Against the Dying of the Light
Encyclopedia
Against the Dying of the Light is a documentary film
about the work of the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales. Consisting of interviews with Welsh directors, actors and public figures about the significance that film (particularly amateur film) has played in their lives, it achieved a limited UK cinema release in 2001.
The film was also shown at a handful of festivals and special screenings around the world, including two at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
in London. An intriguing gem, it is still occasionally to be seen at cinemas and film societies in the UK.
The film was directed by Jack Jewers
, produced by Jack Jewers
, Leo Brend and the (then) head of the archive, Iola Baines. It features interviews with William Lloyd-George, (grandson of David Lloyd George
); the actors Rhys Ifans
, Donna Edwards
and Sue Rodderick; the directors Marc Evans
and Karl Francis
; and the author Kevin Brownlow
.
The name of the film comes from a poem by Dylan Thomas
called Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the work of the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales. Consisting of interviews with Welsh directors, actors and public figures about the significance that film (particularly amateur film) has played in their lives, it achieved a limited UK cinema release in 2001.
The film was also shown at a handful of festivals and special screenings around the world, including two at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
in London. An intriguing gem, it is still occasionally to be seen at cinemas and film societies in the UK.
The film was directed by Jack Jewers
Jack Jewers
Jack Jewers is a British film and television director and editor. Born into a theatrical family , both he and his sister, Rosie Jewers, were child actors. He directed his first amateur film when he was seven years old, and later studied film at university in Aberystwyth, Wales...
, produced by Jack Jewers
Jack Jewers
Jack Jewers is a British film and television director and editor. Born into a theatrical family , both he and his sister, Rosie Jewers, were child actors. He directed his first amateur film when he was seven years old, and later studied film at university in Aberystwyth, Wales...
, Leo Brend and the (then) head of the archive, Iola Baines. It features interviews with William Lloyd-George, (grandson of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
); the actors Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
, Donna Edwards
Donna Edwards
Donna F. Edwards is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party...
and Sue Rodderick; the directors Marc Evans
Marc Evans
Marc Evans is a Welsh-born film director, whose credits include the films House of America, Resurrection Man and My Little Eye.-Biography:Evans was born in 1963 in Carmarthen, Wales...
and Karl Francis
Karl Francis
Karl Francis is a Welsh film and television director, producer and screenwriter, associated with left-wing political causes. His work is inspired by the likes of Chris Marker and Ken Loach and has included output in both the English and Welsh languages.-Biography:Francis was born in Bedwas in...
; and the author Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow is a filmmaker, film historian, television documentary-maker, author, and Academy Award recipient. Brownlow is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era. Brownlow became interested in silent film at the age of eleven. This interest grew into a career spent...
.
The name of the film comes from a poem by Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
called Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Do not go gentle into that good night
Do not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas . Originally published in the journal Botteghe Oscure in 1951, it also appeared as part of the collection "In Country Sleep." Written for his dying father, it is one of...
.