The Last Days of Dolwyn

Last updated

The Last Days of Dolwyn
Directed by Emlyn Williams
Written by Emlyn Williams
Produced by Anatole de Grunwald
Starring Edith Evans
Emlyn Williams
Richard Burton
Anthony James
Cinematography Otto Heller
Edited by Russell Lloyd
Maurice Rootes
Music by John DH Greenwood
Distributed by British Lion Films
Release date
  • 13 April 1949 (1949-04-13) [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguagesEnglish, Welsh
Box office£96,772 (UK) [2]

The Last Days of Dolwyn (renamed Woman of Dolwyn for the American market) [3] is a 1949 British drama film directed by Emlyn Williams and starring Edith Evans, Emlyn Williams, Richard Burton and Anthony James. [4] The screenplay focuses on an impoverished Welsh village which becomes the site of a bitter power struggle between a callous developer and a stubborn widow.

Contents

The film marked the first film appearance of Burton, the first film appearance of Edith Evans since 1916, and the sole film to be directed by Emlyn Williams, who also wrote the screenplay.

Plot

The story is set in 1892 in and around the peaceful (fictional) village of Dolwyn in Mid-Wales. A short prelude shows a plaque marking a flood and the deaths of two people, only one of whose bodies was recovered.

A consortium led by Lord Lancashire is constructing a massive dam at the head of the valley above Dolwyn, to create a reservoir to supply water to Liverpool. Construction stops when the rock, thought to be limestone, turns out to be granite. Realising it will be cheaper and easier to flood the land which includes the village (but unaware it is inhabited), Lord Lancashire dispatches his agent, Rob, to buy the land. Heavily in debt, Lady Dolwyn agrees to sell. Leaseholders are offered large sums for their leases, along with new houses in Liverpool and jobs in a cotton mill for those who want them. The villagers do not recognise Rob, but he has his own reason for wanting the village flooded; he was born and grew up there, but was forced out of the village twenty years before for thievery.

Of all the villagers, old widow Merri is the most reluctant to leave. Her son is buried in the graveyard and she hates the idea of the grave being flooded, as his father died by drowning.

Whilst packing up to leave, Merri's foster-child Gareth, who has lived in England and speaks the language, discovers documents that prove Merri (who speaks very little English) has a right to own her land in perpetuity. A solicitor confirms the title. Lord Lancashire visits Merri, but soon realises she cannot be bought off or cajoled. To top it all, she cures his rheumatic shoulder with manipulation. He decides to use the more expensive method of construction instead, preserving the village. Rob is furious and decides to open the dam's spillway valves to flood the valley. He fails, and instead he sets fire to Merri's cottage.

Gareth catches Rob in the act, knocking him into the fire. Though Gareth tries to beat out the flames, Rob dies. Merri has witnessed the events: to protect Gareth, she conceals the body, then makes her way to the dam's valve room and opens the valves. The villagers watch sadly from nearby safe ground as their village is drowned. One young shepherd refuses to flee the flood and his defiant, lilting tenor voice is suddenly silenced as the tide consumes him.

Cast

A still from the making of the film The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949) film still.png
A still from the making of the film

Historical parallels

The film's setting parallels the drowning in the 1880s of the village of Llanwddyn in Lake Vyrnwy to provide water for Liverpool. It may also be based on the construction of the Elan Valley Reservoirs, designed to supply water to Birmingham, and the tragic flooding of the beautiful neighbourhood of Nantgwyllt, beloved of the poet Shelley. [5]

In the 1960s, Llyn Celyn was built to provide further water to Liverpool, flooding the village of Capel Celyn.

Reception

The film performed disappointingly at the box office despite good reviews. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emlyn Williams</span> Welsh writer, dramatist and actor

George Emlyn Williams, CBE was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Evans</span> English actress (1888–1976)

Dame Edith Mary Evans, was an English actress. She was best known for her work on the stage, but also appeared in films at the beginning and towards the end of her career. Between 1964 and 1968, she was nominated for three Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwynfor Evans</span> Welsh politician (1912–2005)

Gwynfor Richard Evans was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. He was President of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru for thirty-six years and was the first member of Parliament to represent it at Westminster, which he did twice, from 1966 to 1970, and again from 1974 to 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Vyrnwy</span> Man-made lake in Wales

Lake Vyrnwy is a reservoir in Powys, Wales, built in the 1880s for Liverpool Corporation Waterworks to supply Liverpool with fresh water. It flooded the head of the Vyrnwy valley and submerged the village of Llanwddyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afon Tryweryn</span> River in the United Kingdom

The Tryweryn is a river in the north of Wales which starts at Llyn Tryweryn in the Snowdonia National Park and after 19 kilometres (12 mi) joins the river Dee at Bala. One of the main tributaries of the Dee, it was dammed in 1965 to form Llyn Celyn. The Tryweryn flooding forcibly removed residents of the village of Capel Celyn despite popular and political opposition in Wales. The resulting graffiti "Cofiwch Dryweryn" near Llanrhystud became and remains a popular icon of Welsh feeling. Water is stored in Llyn Celyn in winter when flows are high, and released over the summer to maintain the flow in the Dee (water from the Dee is used as the water supply for large areas of north-east Wales, and for the Wirral and much of Liverpool in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allan Aynesworth</span> English actor and producer

