Alfred the Great (film)
| Alfred the Great | |
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| Directed by | Clive Donner |
| Produced by | Bernard Smith |
| Written by |
James R. Webb Ken Taylor |
| Starring |
David Hemmings Michael York Prunella Ransome Colin Blakely Ian McKellen Peter Vaughan Alan Dobie Julian Glover |
| Music by | Raymond Leppard |
| Cinematography | Alex Thomson |
| Edited by | Fergus McDonell |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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122 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $197,788 (US) |
Alfred the Great is a 1969 epic film which portrays Alfred the Great's struggle to defend the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex from a Danish Viking invasion in the 9th Century. David Hemmings starred in the title role.
When the Vikings invade England, Alfred (David Hemmings) is about to take his priesthood vows. However, his brother, King Æthelred of Wessex (Alan Dobie), summons him to his aid and Alfred leaves for battle, where he appears to be a great tactician. Æthelred dies shortly after Alfred marries the Mercian princess Aelhswith (Prunella Ransome). Torn between following intellect or passion, Alfred at first refuses to succeed Æthelred and consummate his marriage, but is forced to accept kingship after the Danes attack again.
Realising the weak position of Wessex, Alfred goes into negotiations with Guthrum (Michael York), leader of the Vikings. Aelhswith on the other hand agrees to become Guthrum's hostage and they start to develop feelings for each other.
Alfred has difficulty acting like a king, calling for obedience and egalitarianism in the Medieval society of three estates, which the fighting nobility does not appreciate. The cleric Asser (Colin Blakely) warns him that he is too proud and later, the Danes defeat Alfred. The latter is forced to retreat to the fens of Somerset. Roger's bandits, who take Alfred in, are more loyal to Alfred than his noblemen.
The nobles however, drop their regicide plans and support Alfred in the climactic Battle of Athelney. Roger (Ian McKellen) sees that Alfred will need help and in the midst of battle, he arrives with monks, old men and peasant women, armed with clubs and pitchforks. Alfred defeats Guthrum, knocking him out, but decides to spare his life and forgives Aelhswith.
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