The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Directors:

Russell Lloyd
Emlyn Williams

Writer:

Emlyn Williams (writer)

Release Date:

13 April 1949 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Edith Evans	...	Merri
Emlyn Williams	...	Rob
Richard Burton	...	Gareth
Anthony James	...	Defydd
Alan Aynesworth	...	Lord Lancashire
Barbara Couper	...	Lady Dolwyn
Andrea Lea	...	Margaret
Hugh Griffith	...	The Minister
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maurice Browning	...	Huw
Rita Crailey	...	Hen Ann
Eileen Dale	...	Mrs. Ellis
David Davies	...	Septimus
Frank Dunlop	...	Ephrain
Kenneth Evans	...	Jabbez
Patricia Glyn	...	Dorcas
Joan Griffiths	...	Eira
Sam Hinton	...	Idris
Daffyd Hoeard	...	Will
Roddy Hughes	...	Caradoc
Betty Humphries	...	Mrs. John Henry
Dudley Jones	...	Hughes
Tom Jones	...	John Henry
Dorothy Langley	...	Lizzie
Constance Lewis	...	Mrs. Richards
Emrys Leyshon	...	Watkins
Edward Rees	...	Gruffyd
Aubrey Richards	...	Ellis
Doreen Richards	...	Mrs. Septimus
Betty Stanley	...	Nurse Pugh
Bryan V. Thomas	...	Alwyn
Madoline Thomas	...	Mts. Thomas
Prysor Williams	...	Old Tal
Sybil Williams
Hywel Wood	...	Hywel

Also Known As:

Dolwyn
Women of Dolwyn (USA)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

De Grunwald Productions

Trivia:

Richard Burton's first film.

Engaging though forgettable melodrama

The Last Days of Dolwyn is an interesting minor drama set in the valleys of Wales. It is set in the 1890s, and details the events that lead up to the deliberate flooding of a village in order to create a new reservoir. Some of the villagers are excited about the prospects being relocated once their village has gone, while others wish that they could carry on living where they do.

The acting throughout this film is superlative, including a young looking Richard Burton making his film debut. However, the dramatic aspects of the story are rather low key, almost to the point where they don't work. The climax should be really exciting, since it deals with a handful of people who find themselves trapped in the village in the minutes before it is due to be flooded, yet the sequence fizzles out without making much of an impact.

The Last Days of Dolwyn is worth watching for the acting, and the lovely Welsh settings. But if you're wanting a strong emotional story thread, this film simply doesn't provide it.