This film is part of Free
A Walk Through H: The Reincarnation of an Ornithologist
Peter Greenaway takes us on a mesmerising journey across mysterious fictional terrains.
Overview
At the moment of his death, an ornithologist embarks on a journey across the disconnected fictional terrains depicted in a set of 92 maps. The film is divided into five sections, each linked to a different avian environment, and bird references abound as images of birds in flight appear more and more frequently. The narration focuses on the provenance of the maps, each an artwork produced by Greenaway himself.
Peter Greenaway’s first BFI-funded short film was his longest to date and began a fruitful relationship which culminated in the 1982 feature film The Draughtsman’s Contract.
Related
The Exile The Exile
1981 3 mins
Like plants, people can either thrive or wither when removed from their native soil, as this short film explores.
Dear Phone Dear Phone
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1976 17 mins
Peter Greenaway casts the ubiquitous red telephone box in a starring role, supported by a thread of stories and conversations.
H Is for House H Is for House
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1976 9 mins
A lesson in lexicography, Greenaway's H is For House recounts objects that begin with the letter ‘h’ as seen through the eye of a child.
Eddie Kidd Eddie Kidd
Cinemagazine 1978 5 mins
Stunt cyclist Eddie Kidd experiences the ups and downs of fame in this COI cinemagazine filmed at Beaulieu.
Intervals Intervals
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1973 6 mins
Adapting Vivaldi's notation system from The Four Seasons, Peter Greenaway presents a series of images shot in Venice.
Zandra Rhodes Zandra Rhodes
Government sponsored film 1981 15 mins
Early 1980s portrait of fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, by fellow avant-garde creator, Peter Greenaway.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.