civitascymru

'Un Nos Olau Leuad' deserved to have an Oscar nomination - as much if not more so than Hedd Wyn, the first Welsh language film to get that accolade.

This week I saw UNOL again on S4C with a dramatically improved digital print and soundtrack.

I appreciated even more than before the subtlety of the script and editing, using visual cues and cultural evocations (Welsh language hymns for instance) the landscape (both the industrial and astoundingly beautiful natural scenery) to stitch the panes of the quilt together - an amalgam of child's eye narrative with actual and psychological 'journeys'. An ambitious scope that was based on an equally daring and modern novel by Caradog Pritchard.

Some of this is accomplished by unassuming story telling and much by powerfully understated acting. The power of the occasional scenes of 'magical realism' was lost on me during my first viewings but I now appreciate their success in taking us over the threshold into the adult world the child (in us as well) cannot grasp - the powerful world of death, heaven and hell, sex/sin/salvation, hypocrisy and truth, both told and hidden.

I also originally wanted more demonstrative performances from the protagonist, as boy and man - but now appreciate the director letting the sheer horrors of life innocently observed speak most powerfully for themselves.

The novel is more complex and a feature film has to be closer to a short story in terms of content and narrative complexity. I judge this film as a work of art in its own right and without direct comparison with Pritchard's masterpiece.

The film has a remarkable confidence in its cinematic language but - and I make allowance for this - is at times hampered by the limited resources and cinematic film experience that Wales could muster at that time, compared with much of the European independent sector and vastly less than Holly or even Bollywood!

Yet it is still a more genuinely powerful, emotionally intense work of artistic integrity than so many of its peers from the UK, let alone Welsh language films made then or since.

The first series was revealing and honest about a deprived childhood and the devastating consequences on the aspirations and achievements of that misfortune. It realistically portrays the shame and guilt that can accrue. But all this is done with humour - both ribald and acerbic - that still remains both humane and ultimately hopeful, despite the pent-up frustrations of teenage angst and a quiet rage against the circumstances of life inflicted on protagonist Bethan.

The portrait of Bethan's mam going through an episode of bipolar breakdown is eviscerating - but then again, there is healing and resolution, if only for a while. The mainly female leads in the first and second series are outstanding - Creevey playing Bethan is, as they say, a revelation and the actress playing her mam delivers a tour de force. Rhodri Meilyr, Steffan Rhodri and Mr Wilbraham playing Travis also provide terrific support, as do the young actresses playing Ffion and Bethan's girlfriend (apologies to all actors unnamed - I can't see the crew listing to check your names as I write).

The second series is a wonderful sequence - the actors, their characters and the storyline have all matured. This is a story that needed to be told and it is told engagingly. It could be argued that such stories never end happily or hopefully. But I know from experience (and I think the author has also lived this) that it is possible, especially with the kindness and support of teachers, to escape the seemingly inevitable failure meted out to the 'undeserving' poor. This film may be frank and challenging and even uncomfortable to view at times - but it is both rewarding and entertaining.

I see some anti-Welsh racists in comments have bemoaned the mere existence of Welsh culture and voices - all the more reason to resist such xenophobia and do the opposite. More productions of quality like this from Wales (and other cultures outside the English metropolitan elites) and more presence of the Welsh language are now due. It's time that UK television reflected that English has not 'extirped' Welsh and that it is a modern, European indigenous language with its finger on the pulse of what really matters today and a significant presence in the UK.

I'll not add much to all that's been said here, just emphasise that despite having to use different locations, Tiger Bay reflects sincerely the nature of the community in Cardiff when it was filmed. That also adds considerably to its value by making it a semi-historical document (apart from anything else, few films if any have captured the industrial shipping activity that sustained the community - and both have now gone or are changed beyond recognition). But don't view it from choice for that reason - it's a good story, with rich character development and unforgettable performance from the leads, in particular Hayley Mills. Filming (b&w) is superb but the print is dark in few places and I've also found the sound track to be noisy and confusing on occasions - but these are well worth suffering for the sake of the lasting impression the film will leave on you.