1649. With poverty and unrest sweeping England, a group of impoverished men and women, known as the diggers, form a settlement on St George's Hill, Surrey. Inspired by the visionary leadership of Gerrard Winstanley, the commune's tireless, yet peaceful attempts to assert their right to cultivate and share the wealth of the common land, are met with crushing hostility from local landowners and government troops.
With Winstanley, filmmakers Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo (the creators of It Happened Here) produced an astonishingly authentic historical film, and a powerful, moving story of one extraordinary man's vision.
Extras
New restoration by the BFI National Archive.
New filmed interview with Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo (38 minutes)
It happened Here Again (Eric Mival, 1976, 48 minutes) - the making of Winstanley
9 Dalmuir West (Kevin Brownlow, 1962, 12 minutes)
Fully Illustrated 32-page booklet with contributions by Marina Lewycka (author of A Short History of tractors in Ukrainian), Eric Mival, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Tom Milne, and David Robinson; plus biographies and credits.