18 minutes that asks if paint can heal 439 graves.
Warwick company newsreel material of the Universal Colliery at Senghenydd on fire after an explosion on 14th October 1913, and footage of a funeral procession for some of the 439 mine workers who were killed, is followed by a collage of images of the town and its people as they are 50 years later. Wynford Vaughan Thomas, narrating his own commentary, wonders if "colour"- superficial re-decoration – can really make any difference to "the inner heart of Senghenydd". Shot on spare, blank pieces of film by James Clark. Assisted by local amateur photographer and former miner Bill Probert. Script written and narrated by Wynford Vaughan Thomas. 1964.
Cinematography
Spare, accidental beauty from leftover film stock.
Writing
Vaughan Thomas's voice: elegy disguised as observation.
Production
Amateur collaboration between a former miner and professional crew.
Director
Jim Clark
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot on scrap film ends—literally the leftovers of other productions, making the visuals themselves a meditation on what gets discarded.
The 1913 Senghenydd explosion remains Britain's worst mining disaster; this 1964 film was made as living memory began to fade.
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