Alfred the Great

Yesterday while fixing supper I watched the 1969 film Alfred the Great, which I had not seen since I was twelve. In spite of being a low budget "70's" flick, I recall that it inspired me with a great interest in the Dark Ages. Alfred is the only English monarch to be called "the Great." He renounced his great desire for the monastic life in order to become the warrior his people needed when their very existence was threatened by the fierce Danes. Alfred brought peace, unity, and learning to his people, while always upholding the Christian faith. The highly fictionalized film presents an interesting character study of Alfred, depicting him as a reluctant monarch, unable at first to let go of the religious life he had originally sought. The struggle to accept his new vocation as king, and as husband, is one of the many obstacles keeping him from being a "great" monarch. Ultimately, as his confessor points out to him, it all boils down to pride. Only by losing everything and being totally crushed does the Alfred character learn humility, the key to greatness. There are some basic spiritual lessons presented, such as accepting the will of God and how sometimes it is God's will to set aside a purely contemplative lifestyle in order to live an active one. Alfred in the end becomes the leader his people needed.

The heathen Danes are not presented in a favorable light, much against the current trend of showing pagans as noble and wise and Christians as weak and duplicitous. I must say that Michael York gives a chilling but powerful performance as the cruel barbarian king, mistreating nuns and torturing the Saxons. Such scenes, as well as the costumes and sets, seemed to be fairly authentic. I do not think the film is available on video or DVD; I saw it on cable and hopefully they will play it again soon.