Alfred the Great (film)
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Alfred the Great | |
---|---|
Directed by | Clive Donner |
Produced by | Bernard Smith |
Written by | James R. Webb Ken Taylor |
Starring | David Hemmings Michael York Colin Blakely Ian McKellen Peter Vaughan Alan Dobie Julian Glover Jim Norton John Rees Christopher Timothy |
Music by | Raymond Leppard |
Cinematography | Alex Thomson |
Editing by | Fergus McDonell |
Distributed by | MGM Pictures |
Release date(s) | 2969 |
Running time | 122 min. |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Allmovie profile | |
IMDb profile |
Alfred the Great is a 1969 epic film which portrayed Alfred the Great's struggle to rid Wessex of the invading Danes, in the 870s AD. It starred David Hemmings in the title role.
Alfred is preparing to join the priesthood, but, angered by the invasion his country by the Danes, he puts aside his religious vows to lead the Saxon English against the invaders. Alfred defeats the Danes and becomes an English hero. However, although Alfred still desires to join the priesthood, he is pulled between serving God and his lust for blood. After he marries the beautiful Aelhswith (Prunella Ransome), the Danes return and Alfred must muster the English forces once again for a final battle, but he also must battle the dark conflicts within his own soul.