How Paul Greengrass And Andrew Garfield Made ‘The Uprising’s 14th-Century History Into A Modern-Day Truth
Director Paul Greengrass has made "The Uprising", a new film starring Andrew Garfield that reframes England's 14th-century Peasants' Revolt as a story with clear echoes for today's audiences, exploring how ordinary people can rise up against unaccountable authority. In an interview, Greengrass explains he conceived the project before the COVID-19 pandemic but began writing it during lockdown, driven by a feeling of powerlessness in the face of governmental decisions and a desire to show how change can be sparked by people with little power or means.
Garfield plays a fictional farmer known only as "Ploughman", who loses his family to plague and, pushed to breaking point by a tax collector, inadvertently ignites a nationwide rebellion against King Richard II's regime. He is joined by Cosmo Jarvis as historical rebel leader Wat Tyler, Jamie Bell as clergyman John Ball, and Thomasin McKenzie as fellow rebel Alyce, alongside Katherine Waterston, Tom Hollander, Stephen Dillane, Jonny Lee Miller, Stanley Townsend, Sky Yang and Woody Norman. The film was shot in Bavaria and Germany, including in a historic Nuremberg church, and Greengrass reveals his early draft was titled "The Hood", hinting at a connection to the Robin Hood legend.
In short
- Greengrass's new film reimagines the 1381 Peasants' Revolt as a modern parable
- Andrew Garfield plays "Ploughman", a farmer who sparks a national uprising
- Cast includes Cosmo Jarvis, Jamie Bell and Thomasin McKenzie; shot in Germany
Explained simply
The Peasants’ Revolt was a major uprising in England in 1381, during the reign of Richard II. It followed years of hardship, including plague and taxes that many people resented, and brought workers and villagers into conflict with the king’s officials.
Among the revolt’s leaders was Wat Tyler, while the preacher John Ball urged people to question the social order. The uprising was put down, but it remains a significant episode in English history because it showed how grievances among ordinary people could challenge those in power.
The film places a fictional farmer at the centre of these events. Its modern-day framing reflects director Paul Greengrass’s interest in how people with little influence can respond when they feel that authority is not answerable to them.
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