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'Minister of Culture' Michael Heaton says 'Peterloo' is a demanding historical drama

“Peterloo” is a sweeping epic about the democratic reform of the British parliament in the early 1800’s.
Credit: Courtesy Amazon Studio
Henry Hunt (center) played by Rory Kinnear energizes the crowd in the movie "Peterloo."

What: “Peterloo”

Who: Directed by Mike Leigh. Starring Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, David Moorst, Karl Johnson, Robert Wilfort, Tim McInnerny, Neil Bell, John Paul Hurley and Marion Bailey.

Rated: PG-13.

Running time:154 minutes.

When: Opens Friday April 19.

Where: Area theaters.

Grade: B+.

At 2 hours and 34 minutes the British historical drama “Peterloo” is the very definition of a “demanding” movie. Director Mike Leigh is known for his amiable drama/comedies about contemporary British working class people.

“Peterloo” is a sweeping epic about the democratic reform of the British parliament in the early 1800’s.

The movie opens on the British defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. A young British soldier named Joe stumbles home to Manchester, England with a sever case of PTSD. His family is suffering as well. There’s no work and the people are starving due to a tariff on imported corn.

The people want taxation with representation but the members of the Parliament care nothing for the unwashed, downtrodden masses. Their disdain for the “people” couldn’t be more pointed or cruel.

Firebrand reformers are holding impromptu town halls in pubs and churches rallying the masses toward a new labor movement. They desire liberty like the kind their French brothers and sisters have just won.

All this political hoopla is coming to a head on Monday August 16 1819. Renowned lefty British orator Henry Hunt played by Rory Kinnear, from London, is coming to speak at a rally at St. Peter’s Field in Manchester in the north of Britain.

More than 100,000 people turn out to see him speak. Factory workers take the day off without permission bringing the economy to a standstill. The local politicians have dispatched spies and constabulary to keep an eye and an arm on the “rabble.”

“Peterloo” moves leisurely towards its calamitous end.

Fans of history and left-leaning politics will not want to miss this gorgeously shot and well-written film. There is not a weak spot in the cast and there are opportunities for historical and legal instruction.

I personally renewed my my knowledge on the concept of “habeas corpus” and learned that “riot act” is a real thing. “Peterloo” reminded me of the killings at Kent State. The movie resonates and reward viewers who have the inclination and patience for the art of British political oratory.

It’s hard to find fault with “Peterloo” other than to say there’s an imbalance in the first half exposition of the story and a much too abrupt ending.

I’m hoping Mike Leigh returns to his forte soon: the contemporary British real-life, blue collar comedy.

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