Clive Donner (1926–2010)

One of the lost films of British cinema, now obtainable on DVD only at great expense, this film unfortunately deserves its obscurity. A late entrant in the 1960s history epic stakes, it fails on almost every front, being nothing like the sort of English 'El Cid' it seemed to be intended as.
Locations - filmed in Ireland, which makes a poor substitute for 9th century England, and doesn't even make Ireland look good. Most of the time the outlook is a sort of muddy green.
Script - Alfred is show more presented as a sort of philosopher king reluctant to go into battle and perpetually at war inside his mind between his human passions and his faith. This leads to many boring interludes.
Performances - David Hemmings makes a very dreary hero, often sulky and introspective. Michael York is a lot more successful as the Danish leader and even Peter Vaughan is more fun as the Mercian king. Prunella Ransome, who never had the career she deserved, did her best with some very poor material as Alfred's wife, whom he treats shamefully. In support there are a lot of actors who became better known later; they were fortunate that association with this film did not terminate their careers.
Credibiity - the Danish army is treated as being more like the Normans were, and in a contradictory way, being initially wild marauders and then a fearsome professional army all clad in identical armour. And in smaller ways too there are unbelievable scenes- at the start of the film a shepherd and his lass are canoodling behind a rock. Ominous music sounds, and springing up they see a couple of hundred Danes, about to attack a village. Do they run like hell? No, they run towards the Danes and attack them with their bare fists. Later, when the king of Mercia brings his daughter to Alfred's elder brother (then king) to treaty negotiations, she is seen wandering by herself early in the morning in the countryside (where naturally Aflfred happens upon her and falls in love). A woman of that class at that time never went anywhere by herself, and certainly not into the countryside, because of the danger she would be in.
Overall, this is a dull, badly written and produced film, and a hugely missed opportunity to make a film worthy of a king whose real life remains little known to the public. show less

This is the best film version of A Christmas Carol ever made.

Filmed in Shropshire, the setting is fantastic.

George C. Scott was born to play Scrooge. The transformation of his gruff, surly and frightening Scrooge into the man who kept Christmas well is one of the most moving transformations ever put on screen.

I cannot say enough good things about this movie. I rewatch it every year. No one does Scrooge like Scott!

2025 movie #205. 1969. The story of Alfred the Great is fascinating but this movie was not, with the exception of a good battle at the end. I did not buy York as a Viking nor Hemmings as a warrior. Plus movies like this were ruined for me by Monty Python.

Scott gives an outstanding portrayal of Scrooge (he is almost too nice in the beginning), and the setting is extraordinarily realistic. The supporting characters do fine jobs. The music is a bit over-bearing, but it is a Victorian tale after all. The script, so far as I could tell, is all Dickens's words, and sounds stilted and old in some places, but amazingly modern in others. That's Dickensian, of course.
Minor caveats: I dislike the Past's hair-do, and the Future's voice.
Dates are for show more the most recent re-watching of a perennial favorite. show less