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Product Description
On The Black Hill has been described as the British Jean de Florette, an evocative story of the life of one family set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Welsh Border Country. Adapted for the big-screen in 1987 from Bruce Chatwin's award-winning novel by writer/director Andrew Grieve, On The Black Hill makes its DVD premiere on 31 March 2008 courtesy of Film First. Winner of the Golden Seashell for Best Film at the 1988 San Sebastian International Film Festival, On The Black Hill is centred on the extraordinary bond between twin brothers Lewis and Benjamin Jones, and shows the history of their family over the course of the 20th century. Bob Peck (Edge of Darkness, Jurassic Park) and Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones Diary, Duchess of Duke Street) play husband and wife Amos and Mary Jones, bound to each other despite resentment and social inequalities. Into this tense environment, identical twins Lewis and Benjamin - played by real-life brothers Mike and Robert Gwilym - are born. The brothers grow, live and die together, sharing the same bed through 80 years of war, romance and loss. Featuring stunning photography of the Welsh-English border, On The Black Hill was shot in only seven weeks on a tight budget. Locals and livestock were recruited to the film, most of the props were borrowed, and even the local Women's Institute was enlisted to create knitting patterns of the correct period. This firmly locates the film in its region, and gives it a strong sense of reality. This much-anticipated DVD includes an introductory booklet written by writer/director Andrew Grieves. DVD extras include Pinny Grylls touching short film Peter And Ben, a profound and moving tale of friendship between the reclusive Peter and his sheep Ben, filmed in 2007 in the same location as On The Black Hill.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Mono ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Booklet, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, Short Film, SYNOPSIS: On The Black Hill has been described as the British Jean de Florette, an evocative story of the life of one family set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Welsh Border Country. Adapted for the big-screen in 1987 from Bruce Chatwin's award-winning novel by writer/director Andrew Grieve, On The Black Hill makes its DVD premiere on 31 March 2008 courtesy of Film First. Winner of the Golden Seashell for Best Film at the 1988 San Sebastian International Film Festival, On The Black Hill is centred on the extraordinary bond between twin brothers Lewis and Benjamin Jones, and shows the history of their family over the course of the 20th century. Bob Peck (Edge of Darkness, Jurassic Park) and Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones Diary, Duchess of Duke Street) play husband and wife Amos and Mary Jones, bound to each other despite resentment and social inequalities. Into this tense environment, identical twins Lewis and Benjamin - played by real-life brothers Mike and Robert Gwilym - are born. The brothers grow, live and die together, sharing the same bed through 80 years of war, romance and loss. Featuring stunning photography of the Welsh-English border, On The Black Hill was shot in only seven weeks on a tight budget. Locals and livestock were recruited to the film, most of the props were borrowed, and even the local Women's Institute was enlisted to create knitting patterns of the correct period. This firmly locates the film in its region, and gives it a strong sense of reality. This much-anticipated DVD includes an introductory booklet written by writer/director Andrew Grieves. DVD extras include Pinny Grylls touching short film Peter And Ben, a profound and moving tale of friendship b...On the Black Hill
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have just finished watching the DVD. Andrew Grieve's extremely faithful adaptation of Bruce Chatwin's novel is inspiring. While there are some occasional losses (i.e. Grieve's underplaying of Amos's abuse of Mary and Lewis's desire to achieve autonomy through independent sexual expression) there are also considerable gains in terms of focus and momentum. As somebody who currently lives in the Black Mountains area (lambing season again!), I can vouch for the integrity of the cinematographic achievements of the director which are considerable and haunting. The acting more than matches the brilliant landscapes and the much-missed Bob Peck leads an inspired cast. The novel is pitched at the dark side of Hardy and succeeds brilliantly without the need for the latter's heavy and plodding irony. This is a film that probably couldn't be made today. As for the feature film: simply `Enjoy!'. In conclusion: thank God for Channel 4 and Film First.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I first saw this film on Channel 4 in 1989; it was scheduled as a tribute to Bruce Chatwin. I thought it was a fantastic film then, so I bought the book, which is wonderful too. The film is beautiful to look at, well scripted(faithful to the novel) and the acting is excellent, especially the late Bob Peck who captures Amos well. Seeing the film on DVD again years later you realise what an undiscovered gem it really is, a bit like Jean de Florette but with much more pathos and instead of sunny Provence the brooding Black Mountains.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Saw this on tv some years ago, and kept looking for a dvd - eventually rewarded. I found it an enjoyable film, especially as a lot of it was filmed only 20 miles or so away, so had great local interest. What was also satisfying was seeing a style of farming I can still remember on some of the poorer farms from my childhood days. I can remember harvesting potatoes, horse drawn carts, corn sheaves, no electricity or even a tractor on my uncle's farm, so the film brought back many happy memories. Some good acting and excellent locations put the icing on the cake.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great film
A lovely adaption of a great book by Bruce chatwin. I would highly recommend this film. Great acting and some wonderful scenery along the welsh borders and in particular on the... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Nickos1971
Words cannot do this justice
Read the novel shortly after it was published; decided to probably never re-read because it was so, literally, 'impressive'. Read more
Published 9 months ago by G. D. Busby
on black hill
on the black hill is agreat film of farming life at the start of the early 1900
really enjoyed this film well worth viewing
really enjoyed this film well worth viewing
Published 16 months ago by paul
On the Black Hill (Film)
The film version of this wonderful story is as empathetic and true to the plight of the welsh hill farmers and their families as the fabulous book by Bruce Chatwin. Read more
Published 23 months ago by K. Ette
on the black hill
a good film version of the book by bruce chatwin.if you have read the book , the film doesn't disappoint.i really enjoyed this film. i have read the book a few times "a good read".
Published on 19 Oct 2009 by road nomad
On the Black HIll
The storyline of: On the Black Hill is good. The problem I had was the poor quality of this DVD. The disk was faulty and I was only able to watch 3/4 of the story. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2009 by Ms. M. E. Wall
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