British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Akenfield

Synopsis
Loosely based on Ronald Blythe’s book, this film traces three generations of one Suffolk family and their lives in the farming industry. The film features a cast of non-professional actors drawn from the communities of several Suffolk villages and features improvised dialogue offering a depiction of country life over the changing seasons.

With three generations (grandfather, father and son) performed by the same actor (local farmer Garrow Shand), the film depicts a traditional way of life facing a period of great change, brought about by the industrialisation of the twentieth century.

The BFI’s DVD release includes the following extras:

'Akenfield Revisited’ (Rex Pyke, 2004, 40 mins): a documentary looking back at the making of ‘Akenfield’; behind the scenes footage of the filming; ‘Akenfield at the NFT’ (audio only, 2004): onstage interview with Sir Peter Hall, Ronald Blythe and Garrow Shand; On-set interview with Ronald Blythe (1974); Interview with actor Garrow Shand (2004); Interview with writer Ronald Blythe (2004); Interview with director Sir Peter Hall (2004); New interview with Rex Pyke, producer of Akenfield (2016)
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Year of production
1974
Notes
Dual format: includes both DVD and Blu-Ray
Subjects
Agriculture; Social Studies; English language and literature; History
Keywords
farming; rural communities; Suffolk; village life

Credits

Director
Peter Hall
Contributor
Ronald Blythe
Cast
Garrow Shand 

Distribution Formats

Type
DVD
Format
Region 2 PAL
Price
£14.99
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
95 minutes
Year
2016

Distributor

Name

BFI Video

Email
video.films@bfi.org.uk
Web
http://www.bfi.org.uk External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7957 8957
Fax
020 7957 8968
Address
21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

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