Set in the Welsh mining valleys this popular social drama is an authentic portrayal of working-class life and society struggles which rung true with Robeson, a political activist in his own right, and is the second of just three films ever made by the young director Penrose Tennyson (There Ain’t No Justice, Convoy). THE PROUD VALLEY was Robeson’s final British feature and the one film that in his own words, he was “proud of having played in”.
David Goliath (Robeson), a charismatic African-American stoker, washes up in a small Welsh village where he finds work alongside the miners down the pit. A competent singer, Goliath’s roaring voice soon draws the attention of the local choir master Dick Parry (Simon Lack: The Silver Darlings, Enemy at the Door) and his son Emlyn (Edward Chapman: Convoy, It Always Rains on Sunday), who have ambitions of winning the national choir contest.
Following a deadly explosion, the pits are closed, leaving the villagers out of work and struggling to make ends meet. Wanting to help the community that welcomed him so generously, David rouses a group of activists to march to London in the hope of reopening the mine in time to serve the nation at the outbreak of war.
Special Features
– David Harewood on Paul Robeson
– Paul Robeson & The Proud Valleys Featurette
– Mining Review 2/11: A Star Drops In (1949)
– Selected tracks from PAUL ROBESON – The Transatlantic Exchange Concert
THE PROUD VALLEY is part of the ‘Vintage Classics collection’ – showcasing iconic British films, all fully restored and featuring brand new extra content: www.facebook.com/ vintageclassicsfilm
The Digital Film restoration was funded by STUDIOCANAL in collaboration with the BFI’s Unlocking Film Heritage programme (awarding funds from the National Lottery).
