Clive Donner (1926–2010)

One of the lost films of British cinema, now obtainable on DVD only at great expense, this film unfortunately deserves its obscurity. A late entrant in the 1960s history epic stakes, it fails on almost every front, being nothing like the sort of English 'El Cid' it seemed to be intended as.
Locations - filmed in Ireland, which makes a poor substitute for 9th century England, and doesn't even make Ireland look good. Most of the time the outlook is a sort of muddy green.
Script - Alfred is presented as a sort of philosopher king reluctant to go into battle and perpetually at war inside his mind between his human passions and his faith. This leads to many boring interludes.
Performances - David Hemmings makes a very dreary hero, often sulky and introspective. Michael York is a lot more successful as the Danish leader and even Peter Vaughan is more fun as the Mercian king. Prunella Ransome, who never had the career she deserved, did her best with some very poor material as Alfred's wife, whom he treats shamefully. In support there are a lot of actors who became better known later; they were fortunate that association with this film did not terminate their careers.
Credibiity - the Danish army is treated as being more like the Normans were, and in a contradictory way, being initially wild marauders and then a fearsome professional army all clad in identical armour. And in smaller ways too there are unbelievable scenes- at the start of the film a shepherd and his lass are canoodling behind a rock. Ominous music sounds, and springing up they see a couple of hundred Danes, about to attack a village. Do they run like hell? No, they run towards the Danes and attack them with their bare fists. Later, when the king of Mercia brings his daughter to Alfred's elder brother (then king) to treaty negotiations, she is seen wandering by herself early in the morning in the countryside (where naturally Aflfred happens upon her and falls in love). A woman of that class at that time never went anywhere by herself, and certainly not into the countryside, because of the danger she would be in.
Overall, this is a dull, badly written and produced film, and a hugely missed opportunity to make a film worthy of a king whose real life remains little known to the public.… (more)