"The Happy Lands" the inspirational film about life in the mining
communities of the Lochgelly area was a huge hit with TV audiences when it was screened on BBC 2 on Sunday, December 15.
Having
already attracted capacity audiences at various venues throughout Scotland and been made available on DVD, the film is now
acclaimed by an even bigger audience.
Theatre Workshop Scotland Production developed and created the project along with members of the
mining communities of Fife and the cast features dozens of local folk.
Set during the General Strike 1926 - only seven years after the
slaughter of the trenches - miners unions lead the country against savage austerity cuts handed to the nation by
a Liberal-Conservative government.
Set in the fictional mining village of Carhill (Cardenden/Bowhill?) in the heart of the Fife coalfields, the film follows the journey
of one mining community as they are pushed inevitably towards a labour conflict with the Kingdom Coal Company in a seven-month
long lock-out.
"Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day" is the chant as the
coal company demand longer hours for less pay.
The intimate portrayal of three families show the human consequences
of an impersonal economics. The coal company practically owns the village and is colluding with government forces to keep
the 'red threat' under control.
Standing up for their rights inspires national support and galvanizes
a defiant spirit of the time. Faith forged through suffering grows and though the strike fails, the seed of a political awakening
is sown.
Inspired by true stories from local families in Fife, the Happy Lands
follows the journey of law-abiding citizens who become law-breakers in a heroic battle against the state. It's never a good
time to stand up for your rights - but it's always the right time.
The
Happy Lands is a masterpiece of community spirit and has received a spontaneous burst of applause whenever it has been screened.
Good news for all mining communities is that the
DVD of "The Happy Lands" is now available on Amazon and other sites.
Link is www.thehappylands.com.
