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Product Description
As quintessentially homegrown as a game of cricket or a plate of fish-and-chips, Morris dancing is one of England s most ancient roots traditions. And yet to your average man on the street, it s seen as little more than a national joke. And a bad national joke at that. Something to ridicule. Something to be embarrassed about.
A heartfelt ode to his agrarian roots, WAY OF THE MORRIS follows filmmaker Tim Plester on a deeply personal journey from the barleyfields of his childhood to the killing fields of The Somme, in search of a connection with these much-maligned native dances that run deep in his bloodline. Featuring contributions from iconic singer/songwriter Billy Bragg and Fairport Convention s Chris Leslie.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Alternative Footage, Black & White, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Commentary, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Teaser(s), Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: As quintessentially homegrown as a game of cricket or a plate of fish-and-chips, Morris dancing is one of Englands most ancient roots traditions. And yet to your average man on the street, its seen as little more than a national joke. And a bad national joke at that. Something to ridicule. Something to be embarrassed about.Things have always been a little different for actor and filmmaker Tim Plester. Tim hails from a family of Morris dancers, and was raised in the quiet North Oxfordshire village of Adderbury; a community with a proud and fertile dancing history stretching back through the centuries. The tinkling of the shin-bells is part of his heritage. Part of his legacy. Part of his very folklore. And yet, despite the connections, Tim doesn't dance. Never hasA heartfelt docu-ballad in praise of birthplace, bloodline and rural brotherhood, WAY OF THE MORRIS follows Tim on a deeply personal journey from the barleyfields of his childhood to the killing fields of The Somme, as he traces the poignant link between the spirited folk revival of the mid-1970s and the true story of the young Adderbury Morris side so decimated by the carnage of the First World War. ...Way of the Morris
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By D. J. Lock
Format:DVD
Saw this film at Sidmouth Manor Pavilion during Folk Week. The opening animated sequence with the faux earth-legend worried me a bit at first, but after that is over, the film becomes a wonderful exploration of one mans initially unwilling relationship with his family traditional dance roots.
Beautifully photographed, the film is touching, witty, and informative. Morris dancers and folkies will love this, but anyone with a passing interest in what it means to be English in todays multi-cultural society should see this.
Don't expect the humour of "Morris: A Life with bells", this is a far more truer film about the Morris, although in places very funny, in others it may move you to tears. The scene where Adderbury Village Morris Men sing "Happy The Man", a trad morris song from their village, to commemerate their fallen ancesters at a war grave in Flanders will bring a lump to your throat.
Congrats to all involved in making this film.
Beautifully photographed, the film is touching, witty, and informative. Morris dancers and folkies will love this, but anyone with a passing interest in what it means to be English in todays multi-cultural society should see this.
Don't expect the humour of "Morris: A Life with bells", this is a far more truer film about the Morris, although in places very funny, in others it may move you to tears. The scene where Adderbury Village Morris Men sing "Happy The Man", a trad morris song from their village, to commemerate their fallen ancesters at a war grave in Flanders will bring a lump to your throat.
Congrats to all involved in making this film.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A rather pleasant and leisurely journey with director Tim Plester as he returns to his home village of Adderbury in Oxfordshire to connect with his past. His father was a former dancer with the morris men of that village, but Tim wanted to be an astronaut or a glam rock star, but he most definitely did not want to be a morris dancer! But as Plester begins to connect ever more with the past, the lure of waving a large white hanky around and banging sticks together starts to have a strange and hypnotic appeal. Can he resist the lure of the morris?
At just over an hour this is not an in depth documentary, it is more one mans personal journey. Plester looks at the origins of morris dancing which is shrouded in the mists of time. He also looks at the 70s folk-rock-inspired revival led by groups like 'Fairport Convention' and their album "Morris On". The film also connects sadly with the 'lost generation' of the First World War when we discover that of all the young Adderbury morris dancers who left to fight in that war, only one returned alive. The dancers make a sentimental journey to the killing fields where they pay a fitting morris style homage to the fallen. The film evokes an English paradise of lost content, with beautiful shots of rural tranquility. There are times watching this documentary when morris dancing seems cool. Certainly a good deal of beer drinking goes on, which is a definite attraction. It is almost enough for me to hand in an application in the hope of dancing to the rhythm of the sticks and bells, ....... but not quite.
At just over an hour this is not an in depth documentary, it is more one mans personal journey. Plester looks at the origins of morris dancing which is shrouded in the mists of time. He also looks at the 70s folk-rock-inspired revival led by groups like 'Fairport Convention' and their album "Morris On". The film also connects sadly with the 'lost generation' of the First World War when we discover that of all the young Adderbury morris dancers who left to fight in that war, only one returned alive. The dancers make a sentimental journey to the killing fields where they pay a fitting morris style homage to the fallen. The film evokes an English paradise of lost content, with beautiful shots of rural tranquility. There are times watching this documentary when morris dancing seems cool. Certainly a good deal of beer drinking goes on, which is a definite attraction. It is almost enough for me to hand in an application in the hope of dancing to the rhythm of the sticks and bells, ....... but not quite.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Saw this film at The South Bank Film Festival. It is an amazing story of one boy/man's struggle with his inner prejudices against Morris Dancing. It shows why grown men dance with hankies, and explains the tradition and history of The Adderbury Morris. Some of the scenes in the Normandy Cemeteries of WW1 are incredibly moving. The whole film has been very carefully and brilliantly edited to tell ones man's view of Morris Dancing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful tribute
This is a very poetic and beautiful tribute to Morris dancing which is still hanging on in his Oxfordshire village. A gem. Deserves to be widely known. And surely will be. Read more
Published 2 days ago by poetseye
5.0 out of 5 stars
Morris Major
Fantastic dvd of great interest to anyone in love with English folklore and tradition. And stands alone as a very entertaining film which i recommend to almost anybody with a dvd... Read more
Published 3 months ago by colin littlewood
5.0 out of 5 stars
The true spirit
This film encapsulates the true spirit of the Morris. As a dancer and musician myself I learned the Morris in the UK. Read more
Published 9 months ago by renew
4.0 out of 5 stars
'As English as Cricket'...
Quite why this little docu film should find its home on Sky Arts is odd/interesting and thinking that it'd be so specialist that no-one would have reviewed it for Amazon. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Tim Kidner
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Way Of The Morris..Exceptional.
The way of the morris is an incredibly moving and beautiful story. It stars Jim Plester who is fantasticaly portrayed in this movie. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Evie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful
I ordered this on the recommendation of a friend and wasn't disappointed.
There's no point in talking about the subject matter, that's obvious enough! Read more
There's no point in talking about the subject matter, that's obvious enough! Read more
Published 15 months ago by BTaylor
4.0 out of 5 stars
Way of the Morris
A very interesting, heartwarming and well filmed documentary. Tells the story of one Oxfordshire villages re-entry into Morris Dancing after the original group suffered almost... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Specialised
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice little history
A personal exploration of folk roots in England. This is no "Morris - A life with Bells on", but it is a fine portrait of the folk art in England, for one person's viewpoint.
Published 19 months ago by Michael Ashton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Meaningful Morris
Traditions have a hard enough time being understood and this film evokes the meaning of why traditional dance, in this case Morris, is so important to keep on. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Christopher W. Berg
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Excellent film about a subject matter which was truly challenging. Brings Morris from being that 'joke dancing by old men' to something far more truly deep and meaningful. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr. J. D. Ward
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