Peterloo
An epic portrayal of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, recounting how a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester escalated into one of the bloodiest and most infamous chapters in British history. Government forces charged into a crowd of more than 60,000 gathered to demand political reforms and protest the rising levels of poverty.
Director(s)
Dan Channing-Williams
Sophie Freeman
Frank Macpherson
Heather Storr
Mike Leigh
Donald E G Bentley
Cast & Crew
Details
Reviews
Peter McGinn
Fine historical film, though it has less emotional depth than other Mike Leigh movies. That makes sense, for his movies have never been described as an epic before. I often state when I write reviews that I am patient than many viewers when it comes to slower paced movies. Also, since I write novels in my spare time and feature plenty of dialogue, I don't mind a lot of talking in movies either. I think this movie lacked some of the emotional impact of other Mike Leigh films, perhaps due its scope. You know how it is; people can shrug off a disaster elsewhere in the world when it kills 500 people, but if they hear a personal story well told about a single victim, the tears may fall. There are a lot of people in this movie. There were so many extras that I half expected to see myself in one of the crowd scenes. With so many different main characters and perspectives, I didn't find myself forming a connection with any of them. But I liked the film just fine, and I never would have sat through a documentary on the subject.
CinemaSerf
It's quite interesting to consider that even in the mother of western democracies, as recently as two hundred years ago most men did not have the vote in the UK, and great swathes of urban Britain had no representation at all. Mike Leigh is perhaps a little heavy handed here, but he does offer us an at times poignant glimpse into the poverty in which the working class lived in England's north west whilst the governing class lived a life of opulence and privilege under the Prince Regent. Rory Kinnear is the renowned orator "Hunt" who travels the length and breadth of the land advocating a peaceful, positive, realignment of power. A trip to Manchester proves to be the ultimate catalyst for the increasingly panic-stricken authorities who - with events in Paris forty years early still prescient - have decided that these increasingly popular gatherings must be stamped out. Leigh has assembled a workmanlike cast here - there isn't really a star, as such - and that helps better illustrate that this is a story about the ordinary man. I say man, because we are a long way from female emancipation being on the back burner, even - indeed the stronger characters here - "Mary" (Rachel Finnegan) and "Nellie" (Maxine Peake) are entirely focussed on empowering their "men folk". What this film does not present though, is any sort of balance to the historical aspects of this conflict. It exaggerates the indifference and excesses of the landed gentry whilst offering a rather naive portrayal of some those advocating revolution. Like many films that present a political assessment of an hugely complex set of scenarios, it ends up reflecting the views of the auteur and that's a shame. This is a story of profound societal evolution that could have been more effective had the establishment been given slightly more airtime and been treated slightly less one-dimensionally and judgmentally. The dialogue is at times, though, really quite powerfully potent and this is a very authentic-looking story that history ought not to readily forge and that is well worth a watch.
All Trailers
Teasers
Behind the scenes
Media engagement
Peterloo - Featurette: Life in the Detail | Amazon Studios
Peterloo - Featurette: From Waterloo to Peterloo | Amazon Studios
Peterloo - Featurette: The People of Peterloo | Amazon Studios
Peterloo - Featurette: Working with Mike Leigh | Amazon Studios
Peterloo Q&A with Director Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh on Peterloo | BFI London Film Festival 2018
PETERLOO Director Q&A | TIFF 2018
Peterloo FAQs
The directors of Peterloo are Dan Channing-Williams, Sophie Freeman, Frank Macpherson, Heather Storr, Mike Leigh, and Donald E G Bentley.
The cast of Peterloo includes Rory Kinnear as Henry Hunt, Karl Farrer as Lord (uncredited), Vincent Franklin as Magistrate Rev Ethelston, Julie Hesmondhalgh as Female Reformer, Bob Goody as Outraged Reformer, Tim McInnerny as Prince Regent, Victor McGuire as Deputy Chief Constable Nadin, Christine Bottomley as Female Reformer, Philip Whitchurch as Magistrate Colonel Fletcher, Lisa Millett as Jemima Bamford, Noreen Kershaw as Mrs Mickletwhaite, Drunk Servant/ Thief, Kieran O'Brien as Peter Wilkes, a Farrier, and more.
The duration of Peterloo is 2h 34 mins.
Yes. You can watch the Peterloo trailer on this Fanbiz page on Fanziz.
Peterloo was released on 01 Nov 2018.
Peterloo is listed under History and Drama on Fanbiz.
Peterloo has 2 reviews on Fanziz, with an average rating of 7.0/10. One reviewer wrote: "Fine historical film, though it has less emotional depth than other Mike Leigh movies. That makes sense, for his movies have never been described as an epic before. I often s..."
