Celebrating the anniversary of Sir Peter Hall’s Akenfield
By: Communications
On Sunday 24 November, CreativeUEA is hosting a full day of events at the University of East Anglia (UEA), marking the 50th anniversary of Sir Peter Hall’s landmark film Akenfield, with thanks to National Lottery players and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The programme of events will include a screening of Akenfield, readings on the making of the film by Jenny Hall, live music, an exhibition of photography depicting Ronald Blythe’s home and garden, rarely seen footage from the East Anglian Film Archive, and original films made by young people inspired by the book and film.
Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village, was written by Ronald Blythe and published in 1969. Depicting life in Suffolk villages, it was based on the recollections of farmers, artisans and residents living near the author in the 1960s. The book became an international bestseller and was translated into more than 20 languages, becoming widely studied in high schools and universities in America and Canada. In 1974, the book was adapted for film by Sir Peter Hall and was seen by a television audience of 14 million viewers when it was first broadcast on ITV in January 1975, becoming the first film to be simultaneously shown on terrestrial TV and released in British cinemas.
The film Akenfield tells the story of a farming family who lived for generations in the village based on Charsfield and its surrounding villages. Real-life local lad Garrow Shand plays three central roles as farmhand Tom Rouse, his father and his grandfather – three generations which lived and struggled through great poverty, physical hardship and the pressures of mechanisation, two world wars and a rapidly changing society. The actors in the film were not professionals but were drawn from this Suffolk community and the families of many of them still live in the area today. It was acclaimed on release as "one of the best films - and certainly the most unusual - made in and about England".
To mark the film's 50th anniversary, a full day of events at the University will be held on 24 November, including:
- A screening of Sir Peter Hall’s Akenfield (1974).
- Screenings of short films created by sixth-form students in East Anglia for the education project Akenfield Now (2018-2024). Akenfield Now was a UEA education research project which introduced the work of Ronald Blythe and Sir Peter Hall to students who conducted oral history interviews with residents of the ‘Akenfield’ locality and made original films.
- Reflections on making Akenfield by Jenny Hall, daughter of Sir Peter Hall.
- A performance by singer-songwriter Wes Finch, of work inspired by Akenfield.
- Countless Edens, an exhibition of photography of Ronald Blythe’s home and garden in Wormingford by photographer Mark Edwards, who will also discuss his experience working with the author.
- A compilation of films representing East Anglia, compiled by the East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) including rarely seen outtakes from the original Akenfield film shoot.
In addition to the events, a phone box in Charsfield, Suffolk has been converted into a small permanent exhibition celebrating the anniversary of the film. The phone box is a K6 ‘Jubilee’ model of the type designed by Giles Gilbert Scott to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935. On display in the phone box are stills from the Akenfield alongside explanatory text, produced in collaboration between CreativeUEA, Charsfield Parish Council and Great Yarmouth based arts organisation original projects.
In 2020, UEA was awarded £76,300 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, for a project to continue the oral history of the Suffolk communities who were the subject of the original Akenfield. The project Akenfield Now was led by Prof John Gordon from UEA’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning, and involved Suffolk residents and students from Kesgrave High School in Ipswich, Sir Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham, and the University.
It aimed to introduce young people to oral history and film archiving, and saw students working with the EAFA, Norfolk Record Office, BBC Voices, Empty Vessel theatre company and expert oral historians, to make films to match oral history accounts of life in the area. The project was also the focus of a BBC Radio 4 ‘Archive on 4’ broadcast, also called Akenfield Now and presented by a student of Kesgrave High School.
Prof John Gordon, Director for CreativeUEA, said: "We are delighted to be celebrating Sir Peter Hall’s innovative film in East Anglia, with people who have had a close connection with Akenfield in their daily lives, as viewers and readers, or in their creative work. Akenfield is an important and thought-provoking representation of East Anglia which means a great deal to people in the region. It also reflects a spirit of cultural innovation that remains strong in the East of England. We hope more people can get to know Akenfield through our celebrations and the unique phone box exhibition originated by the Charsfield community."
Akenfield Film 50 will be hosted at the Enterprise Centre, 11am to 4pm, on Sunday 24 November. Tickets are £5 and can be purchased online.
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