Requiem for a Village (1976)

The idyllic, rural past and troubled present of a Suffolk village come to life through the memories of an old man (Vic Smith) who tends a country graveyard.

The past – evoked through fragments of stories as seen through the eyes of the old man and his reminiscences while on duty – is filled with wagon making and horseshoeing. The present is dominated by a gang of bikers invading the village – including a brief but unsettling montage of sexual violence.

With its lingering shots of the English countryside, extreme slow-motion photography and sequences of the dead rising from their graves, Requiem for a Village was made with finance from the BFI.

David Gladwell, director of this beautiful, stunning, eerie film was an editor for the BBC.

Cast
Vic Smith
The Witnesham villagers
The Metfield villagers

Director
David Gladwell

Video

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