Winstanley (DVD + Blu-ray)

Brownlow and Mollo's film 'Winstanley' is a faithful recreation of a forgotten episode in English history. A few months after the execution of Chalres I, after seven years of bloody Civil War, England was in a state of upheaval: a fecund ground for new ideas, new attitudes and new actions.

Gerrard Winstanley and the Diggers were pioneers of 'direct action', claiming back common lands for the poor and dispossessed. The actions of the Diggers attracted the hostility of wealthy local lords, and their commune was many times raided.

This film conveys the hardships through which the Digger went. Miles Halliwell's portrayl of Winstanley is sympathetic; he almost IS Gerrard himself. I also enjoyed the scenes with the Ranters (seventeenth century hippie-types), which marvellously conveyed the mad anarchy of their beliefs, and also captured the bewilderment of Diggers themselves. Real-life activist Sid Rawle played his part with aplomb.

The film's sympathies lie clearly with the Diggers, but the directors do not flinch from showing us the adversity under which the Diggers laboured. Much of this is revealled through the words of their opponents, particularly the nasty Parson Platt, whose wife was entranced by the power of Winstanley's books. Yet not only people made life difficult for the Diggers. A harsh Nature is starkly captured in monochrome, though monochrome also captures the light admirably, which gives us a glimpse of hope, of redemption. Indeed the black and white cinematography--a result partly of aesthetic, partly financial reasons--gives the film a tangible historical edge. The dialogue is likewise authentic, much of Halliwell's narration derived verbatim from Winstanley's writings.

As the documentary at the end of the film shows, it was made on a shoestring, independent of big studios, and acted by amateurs. Its achievements are thus all the more admirable.

Black and white gives a real historical feel to this heart-rendering story. The Diggers were idealists who rightly saw land as a crucial issue during the English Civil war. Sid Rawle - seventies squatter - plays the leader of the Ranters who disrupt the Diggers peaceful mission, Winstanley himself is played by Miles Halliwell, excellent casting in both cases. Though the film was made on a shoestring budget it's a must for anyone fascinated by the history of ideas or who wishes people today treated the earth as 'a common treasury for all'.

If someone had asked me several months ago whether I'd seen "Winstanley", I'd have probably answered "Who? I've never even met the guy!" Now I know better. This cinematic gem is a recent discovery for me. In fact, the BFI's recent Blu-ray releases of British filmic treasures have opened up these seldom shown films to a whole new audience. If you want to watch something more than your average formulaic Hollywood fare, then you've come to the right place.
This is the story of a mid-17th century band of peasant farmers, inspired by Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard, to establish a self-sufficient commune on a piece of common land known as St. George's Hill, Surrey. It is a story of hope and promise, but also of brutal resistance to new ideas and the powerful interest in maintaining the status quo. It is a moving and powerful movie, the likes of which you are unlikely to see again anytime soon. This newly restored, high definition version, with its stark black and white cinematography looks just fantastic, the quality of which belies its humble origins. Attention to detail, from clothing and uniforms to farming implements and even extending to the use of rare breeds of farm animals is astonishing. It is even more amazing for a production budget, which in today terms would proably just about pay for a few day's catering on any big blockbuster set!
I would maintain that the story of the making of this film [on a laughably tiny shoestring budget] is just as fascinating as the feature itself. Therefore, the inclusion of Eric Mival's 1976 contemporary 50 minute "making of" documentary on the Blu-ray disc is a real boon. It title "It Happened Here Again" playfully invokes the independent, non-commercial spirit of Kevin Brownlow's and Andrew Mollo's earlier cinematic collaboration in recounting a fictional tale of a Nazi occupation of Britain in "It Happened Here". There is also a 40 min new interview with Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo, with their old collaborator from the BFI Production Board, Mr. Mamoun Hassan included as a worthy supplement. The fully illustrated 36-page booklet with essays and reviews on the production rounds off another superb BFI Blu-ray package.
Finally, for those who may still have not got enough of "Winstanley" you might like to find out even more in Kevin Brownlow's recent book account [April 2009] of the film's making ["Winstanley, Warts and All" , a UKA Press Book ISBN 9781905796229]. Whatever you plump for, film or book, or at best both, you will not be disappointed!