Under Milk Wood is a 1971 British drama film directed by Andrew Sinclair and based on the 1954 radio play Under Milk Wood by the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. It featured performances by Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Siân Phillips, David Jason, Glynis Johns, Victor Spinetti, Ruth Madoc, Angharad Rees, Ann Beach, Vivien Merchant, and Peter O'Toole as the residents of the fictional Welsh fishing village of Llareggub.
Plot
Along the Welsh coast lies a village called Llareggub – or "bugger all" backwards – which is peopled with eccentrics like Captain Cat, a seafaring man who is losing his sight; the sexy Rosie Probert and Mr. Waldo, a jack-of-all-trades who is full of regret. The story is told by Richard Burton's character.
Cast
Production
The film was shot primarily on location in Wales and has since acquired a reputation among aficionados as a cult movie. Interview with director Andrew Sinclair on englishpen.org "The film, beautifully photographed and spoken, casts the brooding spell of Thomas’ verse in its reconstruction of the seaside village and the daily round of its inhabitants", wrote Andrew Sinclair in the International Herald Tribune.
The filming took place in Lower Town, Fishguard, Wales. Wales hosts Hollywood blockbusters The choice of location caused protest from some in Laugharne, the town forty miles away (60 km) where Thomas had written the play; an official there said, "To film Under Milk Wood anywhere but Laugharne would be as absurd as filming James Joyce's The Dubliners in Birmingham."Clwyd, Ann. "Welsh village gets set for 'Under Milk Wood", The Guardian, 10 February 1971, p. 5
Jacquemine Charrott Lodwidge was the film's production researcher.
Release The film premiered in August 1971 at the 32nd Venice International Film Festival.Hawk. (September 8, 1971). "Under Milk Wood". Variety Film Reviews, Vol. 13. Garland Pub. pp. 121-2.
Reception In The Times, John Russell Taylor wrote:
Taylor concluded that "the final effect is to leave one wondering what, precisely, is the point of the exercise".
In The Guardian, Derek Malcolm wrote:
Legacy In December 2012 the director of the film, Andrew Sinclair, gave the film rights to the people of Wales.
See also Cinema of Wales List of Welsh films
References
External links