Edward Henry Abbot-Anderson, known professionally as Allan Aynesworth, was an English actor and producer. His career spanned more than six decades, from 1887 to 1949, and included the role of Algernon Moncrieff in the 1895 premiere of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llyn Celyn</span> Artificial lake near Bala in Gwynedd, north Wales

Llyn Celyn is a reservoir constructed between 1960 and 1965 including the highly controversial Tryweryn flooding in the valley of the River Tryweryn in Gwynedd, Wales. This included the forcible removal of the Capel Celyn village residents despite protest and opposition of Welsh MPs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tryweryn flooding</span> Flooding of Capel Celyn, Wales in 1965

The Tryweryn flooding or Tryweryn drowning, refers to the flooding of the rural community of Capel Celyn to the north west of Bala in Gwynedd, Wales, in the Afon Tryweryn valley. The village and other parts of the valley were flooded in 1965 to create Llyn Celyn reservoir, in order to supply Liverpool and Wirral with water for industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivington</span> Village in Lancashire, England

Rivington is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England, occupying 2,538 acres. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Chorley and about 8+12 miles (13.7 km) northwest of Bolton. Rivington is a rural area consisting primarily of agricultural grazing land, moorland, with hill summits including Rivington Pike and Winter Hill within the West Pennine Moors. The area has a thriving tourist industry centred around reservoirs created to serve Liverpool in the Victorian era and Lever Park created as a public park by William Lever at the turn of the 20th century, with two converted barns, a replica of Liverpool Castle and open countryside. Rivington and Blackrod High School is located here. Rivington and its village had a population of 109 at the 2011 Census.

This article is about the significance of the year 1961 to Wales and its people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derwent, Derbyshire</span> Human settlement in England

Derwent was a village 'drowned' in 1944 when the Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire, England was created. The village of Ashopton, Derwent Woodlands church, and Derwent Hall were also 'drowned' in the construction of the reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Wales</span> Filmmaking in Wales or by Welsh

The cinema of Wales comprises the art of film and creative movies made in Wales or by Welsh filmmakers either locally or abroad. Welsh cinema began in the late-19th century, led by Welsh-based director William Haggar. Wales continued to produce film of varying quality throughout the 20th century, in both the Welsh and English languages, though indigenous production was curtailed through a lack of infrastructure and finance, which prevented the growth of the industry nationally. Despite this, Wales has been represented in all fields of the film making process, producing actors and directors of note.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanwddyn</span> Human settlement in Wales

Llanwddyn is a village and community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The community is centred on the Lake Vyrnwy reservoir. The original Llanwddyn village, about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest, was submerged when the reservoir was created in the 1880s.

Mardale is a glacial valley in the Lake District, in northern England. The valley used to have a hamlet at its head, called Mardale Green, but this village was submerged in the late 1930s when the water level of the valley's lake, Haweswater, was raised to form Haweswater Reservoir by Manchester Corporation.

Owain Williams is the leader of Llais Gwynedd, a regionalist political party in Gwynedd, north Wales, and councillor who previously represented the Clynnog Fawr ward for Gwynedd Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turton and Entwistle Reservoir</span> A reservoir in Lancashire, England

Turton and Entwistle Reservoir is a water reservoir in the village of Edgworth, Lancashire, England. The reservoir's existence is due to the Entwistle Dam. When constructed in 1832 the Entwistle Dam was the highest in Britain; it rises 108 feet from the base. The reservoir contains almost 750 thousand imperial gallons and, with the Wayoh Reservoir just below, satisfies around 50% of Bolton's need for drinking water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walverden Water</span> River in Lancashire, England

Walverden Water is a minor river in Lancashire, England. It is approximately 2.6 miles (4.2 km) long and has a catchment area of 5.04 square miles (1,304.23 ha).

Dafydd Roberts was an activist and chairman of the Capel Celyn Defence Committee during the movement to save the village of Capel Celyn, which was flooded to create the Treweryn Reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capel Celyn</span> Human settlement in Wales

Capel Celyn was a rural community to the northwest of Bala in Gwynedd, Wales, in the Afon Tryweryn valley. The village and other parts of the valley were flooded in the Tryweryn flooding of 1965 to create a reservoir, Llyn Celyn, in order to supply Liverpool and Wirral with water for industry. At the time the village was one of the few remaining Welsh-only speaking communities.

Elizabeth May Watkin Mrowiec was a Welsh teacher and campaigner. She was a leading figure in the protests over the flooding of the Tryweryn Valley.

References

  1. The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949) at IMDb
  2. Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000 p489
  3. 'The Last Days Of Dolwyn' 1949 at The Richard Burton Museum
  4. The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949) at British Film Institute website
  5. Abandoned Communities...Reservoirs of Wales at abandonedcommunities.co.uk
  6. John Healey (6 December 1952). "A reject worth waiting for". The Mail . Adelaide. p. 6. Retrieved 30 June 2012. At Trove