Mike Leigh's film 'Peterloo' 2018

 

DVD - 2019

Mike Leigh's movie - written and directed by him - was based on the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. It was screened at the 75th Venice International Film Festival and received its UK premiere on 17th October 2018 as part of the BFI London Film Festival, but in Manchester - the first time that the festival had held a premiere outside London. 

Economic grievances had brought into disrepute a political system which allowed and discouraged them. By the early 19th century, previous attempts at Reform having come to nothing, demands grew more radical. Moreover, during 1815 and 1816 the character of the movement for parliamentary reform changed. Through a lack of moderate leaders, extremists emerged - above all, the two great agitators, Henry (or 'Orator') Hunt and William Cobbett, made successful appeals to the masses. Hunt was the principal speaker at the first great mass meeting for parliamentary reform, held at Spa Fields in London in 1816. A huge crowd attended, and Hunt appeared preceded by two men, one carrying on a pike the red cap of the French Revolution, the other a tricolour, the flag of the future British republic. As a result, early in 1817, the government suspended Habeas Corpus, the Act which ensured arrested persons a trial.

Two years later, partly due to a falling off in trade, meetings were held in towns and on the moors in the North to demand reform. Among other demonstrations, a mass meeting was called in St. Peter's Fields, Manchester. Hunt was to be the main speaker. Some 6,000 assembled, bearing revolutionary slogans such as Reform - or Death. There was no disorder, but magistrates watching ordered troops in to arrest Hunt. These were impeded by the crowd. A detachment of the local mounted yeomanry rode in to support the soldiers. Eleven people were killed and over 400 injured. There was an outcry in the press, local and national. This did not stop the government from introducing the Six Acts later that year. Two of these restricted the freedom of the Press, and one the right of public meeting.

Did Leigh's film give an accurate account and did it get across the strong opinions shown in 1819? Yes, I think it did. The story focuses on both sides of the emerging conflict. Perhaps the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo skimped rather on 'extras' (there were very few!) but it highlighted the PTSD of the young Joseph, who returns home in a zombie-like state. The problem for the viewer is that a traumatised state becomes rather boring. I knew what was going to happen to him, almost from the first. Death at Peterloo; so, the final graveside scene was somehow underwhelming. Joseph's home is a meagre dwelling, but with a caring and close-kit family, headed by Joshua and Nellie (Maxine Peake). The other son, Robert, the daughter Mary, and daughter-in-law Esther, all work in a cotton mill. The economic depression turns them against the Corn Laws and in favour of increasing radicalism. The men attend political meetings where local agitators, including John Knight (Philip Jackson - I thought I recognised the actor; he was Chief Inspector Japp in the long-running Poirot series!) rage against the system of government. The local authorities - a rum lot, possibly teetering on caricatures but I didn't need to be convinced (thank you William Cobbett!) - wait for an excuse to arrest the leaders. In London, the Home Secretary Lord Sidmouth ( Karl Johnson - again, memories of another TV series, Lark Rise to Candleford, kept jogging my mind) is determined to stamp out radical politics. When a potato is flung at the Prince Regent's coach (Tim McInnery - oh dear, a far cry from Black Adder's sylph-like figure as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Darling!), Sidmouth has the excuse to suspend habeus corpus.

Two of the local agitators travel to London to hear the famous Henry 'Orator' Hunt, who excels at the meeting but his vanity shows through afterwards (I thought Rory Kinnear was excellent as Hunt). Hunt agrees to travel to Manchester, but has to 'hide' in business Joseph Johnson's home until the Peter's Field meeting.  The film alternates between the gatherings of the marchers and the local magistrates' meetings. I thought this juxtaposition worked, as did the various speeches by local radicals. I read on the Amazon reviews that many thought these were too long and boring and there were two many characters! If you are used to watching the 20 second to one minute efforts on present Soaps, then you are not up to the intellectual effort or concentration needed. The irony is that we live in the age of the masses, for whom these early Radicals fought so bravely - many would turn in their graves.

Another criticism of the film was the paucity of the local militia and the regular army detachment sent in to disperse the mob and grab Hunt. Again, I thought Leigh used very effective camera angles to show the brutality against men, women and children - rather than worry about numbers of actors. The reporters present furiously return to their papers to expose the atrocity, coining a mocking name for it, The Massacre of Peterloo. Meanwhile, the Prince Regent sends his congratulations to the magistrates for suppressing radicalism and restoring 'tranquility'.

I 'bought' the film, and having read Cobbett, in both senses. I can see why it did not do particularly well at the 'box office'; but that's a reflection of the present day public rather than Leigh. I do agree, though, that it ended rather abruptly with too many questions left unanswered. Okay - we know Joseph died with others; but what happened to Hunt? how did the mill owner (shown apoplectic in one brief scene) deal with his returning workforce? were the local radical leaders punished? Mention of the Six Acts would have helped to ram home the fact that, in the short term, the radical movement had failed.