Evening Courier • Friday August 15 2008 www.halifaxcourier.co.uk6

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120 years of redcarpet momentsUNLIKE many of its neighbour-ing districts, Calderdale is a littlereticent about its associationwith the movies.

But, in common with so manyother parts of Yorkshire, it canboast some classic film associa-tions with a cast list that includesEwan McGregor, Sir TomCourtenay, Albert Finney,Laurence Harvey and PeterFinch.

Finch and Harvey are consid-ered almost forgotten stars today,but in their time they were twoof the biggest stars in British (andinternational) movies.

It is Harvey, playing ruthlesssocial climber Joe Lampton, whosteps from a train as it arrives inHalifax station at the beginningof Room at the Top. Ninety min-utes later he emerges from AllSouls’ Church, a reluctant bride-

groom to adoring Heather Sears.In between, he loves and loses

Simone Signoret, his partner inan illicit, ultimately tragic affairthat scandalised 1950s Britain asJohn Braine’s best-selling novelbecame one of the raciest films ofthe decade.

Thus Halifax, doubling for thefictional textile town of Warnley,bookends a film that tends to beassociated primarily withBradford. It was a smash hit, pro-pelling Harvey to stardom andgarnering Oscars for Signoret andwriter Neil Paterson along withnominations for the film, direc-tor Jack Clayton, Harvey and co-star Hermione Baddeley.

The film is one of many pro-filed in Made in Yorkshire, a bookby photographer Jim Moran andmyself that looks anew at somewell-known (and unfamiliar)

Setting the scene: Juliet Binoche and RalphFiennes filming Wuthering Heights at ShibdenHall in 1991 and, above, Mark Herman directsPete Postlethwaite at the Piece Hall in BrassedOff

films that share onecommon aspect: allwere produced in the“Broad Acres.”

Yorkshire has been amagnet for film-makerssince the invention ofmoving pictures in1888. Now, 120 yearslater, it can lay claim toclose on 200 separatetitles good, bad andindifferent. Calderdalehas played a significantpart.

Its image as a textilecentre provided somemovies with a distinc-tive, typically northern,backdrop.

In 1948 A Boy, a Girland a Bike used loca-tions across the CalderValley – in Elland,Hebden Bridge, Halifaxand Mytholmroyd – totell the tale of a love tri-angle within a Yorkshirecycling club.

The stars were PatrickHolt, Honor Blackmanand John McCallum,with supporting rolesgoing to Diana Dors,Thora Hird andAnthony Newley. A joy-ous celebration of inno-cence, it is dedicated tofresh air and openspaces – precisely what a21-year-old formercoalminer from Leedswas looking for.

An avid cyclist whospent his spare time onhis racing bike, he wasdelighted to be hired asan extra and to be paidfor riding his bike. Hisname: Jimmy Savile.

“It was the most

amazing time in theworld,” said Savilealmost 60 years later.“I’ve done a millionthings since but thatwas the first film,which is what makes itimportant. I loved it

then, and I love itnow.”

The Piece Hall hasbeen used by severalfilm and TV produc-tions. In The Dresser itbears silent witness tothe mental collapse of

“Sir”, the grandiloquentactor whose mind is asfrayed as his shirttails.Albert Finney playedthe thespian modelledon Donald Wolfit, andTom Courtenay wasNorman, the effetedresser of the title.

In Brassed Offwriter/director MarkHerman whipped up amusical storm asGrimley Colliery Bandplayed their hearts out.Alongside a hit paradeof brass band classicsthe film delivered apotent political messagethat the cast, includingPete Postlethwaite,Ewan McGregor andTara Fitzgerald, activelyespoused.

“Not only does itstrike an emotionalchord with me, it strikesa very angry chord,”said Postlethwaite. “Myfeelings are not very faraway from what thebasis of the story is.”

Ralph Fiennes andJuliette Binoche made abrief visit to ShibdenHall to film scenes forEmily Bronte’sWuthering Heights in1991 – the first movie toattempt to tackle the

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7www.halifaxcourier.co.uk Evening Courier • Friday August 15 2008

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Perfectbackdrop:Jessica Bardenas MaryRatcliffe in MrsRatcliffe’sRevolutionfilming onHalifax’s SavilePark inSeptember2006

Below, JenniferPell, owner ofFred Wade’sbookshop witha display ofMade inYorkshirebooks

entirety of the novel.“I enjoyed the challenge of

playing a character as dark asHeathcliff – you have to bringyour own darkness to it,”revealed Fiennes. “I’d like tohave gone even further with it.”

One might expect thedetail surrounding such pro-ductions to have been lost inthe mists of time until oneembraces the ordinary folkwho found themselves gentlypress-ganged into taking part.

Thus it was the humblemovie extras that providedsome of the cornerstones inbuilding a composite pictureof Yorkshire’s film heritage,along with intriguing photo-graphs and snapshots of thefilms themselves.

With the support of variouseditors and archivists wetrawled through newspaperpicture libraries, unearthingimages that had not beenseen for more than half a cen-tury. Many of the imagesfrom Room at the Top wereprovided by the Courier,

along with an image ofFiennes and Binoche at Shib-den Hall surrounded by theparaphernalia of filmmaking.

Calderdale has played hostto several other films, someof which went on to becomesignificant hits (My Summer ofLove – Todmorden andBrighouse), popular classics(No Love for Johnnie, filmed inHalifax with Peter Finch),some critical successes (MySon the Fanatic – Halifax andBrighouse) and some flops(Mrs Ratcliffe’s Revolution –Halifax). And, every year, thelist grows longer.● Made in Yorkshire is official-ly launched on Friday August15 at the National MediaMuseum when playwrightRonald Harwood will discusshis film The Dresser.● On Monday at 7pm TonyEarnshaw will be at TheViaduct Cafe, Dean Clough,Halifax, for a talk-and-sign-ing session organised by FredWade Books, where Made InYorkshire is on sale.

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