At this point, is it possible that filmmaker Mike Leigh will make a bad film? Sure, you may not be his biggest fan, but it’s hard to argue against the critical reception that his filmography has received over the years. Going back over three decades, Leigh’s work, including “Secrets & Lies,” “Life is Sweet,” and most recently, “Mr. Turner,” has been nothing but critically-acclaimed film after critically-acclaimed film. Over the years, Leigh has been nominated for an Oscar, won a BAFTA, and picked up a Palme d’Or at Cannes. Not shabby at all. And his latest film, “Peterloo,” doesn’t appear to be anything less than a great film, either.
In the first teaser for the film, we get just the very basics of the plot. As you can tell from the title of the film, and the footage shown, “Peterloo” tells the story of the titular bloody event that saw the government-backed cavalry charge into a peaceful gathering of 80,000 people demanding political reform in early 1800s England. While the teaser doesn’t give much away, in terms of plot, the music and the little bit of footage show the tone that Leigh is going for with his latest film.
“Peterloo” stars Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Neil Bell, Philip Jackson, Vincent Franklin, Karl Johnson, and Tim McInnerny. And as is the case with all of Leigh’s projects, the filmmaker performed double-duty as writer and director on the project.
“Peterloo” will hit theaters, courtesy of Amazon Studios, on November 9.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Internationally acclaimed and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Leigh portrays one of the bloodiest episodes in British history, the infamous Peterloo Massacre of 1819, where government-backed cavalry charged into a peaceful crowd of 80,000 that gathered in Manchester, England to demand democratic reform.