Hindle Wakes (1927 film)
Encyclopedia
Hindle Wakes is a 1927
British silent film
drama, directed by Maurice Elvey
and starring Estelle Brody
and John Stuart
. The film is adapted from Stanley Houghton's 1912 stage play of the same name, and reunites Brody and Stuart following their hugely popular pairing in the previous year's Mademoiselle from Armentieres
.
In its time, Houghton's play was considered extremely controversial and provocative in its message. It is seen as proto-feminist in tone, with its assumption that women as well as men could enjoy a brief sexual fling for what it was, without any sense of obligation on either side, and further that a woman was capable of making her own decisions, ignoring familial and societal strictures if necessary. Hindle Wakes was filmed four times, twice as a silent (the first version, also directed by Elvey, made in 1918) and twice in sound (in 1931 and 1952). The 1927 production was well-budgeted, made extensive use of location filming in Manchester
and Blackpool
, and is generally held by film historians to be the best of the four.
mill town of Hindle, preparations are being made for the annual summer wakes week
holiday. Fanny Hawthorn (Brody) is seen packing her suitcase in preparation for her trip to Blackpool with her friend Mary Hollins (Peggy Carlisle). Meanwhile Allan Jeffcote (Stuart), son of the owner of the mill in which Fanny works, and employed in the offices, has had his own holiday plans disrupted due to his fiancée having to cancel their arrangements at the last minute. After a final day's work, the factory hooter sounds and Fanny and Mary board the excursion train to Blackpool, while Allan and a friend decide to travel there by car.
In the bustle and throng of Blackpool in peak season, Fanny and Mary meet up with Allan and his friend and enjoy the excitement of the resort as a foursome. Allan and Fanny are attracted to each other, and Allan persuades Fanny to leave Blackpool and instead accompany him for a stay in the more upmarket resort of Llandudno
in North Wales. Knowing what this entails, Fanny agrees and writes a postcard to her parents, which Mary promises to post from Blackpool later in the week.
Soon after, Mary is tragically killed in a boating accident. When Fanny's father hears the news he travels to Blackpool, only to find Fanny not there, and the unmailed postcard in Mary's luggage. At the end of the week, Fanny and Allan return separately to Hindle, where Fanny, previously unaware of Mary's death and shocked by the news, is interrogated by her parents and reveals that she has spent the week with Allan in Llandudno. In indignation, the Hawthorns go to the Jeffcote home and confront Allan's parents with his caddish behaviour. To their surprise, they find Allan's father equally appalled by the situation. Mr. Jeffcote determines that Allan must marry Fanny in order to prevent a scandal.
Allan initially opposes his father's demand but explains the situation to his fiancée, who insists that in the circumstances the only decent thing for him to do is to comply with the insistence that he marry Fanny after having compromised her reputation. That evening the Hawthorns visit the Jeffcotes to make arrangements for the marriage. Fanny registers her defiance by refusing to dress up and insisting on wearing her working clothes. Allan makes a formal offer of marriage, and to everyone's amazement Fanny turns him down flat, saying that she is just as entitled to enjoy a "little fancy" as any man.
Allan and his fiancée resume their engagement, while Fanny moves out of the family home to get away from the wrath of her mother. She strikes up a friendship with a fellow mill worker, and agrees to a date with him.
of the 1950s and 1960s. In an essay on Elvey's career, Lawrence Napper described it as "a particularly successful example of Elvey's blend of realism, melodrama and sense of location." Brody's performance is also admired for its naturalness and spontaneity, in contrast to the stilted and forced nature of much British screen silent film acting, and strikingly modern in execution. An analysis of the film by the British Film Institute
comments: "Fanny makes an enduring heroine. She is a modern miss and, eighty years on, her attitudes and behaviour stand up well."
1927 in film
-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
British silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
drama, directed by Maurice Elvey
Maurice Elvey
Maurice Elvey was the most prolific film director in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year....
and starring Estelle Brody
Estelle Brody
Estelle Brody was an American actress who became one of the biggest female stars of British silent film in the latter half of the 1920s...
and John Stuart
John Stuart (actor)
John Stuart, born John Alfred Louden Croall , was a Scottish actor, and a very popular leading man in British silent films in the 1920s. He appeared in two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock....
. The film is adapted from Stanley Houghton's 1912 stage play of the same name, and reunites Brody and Stuart following their hugely popular pairing in the previous year's Mademoiselle from Armentieres
Mademoiselle from Armentieres (film)
Mademoiselle from Armentieres is a 1926 British World War I silent film drama, directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Estelle Brody and John Stuart. The film was Elvey's first collaboration with producer Victor Saville.-Plot:...
.
In its time, Houghton's play was considered extremely controversial and provocative in its message. It is seen as proto-feminist in tone, with its assumption that women as well as men could enjoy a brief sexual fling for what it was, without any sense of obligation on either side, and further that a woman was capable of making her own decisions, ignoring familial and societal strictures if necessary. Hindle Wakes was filmed four times, twice as a silent (the first version, also directed by Elvey, made in 1918) and twice in sound (in 1931 and 1952). The 1927 production was well-budgeted, made extensive use of location filming in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, and is generally held by film historians to be the best of the four.
