Came the dawn : memories of a film pioneer (1951)

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side of a glassy stream is, for instance, quite useless for the purpose of the silent pictorial version; we had to show the incident in actuality. Wherever possible we took the beautiful scenery painted by Hawes Graven for Forbes-Robertson as our model for the special cinematograph scenery which it was necessary to construct, but, where he had used flat cloths, we had to use solids, including huge carved Norman columns 2 ft. 6 ins. in diameter. Then, as you know, we built a complete reconstruction of Elsinore Castle at Lulworth Cove. c Some other very beautiful outdoor scenes were taken at Hartsbourne Manor, the residence of Maxine Elliott, Lady Robertson's sister. The orchard scene was enacted in a private garden at Halliford-on-Thames, where the conditions we wanted were found — a beautiful old apple-tree, of such a shape and size as would compose well in our picture, overhanging a smooth lawn such as one would expect to find in the grounds of a king's palace. Ophelia "died" in the stream at Hartsbourne Manor, where, also, she was "buried" — in a dug grave beside a specially built church. The scene showing the Queen watching her gathering flowers was taken by the side of a private lake at Walton-onThames, where, of course, all the magnificent interiors were produced in our own studios.' But although we made several films from stage plays we were by no means convinced that that was the best thing to do. It generally gave the advantage of a well-made plot, which was not at all easy to come by in original film scenarios, but we kept to specially written stories whenever we could get them. Drake's Love Story was a quite successful instance. The Bioscope of February 27th, 19 13, started its description this way: 'One's first sensation on seeing this very fine production by the Hepworth Company is a feeling of gratification that the splendid chapter of English history which it represents has been immortalised in pictures not by a foreign firm but by a company essentially and entirely English. For too long we have been forced to endure the ignominy of having our first literary masterpieces and our noblest historical passages flung back in our faces, as it were, by people of another land, and apart from other considerations, we must all be ready appreciatively to recognise the laudable efforts of Messrs. Hepworth to remove this ancient reproach and to establish the art of film manufacture on quite as high and as national a basis in our own as in other countries . . .' Hay Plumb took the name part "9