National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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Jack Reforms
Jack likes the ladies, the beer and the odd flutter but steadfast Ted, who acts as his guardian angel, helps him reach salvation.
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Overview
Jack is skipping along the primrose path, grabbing the ladies, swigging the beer, gambling away a very small fortune. Can Ted, his guardian angel, lead him back on to the straight and narrow? This is the 3rd in a series of 4 dramas created by J W Meredith when on vacation with others from the Thompson Brothers’ Bradley Engineering Works at Bilston, Staffordshire. They would set up camp - and camera - every 1st August at Richard Ellis Jones’ farm, Penygeulan, Llanymawddwy.
John W Meredith’s ambition and competence grew with each film he made. Perhaps he discovered the fish eye method of opening and closing a scene just before undertaking this production as he uses it here often! He shoots the rocks and waterfalls (as Ted, Jack, and Jack’s dissolute friend walk in the mountains) beautifully, as he does the courtship scene, and he skillfully weaves into the drama shots of sheep dipping on the farm, the Packhorse bridge and second bridge at Minllyn, and the Red Lion Inn at Dinas Mawddwy.
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