{{Short description|1915 British silent drama film}} {{good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Use British English|date=June 2016}} {{italic title}} {{Infobox film | image = File:Promotional image for A Welsh Singer (1915).png | caption = Promotional image for the film, printed in a contemporary advertisement. | director = Henry Edwards | writer = {{plain list|Henry Edwards *Laurence Trimble}} | starring = {{plainlist|Henry Edwards *Florence Turner}} | studio = Turner Film Company | released = {{Film date|1915}} | country = United Kingdom | language = Silent<br>English intertitles }}
'''''A Welsh Singer''''' (1915) is a lost British silent romantic film based on a novel of the same name. Produced by Florence Turner's Turner Film Company, it is a romance between two lovers from rural Wales who move to London and become artists. Among the company's most popular films, it was praised by British newspapers but received a mixed review in an American magazine. Turner starred as the female lead, while the male lead Henry Edwards also served as its director, marking his directorial debut.
== Plot == The Welsh shepherd Ieuan and his lover, the shepherdess Milfawny, separately move from rural Wales to London. Milfawny gains fame as a singer, while Ieuan becomes a noted sculptor. Ieuan falls in love with Milfawny again while in London, unaware of her identity. Upon the two's return to Wales, they begin a romantic relationship.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moody |first=Paul |title=Picture Perfect: Landscape, Place, and Travel in British Cinema before 1930 |date=2007 |publisher=The Exeter Press |isbn=9780859899383 |editor-last=Porter |editor-first=Laraine |pages=25 |chapter=The Marketing of Landscapes in Silent British Cinema |editor-last2=Dixon |editor-first2=Bryony}}</ref>
== Production and marketing == ''A Welsh Singer'' is a lost silent feature film was made in the United Kingdom by the American actress Florence Turner's Turner Film Company.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=A Welsh Singer (1915) |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/57447 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116025448/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/57447 |archive-date=2009-01-16 |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=BFI Film & TV Database |publisher=British Film Institute}}</ref> Like many films set in Wales during the 1910s, it was a romance produced by an English studio.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Berry |first=Dave |title=Encyclopedia of Early Cinema |date=2005 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9780415234405 |pages=683–684 |chapter=Wales}}</ref> It was based on the popular novel ''A Welsh Singer'' by Allen Raine, one of three films based on her work.<ref name=":12" /> The film was the first directed by English actor Henry Edwards, who also appeared as the male lead Leuan. The script was written by Edwards and American director Laurence Trimble. Turner served as the main female lead, Mifawny.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":12" /> Edwards and Turner had appeared together as co-stars in Trimble's own film earlier in 1915, ''Lost and Won''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Low |first=Rachael |title=History of British Film |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136206139 |volume=3 |page=200}}</ref> Other actors included Campbell Gullan, Malcolm Cherry, Una Venning and Fred Rains.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=A Welsh Singer (1915) - Cast |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/57447?view=cast |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125171153/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/57447?view=cast |archive-date=2009-01-25 |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=BFI Film & TV Database |publisher=British Film Institute |language=en}}</ref> Edith Evans, who mainly acted in theatre, made her first of two silent film appearances; after these, she would not appear in a film again until acting in ''The Last Days on Dolwyn'' in 1948.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/31087|title=Evans, Dame Edith Mary|id=31087}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite book |last=Butler |first=Ivan |title=Cinema in Britain: An Illustrated Survey |date=1973 |publisher=A.S. Barnes Company |isbn=9780498011337 |page=39}}</ref>
The film was released in 1915. It was five reels long, with a total reel length of {{Convert|4,600|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":22" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kennedy |first=Thomas S. |date=1916 |title=A Welsh Singer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a3lJAQAAMAAJ |journal=Motography |volume=15 |page=38}}</ref> An advertisement aimed at cinema owners in a trade magazine, ''The Bioscope'', encouraged them to "Book this all-British film. It will not let you down. Never before has a film been produced with such artistic feeling and so cleverly acted."<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 March 1916 |title=Florence Turner in a Welsh Singer |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002396/19160309/083/0026 |url-access=limited |work=The Bioscope |page=26}}</ref> Various local newspapers in the United Kingdom ran advertisements for the film;<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 October 1916 |title=The Welsh Singer |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002490/19161013/035/0002 |url-access=limited |work=Buckinghamshire Examiner |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=9 June 1916 |title=The Welsh Singer |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001168/19160609/014/0001 |url-access=limited |work=Shields Daily News |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=16 March 1916 |title=The Picture House |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000434/19160316/210/0001 |url-access=limited |work=Northern Whig |page=1}}</ref> those with closer links to Wales often put emphasis on the film's Welsh setting.<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 April 1916 |title=A Welsh Singer |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003119/19160427/185/0001 |url-access=limited |work=North Wales Weekly News |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=30 June 1916 |title=A Welsh Singer |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000964/19160630/046/0004 |url-access=limited |work=Runcorn Weekly News |page=4}}</ref>
== Reaction == ''A Welsh Singer'' was among the most popular films produced by Turner.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Frederick James |date=1924 |title=Unwept, Unhonored, and Unfilmed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zVcTAAAAIAAJ |journal=Photoplay |volume=26 |issue=2 |page=65}}</ref> A review in ''Grimsby News'' praised the depiction of rural Wales and a scene featuring a fire and rescue from a crowded concert hall.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 June 1916 |title=The Welsh Singer |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001819/19160609/194/0007 |url-access=limited |work=Grimsby News |page=7}}</ref> A ''Birkenhead News'' review also praised the production, naming it a "picture of outstanding merit".<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 April 1916 |title=A Welsh Singer |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003040/19160429/049/0003 |url-access=limited |work=Birkenhead News |page=3}}</ref> An article in the Welsh paper ''Porthcawl News'' noted that the film "should appeal to all Welsh folk, and is worthy of a visit."<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 October 1916 |title=The Coliseum |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004338/19161012/063/0004 |url-access=limited |work=Porthcawl News |page=4}}</ref> The American trade magazine, ''Variety'', gave a less enthusiastic review of the film. It praised the quality of Turner's acting and said the film was better than a previous film she had appeared in. However, it described a scene where a character did not recognise his former love interest as "unconvincing". The review concluded that there was "no doubt" that the film would be "acceptable" for cinemas.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 1916 |title=Film reviews: A Welsh Singer |url=https://www.proquest.com |url-access=subscription |work=Variety |page=23 |id={{ProQuest|1529232626}}}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|0348365}}
{{Henry Edwards|state=collapse}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welsh Singer, A}} Category:1916 films Category:1916 British films Category:1916 English-language films Category:1916 lost films Category:1916 romantic drama films Category:British black-and-white films Category:British silent feature films Category:English-language romantic drama films Category:Films based on British novels Category:Films directed by Henry Edwards Category:Lost British romantic drama films Category:Lost British silent drama films