Cromwell (film)

Cromwell
Theatrical poster by Howard Terpning
Directed by	Ken Hughes
Written by	Ken Hughes
Produced by	Irving Allen
Starring	Richard Harris Alec Guinness Robert Morley Nigel Stock Geoffrey Keen Michael Jayston
Cinematography	Geoffrey Unsworth
Edited by	Bill Lenny
Music by	Frank Cordell
Production company	Irving Allen Productions
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	16 July 1970 (1970-07-16)
Running time	140 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$8 million[1] or £9 million[2]

Cromwell is a 1970 British historical drama film written and directed by Ken Hughes. It is based on the life of Oliver Cromwell, who rose to lead the Parliamentary forces during the later years of the English Civil War and, as Lord Protector, ruled Great Britain and Ireland in the 1650s. It features an ensemble cast, led by Richard Harris as Cromwell and Alec Guinness as King Charles I, with Robert Morley as Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester and Timothy Dalton as Prince Rupert of the Rhine.

The film received two Oscar nominations during the 43rd Academy Awards held in 1971, winning one for Best Costume Design by Vittorio Nino Novarese, but losing another for Best Original Score, composed by Frank Cordell which echoed Walton (battle scenes) and Copland (everything else). It was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. At the 7th Moscow International Film Festival in 1971 it won the award for Best Actor (Richard Harris), and was nominated for the Golden Prize as Best Picture (Ken Hughes).^[3] The film received negative reviews for its many historical inaccuracies; however, much praise went to the acting (particularly Harris and Guinness), the score, and the costume design.