The film follows the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, led by a farmer known only as “Ploughman,” who becomes an unlikely leader seeking justice. As the rebellion marches on London, it hopes to force change from King Richard II, but the uprising is betrayed. Key figures like John Ball are caught in the trap laid by the crow…
Despite the collapse of the revolt, the ending pivots. Rather than die, Ploughman survives and retreats into the forests along with the other remaining rebels. A year later, cloaked in green, he ambushes a convoy with highwaymen—killing the Mayor of London but sparing King Richard, choosing instead to leave him to live in fear. The film closes with Ploughman operating as an outlaw from the woods, his rebellion transformed into legend—echoing a Robin Hood origin without ever naming him as such.
Themes & Takeaway
- The revolt fails as a direct political movement, but its ideals live on. - Power is shown to be both overwhelming and fragile—able to crush uprisings, yet unable to fully erase resistance or nightmares. - Ploughman’s transformation from grieving farmer to forest outlaw suggests that true revolutions might survive in stories and symbols, even when they’re crushed in reality.
Sources
Provider metadata
Tap to read source excerpt
Web search
Open sourceWeb search
Open source