''Hindle Wakes'' is a 1931 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Victor Saville Victor Saville (25 September 1895 – 8 May 1979) was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954. He also produced 36 films between 1923 and 1962. Biography Saville produced his first f ...

for

Gainsborough Pictures Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, north London. Gainsborough Studios was active between 1924 and 1951. The com ...

and starring

Belle Chrystall Belle Chrystall (25 April 19107 June 2003) was a British actress who appeared in a number of leading roles in British films during the 1930s. She was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1910. She came to London and after appearing on stage was given a ...

and John Stuart. The film is adapted from

Stanley Houghton William Stanley Houghton (22 February 1881 – 11 December 1913) was an English playwright. He was a prominent member, together with Allan Monkhouse and Harold Brighouse, of a group known as the Manchester School of dramatists. His best know ...

's 1912 stage play of the same name, which had previously been filmed twice as a silent in 1918 and 1927. Saville had been the producer on the highly regarded 1927 version directed by

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

. Both Stuart and

Norman McKinnel Norman McKinnel (10 February 1870 – 29 March 1932) was a Scottish stage and film actor and playwright, active from the 1890s until his death. He appeared in many stage roles in the UK and overseas as well as featuring in a number of films, ...

returned in 1931 to reprise their roles from the 1927 film.''Hindle Wakes'' (1931)
Moat, Janet. BFI Screen Online. ''Retrieved 6 October 2010'' It was shot at the Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush with sets designed by the art director

Andrew Mazzei Andrew Mazzei (1887–1975) was a French-born British art director who designed the sets for more than sixty films during his career. Mazzei began his career in the late 1920s during the silent era including on the futuristic ''High Treason''. ...

Location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for ex ...

took place in Preston, Blackpool and

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

. Saville kept the plot faithful to its source material, making the film essentially a sound retread of the earlier silent versions, with only a small number of minor cosmetic adjustments (for example the name of the lead character is changed from Fanny to Jenny, and the fatal accident here results from a bus crash rather than a drowning).

Plot

Lancashire mill-girls Jenny Hawthorne (Chrystall) and Mary Hollins (Ruth Peterson) go on holiday to Blackpool during the annual

wakes week The Wakes Week is a holiday period in parts of England and Scotland. Originally a religious celebration or feast, the tradition of the Wakes Week developed into a secular holiday, particularly in North West England during the Industrial Revolution ...

in their hometown of Hindle. They run into Alan Jeffcote (Stuart), the son of the owner of the mill in which they work, who has also traveled to Blackpool with a group of friends while his fiancée is detained on business in London. Jenny and Alan hit it off immediately, and he persuades her to leave Blackpool to spend the week with him at Llandudno in North Wales. To cover her tracks, Jenny leaves a postcard with Mary, asking her to send it to her parents (

Edmund Gwenn Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), for which he won t ...

and Sybil Thorndike) later in the week. She and Alan leave their friends and set off for Wales. Shortly afterwards, Mary is involved in a serious road accident and is killed. Her possessions are returned to Hindle and the unmailed postcard is found in her luggage. Jenny's parents are already suspicious and concerned by the fact that Jenny has not returned to Hindle as they would have expected in view of such a tragic turn to her holiday, and the discovery of the postcard increases their fears. Jenny returns at the end of the week. Her parents ask about her holiday, and allow her to dig a hole for herself as her fictitious account shows she is unaware of Mary's death and has clearly not spent the week in Blackpool. When confronted with the truth, Jenny admits to where she has been, and with whom, and defiantly refuses to be made to feel guilty or immoral. The Hawthornes decide that they will have to confront the Jeffcotes (McKinnel and

Mary Clare Mary Clare Absalom (17 July 1892 – 29 August 1970) was a British actress of stage, film and television. Biography Daughter of George Alfred Absalom, Clare was educated at Wood Green secondary school, first worked in an office but a loan ...

) with their son's unacceptable behaviour. Mrs. Hawthorne's anger is tempered by the fact that she believes the situation may be turned to financial advantage. Hawthorne feels some trepidation, as he and Jeffcote have been friends since childhood and have remained on good terms despite Jeffcote's rise to social prominence. To the surprise of the Hawthornes, Jeffcote agrees that in the circumstances Alan must be made to marry Jenny to prevent a scandal. Mrs. Jeffcote is less convinced, anticipating the ruin of Alan's reputation and business prospects. A meeting is convened between all the interested parties. Jenny and Alan remain silent while their parents try to thrash out suitable arrangements, and Mrs. Hawthorne and Mrs. Jeffcote become involved in an undignified shouting match. Jenny and Alan leave to talk alone. She tells him that she has no designs on his money and has no interest in marrying him. She then announces her decision to the incredulous parents, adding that Alan was no more to blame than she was, for both of them it was just a "little fling" about which neither need feel guilty, and that a woman has just as much right as a man to enjoy a brief sexual flirtation with no strings attached. Alan returns to his fiancée, while Jenny confidently leaves home and her mother's fury for an independent life without interference.

Cast

as Jenny Hawthorne * John Stuart as Alan Jeffcote *

as Nathaniel Jeffcote *

as Mrs. Jeffcote * Sybil Thorndike as Mrs. Hawthorne *

as Chris Hawthorne * A.G. Poulton as Sir Timothy Farrar *

Muriel Angelus Muriel Angelus (born Muriel E S M Findlay, 10 March 1912 – 26 June 2004) was an English stage, musical theatre, and film actress. Born in Lambeth, South London, to Scottish parentage, her father was a chemist. She was educated at the Urs ...

as Beatrice Farrar * Ruth Peterson as Mary Hollins *

John Longden John Longden (11 November 1900 – 26 May 1971) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Biography Longden was born in the West Indies, the son o ...

as Boyfriend

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hindle Wakes (1931 film) 1931 films 1931 drama films Films directed by Victor Saville Gainsborough Pictures films British black-and-white films British films based on plays Films set in Blackpool Films set in Wales British drama films Films with screenplays by Victor Saville 1930s British films Films shot in Wales Films shot in Lancashire Films shot at Lime Grove Studios Remakes of British films Sound film remakes of silent films 1930s English-language films