This film is part of Free
Figures in a Landscape
A poetic portrait of sculptor Barbara Hepworth and the otherworldly Cornish landscapes which inspired her.
Overview
Delight in this rare footage of sculptor Barbara Hepworth at work in her garden, in the shadow of a prominent St Ives landmark, the 15th-century St Ia's Church. Narration from future Poet Laureate Cecil Day Lewis coupled with Priaulx Rainier's haunting score beautifully complement Hepworth's evocative art works, displayed in Cornwall's rugged coastlines and moorland.
Born in Wakefield, Hepworth moved to St Ives in 1949, where she lived and worked for the rest of her life. This film was the first to be commissioned by the British Film Institute’s Experimental Film Fund and was shown at the Edinburgh and Venice Film Festivals in 1953 - two years after Hepworth had designed sculptures for the Festival of Britain. In 1954, the Whitechapel Art Gallery presented a major retrospective of her work, a turning point in her career. She was made a Dame in 1965 and remains one of Britain's most celebrated sculptors. Tragically, she died during a fire at her St. Ives studio in 1975.
Related
Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
Documentary 1984 61 mins
Discover the 'name behind the hairstyle', in this essential portrait of the bard of Salford, aka John Cooper Clarke.
The Scandalous Parson The Scandalous Parson
Comedy 1967 27 mins Location: Belfast
Author of Gulliver's Travels faces trial by television
Dancers Dancers
1978 29 mins
Impressionistic portrait of life as a dancer in London’s Ballet Rambert.
Mona Lisa Mona Lisa
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1983 2 mins
Playful experimental film about one of the most famous, widely reproduced paintings in the world.
Photomontage Today: Peter Kennard Photomontage Today: Peter Kennard
Documentary 1983 35 mins
An analysis of the use of photomontage to distort meaning and create subversive and oppositional art, exemplified by the work of Peter Kennard.
Odeon Cavalcade Odeon Cavalcade
Documentary 1973 37 mins
Cinema-goers escape their worries by stepping into the glorious Art Deco luxury of the Odeon picture palaces.
Hart's Ice Cream of St Ives Hart's Ice Cream of St Ives
Current affairs 1983 4 mins Location: St Ives
Tune down, turn off and scoop out as the famous outlet for ice cream closes its doors.
Rough Seas at St Ives Rough Seas at St Ives
1925 1 mins Silent Location: St Ives
The notoriously windy Cornish art and fishing town is hit upon by the sea
The Duchy of Cornwall The Duchy of Cornwall
Travelogue 1938 15 mins Location: St Ives
Rapid survey of early Cornish history, featuring its language, landscape and industries.
Cornwall Trip 1935 - Part 1 Cornwall Trip 1935 - Part 1
Amateur film 1935 12 mins Silent Location: Penzance
The open road: come along on a motoring trip around the West Country in this early holiday home movie
Scenes on the Cornish Riviera Scenes on the Cornish Riviera
Advert 1912 19 mins Silent Location: Plymouth
From Saltash to St Ives, a whirlwind tour of Edwardian Cornwall.
Beatniks of St Ives Beatniks of St Ives
News 1963 2 mins Silent Location: St Ives
Clive Gunnell wanders around St Ives and ponders the Bohemian lifestyle of the beatniks.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.
Edgar Wright on The Running Man Edgar Wright on The Running Man
Inside Film 2025 28 mins
The director talks to Mark Kermode about putting Stephen King's dystopian life-or-death gameshow thriller through its paces.
Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 69 mins
Richard Linklater discusses his remarkable and wide-ranging body of work, including Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague.
Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 73 mins
Daniel Day-Lewis, the ultimate actor’s actor discusses his career in conversation with Mark Kermode.