England,
1989, 106 min
Shown in 1990
CREDITS
- dir
-
Karl Francis
- prod
-
Ruth Kenley
- scr
-
Karl Francis
- cam
-
Robert Pugh Evans
- editor
-
Christopher Lawrence
- cast
-
Sue Roderick, Mark Lewis Jones, Jack Shepherd, Maria Pride
- source
-
I-deal Communications Films and Television Ltd., 26 Soho Square, London W1V SFJ, England, FAX: 1-287-8337
- premiere
-
U.S. Premiere
-
COMMENTS
Karl Frances attended the screening.
OTHER
The bitter history and resilient people of the Welsh coal-mining district live on in the memory of Gwen, whose 110th birthday is marked in her nursing home by TV cameras and a telegram from the Queen. Far more vivid to Gwen are the sorrows and passions of her life before the First World War: the beloved husband lost, like so many, to the merciless dangers of the mine; her widow's exile, children in tow, from their home; the lockout of striking miners and bloody conflicts with soldiers; and the age-old woman's work of dressing the dead. Despite hardship, life was also rich: Births, courtships, family and the natural beauty of the land kept alive the spirit dehumanized by poverty and exploitation. The remembered past is fragmented, almost fantastic as Gwen's story veers far from the expected outlines of labor strife, but a dense and poignant portrait emerges of the courageous survivor within both the frail old woman and her remembered self, brought to life with remarkable strength and clarity by actress Sue Roderick. A native of the Welsh mining district, director Karl Francis (Boy Soldier; Ms. Rhymney Valley, SFIFF 1987) uses the Welsh language and landscape to weave a compelling vision of a woman, a way of life, a land both beautiful and blasted, and the ephemeral power of human memory.
—Alicia Springer
FACTOID #130
Spike Lee has attended the San Francisco International several times. He came, film reels in hand, for the world premiere of She’s Gotta Have It in 1986. He returned in 1994 with Crooklyn, which starred Oakland’s own Delroy Lindo. And in 2007 he received the Festival’s Film Society Directing Award.
