not aided by a lightweight performance from Michael York as the Danish leader and a lacklustre performance from Prunella Ransome as Alfred's wifeIts a decent introduction to the story of an outstanding man but it could have been so much better with a more incisive script and sharper playing from the leads .

Have seen this film a few times, so I guess it is worth revisiting. Almost inevitably, perhaps, with films of this historical genre, one's sense of period tends to be more 20th century than 9th. Arguably compares favourably with the much later Braveheart - although, here again, some of the fighting scenes lacked conviction. Of course, always worth watching to see Edith (Sinead Cusack in her film debut).