Fanny Hawthorne

In a Lancashire mill-town, probably Bolton or Oldham, but here called Hindle, Fanny (Jenny in later film versions) Hawthorne scandalises her family by refusing to conform. The play has always been a favourite and this version of it is terrific. It has a modern feel, some of the shots in Blackpool are brilliant (the rides in particular), and the new soundtrack by In The Nursery, although perhaps a bit too contemporary, somehow fits (and makes a difference from the dreadful Hammond organ scores than accompany some silents). In the cinema the ballroom sequences were augmented by special lighting effects which worked well, but on video it shines as a good British silent (hooray!) well done, well acted, well written.