the way of the Morris

Although it’s not relevant to the current sound project I
wanted to mention a documentary I saw at the weekend. Named ‘the way of the Morris’
it is the story of Adderbury Village Morris men told by filmmaker Tim Plester,
a native of the village.
The documentary was incredibly well made in my view. It
clever in its story telling, telling three stories at once. The story of the
side before and after the Great War and how it was torn apart. The story of it’s
revival in the 1970s and the story of Plester himself and his journey into the
world of Morris which runs in his veins. The narrative in the film was both touching
and informative. I found in interesting that the view the film took was one of
fondness when it could so easily have been mocking. Yes it does make jokes, but
Morris doesn’t take itself to seriously anyway. How could it, its grown men
dancing around with bells on their knees.
The way it is shot is also interesting from a production
point of view. It is, to my mind at least shot in a very beautiful and
interesting manner. There are segments
of the film which almost feel dream like, they are surreal and this is where
the narration veers off into the history or some explanation of Morris. These
scenes have a mystical quality, the light is dawn and dusk and gives an
incredibly beautiful hue to the shot and it anchors the meanings of the
narration talking about the strange and distant origins of Morris dancing.
I think that when looking for inspiration and influence in any
kind of film making, not just documentary this film is a great go to. It is a
very powerful film that is a refreshing look at Morris dancing…even if they are
a ring side.

WAY'>http://vimeo.com/20522692">WAY OF THE MORRIS: Official Trailer 2 (HD) from Way'>http://vimeo.com/wayofthemorris">Way Of The Morris on