Ivanhoe and the miners
Film productions in Wales are primarily American or English. In 1913, the American director Herbert Brenon arrived on British soil to shoot Ivanhoe, a silent adaptation of the work of the same title written by Sir Walter Scott in 1819. Set in late 12th century England, this adventure tells the story of the romance between the knight Wilfred d'Ivanhoe and Rebecca, a young Jewish girl. The film is one of the first overseas expeditions for Americans, and is shot throughout the United Kingdom, including at Chepstow Castle in Wales. In 1940, Penrose Tennyson initiated the beginning of a recurring and important theme in Welsh cinema (and in the United Kingdom in general): working in the mines. With The Proud Valley, Tennyson offers us an astonishing film and tells us the story of a black worker, played by Paul Robeson, who becomes integrated into the mining communities of South Wales. In 1941, there is talk of the mythical and unavoidable film That it was green my valley, directed by John Ford, set against the backdrop of Welsh mines. There is also Cwm Hyfryd (The Beautiful Valley), a 1993 remake exploring the Welsh identity of a mining valley in crisis, via a Welsh emigrant who came to find his roots in his homeland. Finally, Matthew Warchus' very good Pride (2014), tells the story of the alliance of striking miners in Wales and the homosexual struggle movements in the early 1980s. A true story and yet little known to the general public.Dylan Thomas in the spotlight
Richard Burton born Richard Jenkins in 1925 in Ponthrydyfen, near Port Talbot. The second last of a family of thirteen children, he grew up among minors of the Presbyterian faith, where Welsh was the mother tongue. This actor divides his life between film and Shakespearean theatre. He is also known for his two tormented marriages to Elizabeth Taylor, with whom he appears in Cleopatra. To his credit: Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), The Spy Who Came from the Cold (1966) and Under Milk Wood (1972), a film shot in Wales, adapted from the radio play by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. The film is shot in the town of Fishguard, which causes controversy among the inhabitants of Laugharne, a town 60 kilometres away, where Thomas wrote the play. The poet is also featured in The Edge of Love (2008), where Matthew Rhys (who plays Thomas) plays Sienna Miller, Keira Knightley and Cillian Murphy. Set during the Second World War, this biopic chronicles the conflicted relationship between the poet, his wife Caitlyn Macnamara (played by Miller) and their couple of friends, the Killicks (Knightley and Murphy). Originally entitled The Best Time of Our Lives, the story is loosely based on the events recounted in David N.'s book. Thomas' book Dylan Thomas: A Farm, Two Mansions and a Bungalow (2000).
Unique personality versus big productions
The 1990s bring us a host of stories forging a strong personality in Wales such as Christopher Monger's The Englishman Who Climbed a Hill and Down a Mountain (1995), with Hugh Grant, a colourful legend with tasty and eccentric characters. Comedy is not to be left out with Ymadawiad Arthur (1995), a work on Welsh attitudes and clichés. The action is treated in the past (1960) and in the future (2096), in the manner of a science fiction film. Also Twin Town (1997), by Kevin Allen, set in Swansea City: a social and caustic painting tinged with black humour, in the style of contemporary British cinema. The film Human Traffic (1999) is directed by Welsh director Justin Kerrigan and shot in Cardiff. It follows a group of friends who try to silence their identity anxieties and social frustrations by leading a frenetic life as clubbers. The big productions are seduced by this country with a strong character. Blockbusters partly shot in Wales include Die Another Day (starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, 2002); Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, the Cradle of Life with Angelina Jolie in 2003; and Captain America: First Avenger with Chris Evans, 2011. For fans of the Harry Potter saga, you should know that the famous sorcerer has also walked the Welsh lands in The Deathly Hallows part 1 (2010). Indeed, one of the key scenes of the film takes place on Freswater West Beach.
