Synopsis

One of the most invigorating period adventures to hit the big screen in decades, a lavish historical saga combining religious tension, political intrigue, sex, violence and war.

England 1645. The nation lies in ruins. The bitter civil war that has divided the country is over. The Puritans have overthrown King Charles I and won their battle against corruption.

Two heroes emerge from the war - they are the leaders of the victorious parliamentary army - LORD GENERAL THOMAS FAIRFAX (Dougray Scott) and his loyal deputy, GENERAL OLIVER CROMWELL (Tim Roth). Their mission is to unite and reform the land. FAIRFAX, a member of the aristocracy, wants moderate reform of the monarchy. CROMWELL, from the working class, demands the execution of the King.

Deposed ruler KING CHARLES I (Rupert Everett) believes he's had his kingdom stolen away from him by FAIRFAX and is determined to be restored to his throne by any means necessary. He finds a sympathetic ally in LADY ANNE FAIRFAX (Olivia Williams) who retains a commitment to the monarchy.

FAIRFAX finds himself increasingly torn between loyalty to his beloved wife, LADY ANNE, preservation of his social class, and to the revolutionary cause of his comrade. CROMWELL'S actions become ever more brutal and reach a point where FAIRFAX realises he has to be stopped. Thus igniting a period of betrayal and conspiracy between the two most powerful men in the country.

Mike explains that "much of the film concerns the dichotomy between public and private, and I intend to combine a fluid style with occasional moments of detailed stillness and observation. The aim is to create a sense of the paranoia and edginess of politics at this most turbulent of times. TO KILL A KING will not be a period film in the traditional Merchant Ivory sense, more something that combines the contemporary edginess of political thrillers with an intimate drama of three people; husband, wife and friend, caught in an appalling situation.

The film will evoke the 17th Century, but the style in which we edit and shoot will be more contemporary, more post-modern. I see the film as an emotional thriller, where we take our audience on a journey, their point of view shifting as we move with our principal characters through the complex world of this revolutionary time. I want to edit the film in a way which will make it pacy, yet without losing the moments of stillness and emotional punch that will affect any audience. The camera will be amongst the characters -as the script is - so that the audience will feel connected to these people and their situation in the most direct and involving way."

Jenny Mayhew envisions the picture to be an exciting examination of the nature of revolution, of how a state can be re-born after years of internal conflict and bloodshed; Cromwell, the visionary leader, wants fundamentally to realign English politics and is desperate that this battle, like the military ones before it, is fought by him and his closest friend, Fairfax. Fairfax's aristocratic connections including his wife Anne and his father-in-law Lord De Vere, wish him to reach a more moderate accommodation with the King than that envisaged by Cromwell.

Much of the film's drama derives from the battle of loyalty, love and intellect as played out in the mind of Fairfax. Caught between Cromwell, the King and Anne, his position becomes increasingly impossible."

Parliament was victorious, largely due to the creation of a modern and professional fighting force called the New Model Army, which was led by Sir Thomas Fairfax.

King Charles I was imprisoned at Hampton Court Palace by Cromwell and the army in 1647 and he was tried for treason, found guilty and beheaded in 1649. With the support of the army, Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector, king in all but name.