Introduction

Winstanley is a 1975 British black-and-white film about social reformer and writer Gerrard Winstanley. It is based on the 1961 David Caute novel Comrade Jacob.

Outline

The film details the story of the 17th-century social reformer and writer Gerrard Winstanley, who, along with a small band of followers known as the Diggers, tried to establish a self-sufficient farming community on common land at St George’s Hill (“Diggers’ Hill”) near Cobham, Surrey. The community was one of the world’s first small-scale experiments in socialism or communism, and its ideas were copied elsewhere in England during the time of the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, but it was quickly suppressed, and in the end left only a legacy of ideas to inspire later generations of socialist theorists.

Trivia and Goofs

• Armour used during filming was actual armour from the 1640s, borrowed from the Tower of London.

Production & Filming Details

• Directors: Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo.
• Producers: Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo.
• Writers: Kevin Brownlow and David Caute (novel).
• Music: Sergi Prokofiev.
• Cinematography: Ernest Vincze.
• Editor: Sarah Ellis.
• Release Date: 1975 (UK).
• Running Time: 95 minutes.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

YouTube Link