"D H Lawrence Video"

Last modified:30th May, 2004

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A Passion for Life
Memories of Uncle Bert
Details of Active Image
D H Lawrence Society

NEW VIDEO FOCUSES ON LAWRENCES EARLY LIFE IN EASTWOOD

Video Sleeve Wherever Lawrence travelled in the world, the Nottinghamshire town of Eastwood, continued to provide inspiration for his writing.
Although many things have changed in Eastwood during the last century, there is still much that remains the same.
Now a new video programme has been produced which explores the locations Lawrence knew so well in his childhood and youth. It also features an interview with the author´s niece, Peggy Needham, who recently died at the age of 92.
A Passion for Life begins by focusing on the interior of Lawrences birthplace at 8a Victoria Street, now restored to its original appearance. It then moves on to the Breach House on Garden Road which was prominently featured in Sons & Lovers with furnishings and artefacts which are evocative of the period. Also, there is the view from the house in Walker Street which Lawrence described as the country of my heart. Some stills from the video can be seen on the Active Image website www.activeimage.demon.co.uk

Commenting on the programme, Ron Faulks, secretary of the D. H. Lawrence Society of Eastwood said:-

This is a sympathetic, knowledgeable and clear vision of Eastwood and the surrounding area in which D. H. Lawrence lived as a child and grew up, as well as showing some of the local people who influenced his life and work.

The 30 minute programme looks at Eastwood´s mining heritage and the connections with the Lawrence family. There is footage of Durban House where Lawrence collected his father´s wages as a child, the preserved winding gear on the site of Brinsley Colliery and the nearby cottage, originally owned by Lawrences Aunt Polly, which provided the setting for The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd.

The countryside around Eastwood which exerted such a powerful influence over Lawrence is covered including footage of Nethermere, together with turn of the century pictures of local agricultural and archive material showing Haggs Farm where Lawrence regularly met Jessie Chambers.

The video also shows the cottage at Cossall, originally the home of Louie Burrow´s family, and little changed over a century, standing next to the Parish Church which both took on special significance in The Rainbow.

The kitchen at the DHL Lawrence Birthplace Museum

Peggy Needham

The programme features the last interview with Peggy Needham, Lawrence´s niece, who died in May. As a life long champion of his work, Peggy remembered Lawrence as a kind and generous uncle as well as a great literary figure.

Readings from original letters sent to her from the ranch in Taos, Mexico are combined with personal recollections and her favourite poem Baby Asleep After Pain in this poignant tribute to his work.

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A Passion for Life has been made by Active Image Ltd in collaboration with Broxtowe Borough Council and with the co-operation of the D. H. Lawrence Society of Eastwood.

Copies are available from Active Image Ltd at £13.99 (inclusive of VAT) plus £2.25 postage and packing (within the UK). It is also available in various overseas video standards.

Interested in a video programme for your own society?

A Passion for Life illustrates the scope for producing programmes about particular authors or their works. These can be useful in explaining the background to literature or celebrating particular aspects of its creation.

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D H Lawrence: Memories of Uncle Bert - £13.99 is a new production.

Throughout her life, Peggy Needham championed the work of Lawrence, bringing her own particular insight and understanding to its appreciation. In the last interview before her death in May 2001, Peggy recalls her memories of him and reads from letters and poems of special significance. Together with family stories and anecdotes, the video provides a rarely glimpsed aspect of an author who became, perhaps, the greatest chronicler of working class family life at the beginning of the 20th century.
As a little girl with ‘marvellous red-gold hair’, Peggy Needham charmed D. H. Lawrence when he stayed in the Derbyshire countryside during the winter of 1919.
cover of video

Later, when he became famous and travelled the world, they would continue to correspond with each other as uncle and niece in a fascinating series of letters covering the sweep of Lawrence’s life from the ranch in New Mexico to his final days in the South of France.

Throughout her life, Peggy Needham championed the work of Lawrence, bringing her own particular insight and understanding to its appreciation. In the last interview before her death in May 2001, Peggy recalls her memories of him and reads from letters and poems of special significance. Together with family stories and anecdotes, the video provides a rarely glimpsed aspect of an author who became, perhaps, the greatest chronicler of working class family life at the beginning of the 20th century. Top of Page
´We would be delighted to hear from other societies interested in commissioning video programmes about the lives of literary figures or the locations associated with their work,´ said scriptwriter, Richard Woolley.

These can be sold to generate funds for the society, used for educational purposes or as a way of bringing an author to a wider public attention. ´It´s also an ideal way to commemorate a literary event or anniversary,´ he added.

Active Image Ltd, based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire have over 20 years of experience in video production with their own in-house shooting and editing facilities. They have worked with various local museums and are currently engaged in a project for the National Trust.

Active Image Ltd,
Unit 5, Dunston Technology Park,
Millennium Way, Chesterfield S41 8ND
Tel 01246 450 123
Fax 01246 450 211
E-mail: enquiries@activeimage.tv
Web Site: www.activeimage.tv
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