| 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 |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | English, Welsh |
| Box office | £96,772 (UK)[2] |
The Last Days of Dolwyn (renamedWoman of Dolwyn for the American market)[3] is a 1949 Britishdrama film directed byEmlyn Williams and starringEdith 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.
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.
The story is set in 1892 in and around the peaceful (fictional) village of Dolwyn inMid-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 massivedam at the head of the valley above Dolwyn, to create a reservoir to supply water to Liverpool. Construction stops when the rock, thought to belimestone, turns out to begranite. 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 theirleases, 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'sspillway 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'svalve 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.
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The film's setting parallels the drowning in the 1880s of the village of Llanwddyn inLake Vyrnwy to provide water for Liverpool. It may also be based on the construction of theElan Valley Reservoirs, designed to supply water toBirmingham, and the tragic flooding of the beautiful neighbourhood of Nantgwyllt, beloved of the poetShelley.[5]
In the 1960s,Llyn Celyn was built to provide further water to Liverpool, flooding the village ofCapel Celyn.
The film performed disappointingly at the box office despite good reviews.[6]