Winstanley (1975) review

In 17th century England, a group of Protestant radicals known as the True Levellers (or the Diggers) led by Gerrard Winstanley (Miles Halliwell) decide to just take over vacant land and try to grow crops and live there, but doing so aggravates everyone else, leading to their homes being burned down and them being attacked by soldiers.  As a time-piece the sense of authenticity cannot be denied - Brownlow is best known for his work restoring silent pictures and Mollo is an expert in military apparel - and they borrowed materials from the British archives, but it isn't what you'd call "dramatic" - it's stiffly presented and the acting leaves a bit to be desired, but it's the best they could have made considering the low budget.  I can't help but wonder if a young Karl Marx, sitting in the British Museum Reading Room, didn't come across some of Winstanley's writings and an invisible lightbulb appeared over his head.