Ivanhoe and the miners
Film productions in Wales were primarily American or English. In 1913, American director Herbert Brenon arrived on British soil to film Ivanhoe, a silent adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's 1819 novel of the same name. Set in late 12th-century England, this adventure tells the story of the star-crossed romance between Ivanhoe's knight Wilfred and Rebekah, a young Jewish girl. The film is one of the first foreign expeditions for Americans, and is shot all over the UK, including at Chepstow Castle in Wales. In 1940, Penrose Tennyson launched the beginning of a recurring and important theme in Welsh cinema (and in the UK in general): mining. Tennyson's The Proud Valley is an astonishing film about a black worker, played by Paul Robeson, who integrates into the mining communities of South Wales. In 1941, we're talking about John Ford's mythical film Qu'elle était verte ma vallée, set against the backdrop of Welsh mines. Then there's Cwm Hyfryd (The Beautiful Valley), a 1993 remake exploring the Welsh identity of a mining valley in crisis, via a Welsh emigrant who comes to seek his roots in his homeland. Finally, Matthew Warchus' excellent Pride (2014) recounts the alliance between striking miners in Wales and the homosexual struggle movement in the early 1980s. It's a true story, yet one that's little known to the general public.
Movie stars
Richard Burton was born Richard Jenkins in 1925 in Pontrhydyfen, near Port Talbot. The penultimate of a family of thirteen children, he grew up among miners of the Presbyterian faith, where Welsh was the mother tongue. This actor divides his life between the cinema and Shakespearean theater. He is also known for his two troubled marriages to Elizabeth Taylor, with whom he appeared in Cleopatra. His film credits include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1966) andUnder Milk Wood (1972), a film shot in Wales, adapted from the radio play by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. The film was shot in the town of Fishguard, provoking controversy among the inhabitants of Laugharne, 60 kilometers away, where Thomas had written the play. The poet is also featured in The Edge of Love (2008), in which Matthew Rhys (who plays Thomas) stars alongside Sienna Miller, Keira Knightley and Cillian Murphy. Set during the Second World War, this biopic recounts the conflicting relationships between the poet, his wife Caitlyn Macnamara (played by Miller) and their couple of friends, the Killicks (Knightley and Murphy). Originally titled The Best Time of Our Lives, the story is loosely adapted from the events recounted in David N. Thomas' book Dylan Thomas: A Farm, Two Mansions and a Bungalow (2000).
Other big-screen stars born in Wales include Monty Python's Terry Jones; Anthony Hopkins, the unforgettable Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs ; and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who won an Oscar for her role in Chicago.
Unique personality versus big productions
The 1990s brought us a host of Welsh personality-building stories, such as Christopher Monger's The Englishman Who Climbed a Hill and Came Down a Mountain (1995), starring Hugh Grant, a colorful legend with luscious, eccentric characters. Comedies are not to be left out, with Ymadawiad Arthur (1995), a work about Welsh attitudes and clichés. The action takes place in the past (1960) and the future (2096), in the manner of a science-fiction film. Kevin Allen's Twin Town (1997), also set in the city of Swansea, is a scathing social portrait tinged with black humor, in the image of current British cinema. Human Traffic (1999) was directed by Welshman Justin Kerrigan and shot in Cardiff. It follows a group of friends who try to silence their identity anxieties and social frustrations by leading a frenzied clubbing lifestyle. Big productions are seduced by this country with its strong character. Blockbusters shot partly in Wales include Die Another Day (with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, 2002); Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Cradle of Life with Angelina Jolie in 2003, and Captain America: First Avenger with Chris Evans, 2011. For fans of the Harry Potter saga, the famous wizard also set foot on Welsh soil in Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010). Indeed, one of the film's key scenes takes place on Freswater West Beach.
The Welsh small screen
On television, Wales features in a number of English series. Caernarfon Castle, for example, is featured in the Netflix series The Crown, which chronicles the reign of Elizabeth II. Caernarfon Castle serves as the actual setting for Prince Charles' investiture ceremony. In season 2 of The End of the F***ing World (Netflix series, 2017), we revel in the breathtaking views of the rolling landscape of Bwlch Mountain, located in Ronddha. However, tired of being a backdrop for English series, Wales is now producing a number of purely Welsh series. Firstly, Hinterland(Y Gwyll in its Welsh version, 2013), which follows the adventures of Inspector Tom Mathias, transferred to the Welsh countryside of Aberystwyth. Then the series Keeping Faith (2017), in which a Welsh lawyer is forced to put her maternity leave on hold in order to find her missing husband. Finally, Hidden (2018), a suspense series about a police investigation into the murder of a teenage girl in Snowdonia National Park. Let's not forget to mention the documentary seriesWild Wales (2010). Directed by renowned Welsh nature observer and TV presenter Iolo Williams, this three-part series produced by the BBC takes us across Wales, including Portmeirion, made famous by Patrick McGoohan's surrealist spy series The Prisoner (1967-1968).
Recently, the Disney+ platform produced a documentary series on Wrexham soccer club, bought by American actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Over and above the club's exceptional sporting epic - which saw it rise from the5th to the3rd division in just two seasons - the series describes Welsh culture, the town's mining past and the club's importance within the community. Such is the success of the series that the club toured the USA in the summer of 2024, and fans from all over the world travel to the Racecourse Ground, the world's oldest international soccer stadium, to watch the Red Dragons play.
