Gone to Earth

Aroview: Marvellous Technicolor evocation of the rustic Welsh border-country, set around Jennifer Jones’ entry into the world of passionate desire and men, namely squire David Farrar and pastor Cyril Cusack. More than just a bodice-ripper, this full-length, restored version (which producer David O Selznick recut as ‘The Wild Heart’) contains an enjoyable vein of drollness, and is of course replete with Powell/Pressburger’s majestic landscapes and rich symbolism, from a mountaintop magic ceremony to the climactic fox-hunt. From Mary Webb's novel.

NZ International Film Festival 2002