# A Welsh Singer > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/A_Welsh_Singer > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/A_Welsh_Singer.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Welsh_Singer > Source revision: 1355191243 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{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](/source/Henry_Edwards_(actor)) | writer = {{plain list|Henry Edwards *[Laurence Trimble](/source/Laurence_Trimble)}} | starring = {{plainlist|Henry Edwards *[Florence Turner](/source/Florence_Turner)}} | studio = [Turner Film Company](/source/Turner_Film_Company) | released = {{Film date|1915}} | country = United Kingdom | language = [Silent](/source/Silent_film)
English [intertitle](/source/intertitle)s }} '''''A Welsh Singer''''' (1915) is a [lost](/source/Lost_film) British silent [romantic film](/source/Romance_film) based on [a novel of the same name](/source/A_Welsh_Singer_(novel)). Produced by [Florence Turner](/source/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.{{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}} == Production and marketing == ''A Welsh Singer'' is a [lost](/source/Lost_film) silent [feature film](/source/feature_film) was made in the United Kingdom by the American actress [Florence Turner](/source/Florence_Turner)'s Turner Film Company.{{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}} Like many films set in Wales during the 1910s, it was a romance produced by an English studio.{{Cite book |last=Berry |first=Dave |title=Encyclopedia of Early Cinema |date=2005 |publisher=[Taylor & Francis](/source/Taylor_%26_Francis) |isbn=9780415234405 |pages=683–684 |chapter=Wales}} It was based on the popular novel ''A Welsh Singer'' by [Allen Raine](/source/Allen_Raine), one of three films based on her work. The film was the first directed by English actor [Henry Edwards](/source/Henry_Edwards_(actor)), who also appeared as the male lead Leuan. The script was written by Edwards and American director [Laurence Trimble](/source/Laurence_Trimble). Turner served as the main female lead, Mifawny. Edwards and Turner had appeared together as co-stars in Trimble's own film earlier in 1915, [''Lost and Won''](/source/Lost_and_Won_(1915_film)).{{Cite book |last=Low |first=Rachael |title=History of British Film |publisher=[Routledge](/source/Routledge) |isbn=9781136206139 |volume=3 |page=200}} Other actors included [Campbell Gullan](/source/Campbell_Gullan), [Malcolm Cherry](/source/Malcolm_Cherry), [Una Venning](/source/Una_Venning) and [Fred Rains](/source/Fred_Rains).{{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}} [Edith Evans](/source/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](/source/The_Last_Days_of_Dolwyn)'' in 1948.{{Cite ODNB|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/31087|title=Evans, Dame Edith Mary|id=31087}}{{Cite book |last=Butler |first=Ivan |title=Cinema in Britain: An Illustrated Survey |date=1973 |publisher=A.S. Barnes Company |isbn=9780498011337 |page=39}} The film was released in 1915. It was five reels long, with a total reel length of {{Convert|4,600|ft|m|abbr=on}}.{{Cite journal |last=Kennedy |first=Thomas S. |date=1916 |title=A Welsh Singer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a3lJAQAAMAAJ |journal=[Motography](/source/Motography) |volume=15 |page=38}} 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."{{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}} Various [local newspapers](/source/Local_newspaper) in the United Kingdom ran advertisements for the film;{{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}}{{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}}{{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](/source/Northern_Whig) |page=1}} those with closer links to Wales often put emphasis on the film's Welsh setting.{{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}}{{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}} == Reaction == ''A Welsh Singer'' was among the most popular films produced by Turner.{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Frederick James |date=1924 |title=Unwept, Unhonored, and Unfilmed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zVcTAAAAIAAJ |journal=[Photoplay](/source/Photoplay) |volume=26 |issue=2 |page=65}} A review in ''Grimsby News'' praised the depiction of rural Wales and a scene featuring a fire and rescue from a crowded concert hall.{{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}} A ''Birkenhead News'' review also praised the production, naming it a "picture of outstanding merit".{{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}} An article in the Welsh paper ''Porthcawl News'' noted that the film "should appeal to all Welsh folk, and is worthy of a visit."{{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}} The American trade magazine, ''[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))'', 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.{{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}}}} == 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 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [A Welsh Singer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Welsh_Singer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Welsh_Singer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.