This innovative independent film takes a simple storyline of intrigue and shenanigans and gives it a slight twist and does so on a micro-budget.
The film, developed in collaboration with the English Touring Opera and Miracle Theatre, stars Dudley Sutton, Jenny Agutter and opera star Ben Luxton. It was shot in an astounding 15 days, using a pop-up green screen studio in Cornwall and scale model backgrounds to recreate the 29th century tin mining feel!
The storyline is based on a real life fraud, and involves the entire town and its ailing tin mine – throw in a feisty maid, a touring troupe and some slightly dodgy bankers and hey presto, you have a quite unique film and all based on a real swindle.
The entire film has the feeling of a melodrama, key to its historic context and storyline and the green screen and effects add to this. The backgrounds add an otherworldly-ness to the film, the colours and sets are perfect for this time and place and the costumes, whilst feeling a tad theatrical at times, are spot on.
As for the stars, Dudley Sutton is ideal as one of the bankers in question, and playing alongside as the head of the travelling troupe is Jenny Agutter – star of Call The Midwife, and numerous other productions. Both give sterling performances and feel right at home within the story – but it’s some of the lesser known cast who perform really well, notably Helen Bendell as Nel, the firebrand of a maid who can save the town and the mine.
Any film that counts Cornish Mining World Heritage Sites amongst its financiers gets a thumbs up from me.
