Fanny Lye Deliver'd
Synopsis
1657. Fanny and John Lye and their young son Arthur live lives of Puritan stricture on a remote Shropshire farm in a valley beside a forest. Once a Captain in the English Civil War, now a firm believer in Oliver Cromwell’s republic, John suffers a game leg and therefore it is Fanny who must carry out most duties around the farm, taken for granted by both husband and son.
One morning, when the family are out at church, two uninvited visitors take refuge in their barn: the charismatic Thomas Ashbury and his young ‘wife’ Rebecca Henshaw, who come running from the forest naked as Adam and Eve. Thomas tells a story of robbery by vicious highwaymen. Although suspicious, John offers clothes and shelter for the night - which satisfies Fanny’s compassionate nature.
Whilst the young couple are polite, almost obsequious at first, soon Thomas’ carefree manner can’t help but reveal itself: he makes seductive eyes at Fanny and then draws Arthur into a food fight, for which - despite Thomas’ protestations - the house patriarch disciplines both wife and child. The next day, as Thomas and John coppice wood, Rebecca accidentally reveals to Fanny that she and Thomas are unmarried.
Soon after, three more strangers approach the farm: a Sheriff and his Deputy, accompanied by the local Constable, hunting members of a blasphemous ‘Ranter’ sect. From here, events quickly escalate in ways that will change all their lives forever.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Official Competition - World premiere
Big Screen Competition, International Film Festival Rotterdam 2020
https://coproductionoffice.eu/films#fanny-lye-deliverd
Details
- Year
- 2019
- Type of film
- Features
- Running Time
- 110 min
- Director
- Thomas Clay
- Producer
- Zorana Piggott
- Co-Producer
- Robert Cannan, Philippe Bober, Michel Merkt, Joseph Lang
- Executive Producer
- Thomas Clay, Lizzie Francke, Celine Haddad, Richard Holmes, Phil Hunt, Compton Ross
- Editor
- Thomas Clay
- Screenwriter
- Thomas Clay
- Director of Photography
- Giorgos Arvanitis
- Production Designer
- Nenad Pecur
- Sound
- Thomas Clay, Steven Bond, Vincent Watts, Konrad Kassing
- Principal Cast
- Maxine Peake, Tanya Reynolds, Charles Dance, Freddie Fox, Zak Adams
Genre
Production status
Complete
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Last updated 2nd December 2019