Plot
In the LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
mill town of Hindle, preparations are being made for the annual summer wakes week
Wakes week
The wakes week is a holiday period in parts of England and Scotland.- History :Wakes were originally religious festivals that commemorated church dedications...
holiday. Fanny Hawthorn (Brody) is seen packing her suitcase in preparation for her trip to Blackpool with her friend Mary Hollins (Peggy Carlisle). Meanwhile Allan Jeffcote (Stuart), son of the owner of the mill in which Fanny works, and employed in the offices, has had his own holiday plans disrupted due to his fiancée having to cancel their arrangements at the last minute. After a final day's work, the factory hooter sounds and Fanny and Mary board the excursion train to Blackpool, while Allan and a friend decide to travel there by car.
In the bustle and throng of Blackpool in peak season, Fanny and Mary meet up with Allan and his friend and enjoy the excitement of the resort as a foursome. Allan and Fanny are attracted to each other, and Allan persuades Fanny to leave Blackpool and instead accompany him for a stay in the more upmarket resort of Llandudno
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
in North Wales. Knowing what this entails, Fanny agrees and writes a postcard to her parents, which Mary promises to post from Blackpool later in the week.
Soon after, Mary is tragically killed in a boating accident. When Fanny's father hears the news he travels to Blackpool, only to find Fanny not there, and the unmailed postcard in Mary's luggage. At the end of the week, Fanny and Allan return separately to Hindle, where Fanny, previously unaware of Mary's death and shocked by the news, is interrogated by her parents and reveals that she has spent the week with Allan in Llandudno. In indignation, the Hawthorns go to the Jeffcote home and confront Allan's parents with his caddish behaviour. To their surprise, they find Allan's father equally appalled by the situation. Mr. Jeffcote determines that Allan must marry Fanny in order to prevent a scandal.
Allan initially opposes his father's demand but explains the situation to his fiancée, who insists that in the circumstances the only decent thing for him to do is to comply with the insistence that he marry Fanny after having compromised her reputation. That evening the Hawthorns visit the Jeffcotes to make arrangements for the marriage. Fanny registers her defiance by refusing to dress up and insisting on wearing her working clothes. Allan makes a formal offer of marriage, and to everyone's amazement Fanny turns him down flat, saying that she is just as entitled to enjoy a "little fancy" as any man.
Allan and his fiancée resume their engagement, while Fanny moves out of the family home to get away from the wrath of her mother. She strikes up a friendship with a fellow mill worker, and agrees to a date with him.
Cast
- Estelle BrodyEstelle BrodyEstelle Brody was an American actress who became one of the biggest female stars of British silent film in the latter half of the 1920s...
as Fanny Hawthorn - John StuartJohn Stuart (actor)John Stuart, born John Alfred Louden Croall , was a Scottish actor, and a very popular leading man in British silent films in the 1920s. He appeared in two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock....
as Allan Jeffcote - Norman McKinnelNorman McKinnelNorman McKinnel was a Scottish stage and film actor and playwright, active from the 1890s until his death...
as Nathaniel Jeffcote - Irene RookeIrene RookeIrene Rooke was an English theater and motion picture actress from Bridport, Dorset, England.-Stage Actress:She was the daughter of a prominent London, England journalist. Rooke left boarding school in 1896 and went directly on the stage. Unlike many novices, she achieved quick success as an...
as Mrs. Jeffcote - Marie AultMarie AultMarie Ault was a British actress.Born at Wigan, Lancashire, she was a star in many British films of the silent era but is most remembered for her role as Daisy Bunting's mother in The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog directed by Alfred Hitchcock.She also had bit parts in films such as Jamaica...
as Mrs. Hawthorn - Humberston Wright as Chris Hawthorn
- Arthur Chesney as Sir Timothy Farrar
- Gladys Jennings as Beatrice Farrar
- Alf GoddardAlf GoddardAlf Goddard was a British film actor.Brother of a famous boxer, Alf Goddard was once a boxer too. He was also a trained athlete and a professional dancer. He served in the army in World War I and when he was invalided out he worked on munitions. He made his stage debut in a musical hall act in 1916...
as Nobby - Cyril McLaglenCyril McLaglenCyril McLaglen was a British actor who appeared in a variety of films between 1920 and 1951. He was born in London in 1899 and made his film debut in the 1920 film The Call of the Road. He was the younger brother of the actor Victor McLaglen...
as Alf - Peggy Carlisle as Mary Hollins
Reputation
Hindle Wakes proved successful with audiences and critics on its release, and latterly has become much admired as belonging in the top rank of British silent films. Its skilful use of location is considered to give the film a documentary realism feel very unusual in British films of the period, in many ways decades ahead of its time in foreshadowing the kitchen sink realismKitchen sink realism
Kitchen sink realism is a term coined to describe a British cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose 'heroes' usually could be described as angry young men...
of the 1950s and 1960s. In an essay on Elvey's career, Lawrence Napper described it as "a particularly successful example of Elvey's blend of realism, melodrama and sense of location." Brody's performance is also admired for its naturalness and spontaneity, in contrast to the stilted and forced nature of much British screen silent film acting, and strikingly modern in execution. An analysis of the film by the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
comments: "Fanny makes an enduring heroine. She is a modern miss and, eighty years on, her attitudes and behaviour stand up well."
External links
- Hindle Wakes at Britmovie