This film is part of Free
The Tough 'un
Startlingly beautiful time-lapse photography of the gardener’s nemesis – the dandelion – and finally, a solution?
Overview
"If they were as rare as orchids we would probably rave about them" opens this film in the Secrets of Nature series, directed by the prolific Mary Field. The mesmerising time-lapse photography is offset by a jokey commentary voiced by EVH Emmett, then best known as the voice of the Gaumont newsreel. The flippant tone is exemplified by his comment on the range of responses to dandelions: "Some gardeners tear up the lawn and lay crazy paving, some tear up a high cliff and jump off".
Mary Field’s extensive career in the film industry is little recognised - surprisingly, considering her prodigious output which numbers hundreds of films. This film was made with the pioneering natural history cinematographer Percy Smith.
Related
The London Story The London Story
Musical 1986 16 mins Location: Waterloo Sta
Sally Potter's lively dance film about spies and government intrigue.
White Men Are Cracking Up White Men Are Cracking Up
Drama 1994 20 mins
The fatal fascination with the myth of the black feminine mystique is uncovered in Ngozi Onwurah's short
Cedar Wood & Silk Cedar Wood & Silk
1995 14 mins
Insightful exploration of the relationship between a Jamaican mother and her British-born daughter.
Around the Village Green Around the Village Green
Travelogue 1937 12 mins Location: Finchingfield
Rural life in the Essex villages of Finchingfield and Great Bardfield - and the mixed reactions of older residents to changing times.
So This Is London So This Is London
Documentary 1933 14 mins Silent Location: Westminster
London at its best? This gorgeous lyrical portrait was made by pioneering female director Marion Grierson.
Tunde's Film Tunde's Film
Documentary drama 1974 40 mins Location: Stepney
Tired of being hassled by the police and with no job opportunities, a group of teenage East End lads plan to rob a bank.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
Blades Blades
Drama 2023 2 mins
A group of young Black boys run into a building. One of them is about to do the unimaginable.
We Collide We Collide
Romance 2023 2 mins
A queercore romance - a visceral and immersive exploration of the power of the mosh pit and finding love in the most unlikely of places.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
Hen Do Hen Do
Comedy 2023 2 mins
En-route to her hen weekend, bride-to-be Faye kills the vibe with a bombshell confession.
Daytimers Daytimers
Documentary 2023 2 mins
An insight into Daytimers, the South Asian DJ collective that are breaking new ground in Britain.