Morris Dancing In British Films

[stella24]

Rented the rather violent crime drama "Essex Boys" the other day, and just had to post this line from the beginning of the film. The main narrative character of the film is speaking as he introduces himself and sets the tone: "I'll try anything once; me, except beastiality and maybe Morris dancing, yeah, I try and stay from that, I do." Hope nobody is too sensitive out there, but i couldn't stop laughing for quite some time, the perverse humour wasn't lost on me.

[cnrobinson]

There are a number of people to which this quotation is atributed. It actually went something along the lines that one should try everything in life except incest and morris dancing. It is supposed to be the composer Arnold Bax or Constant Lambert.

 

The Beaux of London City appeared in one of the St. Trinians films, (there are only three - but I can't remember which one it is!).

 

Chris

[Robin Harrison]

The quote was from the british conductor Sir Thomas Beecham " You should try everything once,except incest and Morris dancing"................there is a delightful interpretation here that he probably did not intend.........try everything once,but incest and Morris dancing more than once!!

Also from Sir thomas, at a time when the fashion was to get conductors from abroad for orchestral festivals........" Why should we use these second rate European conductors, when we have so many third British ones"

Robin

[Alan Day]

Stella24 you have it wrong,

by beastiality he means a Melodion or to really lower the tone a Piano Accordion.

Al

[stella24]

Thank you Alan, for another deep series of laughter!

 

wes.(stella24)

[Roger Gawley]

The quote was from the british conductor Sir Thomas Beecham " You should try everything once,except incest and Morris dancing"................there is a delightful interpretation here that he probably did not intend.........try everything once,but incest and Morris dancing more than once!!

Also from Sir thomas, at a time when the fashion was to get conductors from abroad for orchestral festivals........" Why should we use these second rate European conductors, when we have so many third British ones"

Robin

 

No, it was Bax, as previously stated. You do often see it down to Beecham.

 

Roger

[Gus Voorhees]

The lack of Morris Dancing in films has always surprised. I have seen the Morris in film about once (twice if you count that Doctor Who episode). Even in "King Ralph" they avoid mentioning Morris in the least, when I would expect them to introduce Ralph to the Morris soon after he botched Cricket.

Is it that most Morris teams are camera shy? Or just generally unfilmable? Or is it that the film industry has an unspoken vendetta against them?

[Paul Read]

There was a film about 5 years ago called 'Rock my World' with Peter O'Toole and Alicia Silverstone that was filmed in Hamilton, Canada. The Toronto Morris Men were in the film as the local village side at a spring fete. Unfortunately, they were filming in November in Canada and it was a snowy village fete! We had a great laugh doing the filming and dancing between shoots to entertain the extras. When the film was shown in cinemas, it lasted two weeks in two cinemas in Toronto (.....ah well) but the biggest kick was that the dog in the film got credits but not the TfMM!

 

On the subject of interesting comments on concertinas, there is the famous Stephen Leacock line:

 

"anybody who has listened to certain kinds of music or heard certain kinds of poetry or heard certain kinds of performances on the concertina will admit that even suicide has its brighter aspects."

Edited March 28, 2006 by Paul Read

[Lester Bailey]

Of course the greatest morris dancing in film occurence is in Bill Murray's The Man Who Knew Too Little. Modesty prevents me telling who coregraphed the morris sequence and who can be heard playing melodeon on the sound track. Mind you you can probably work it out from the man who coregraphed and appeared with the morris dancers on Top of the Pops backing the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu with their hit It's Grim Up North.

[Jim Besser]

Don't forget "The Full Monte," with about 3 seconds of a Morris side dancing at the very beginning. Blink and you miss it. At least they weren't taking their clothes off.

Edited March 28, 2006 by Jim Besser

[David Barnert]

Also, more recently, "Bride and Prejudice."

[Lennart]

Is this Morris dancing ?

 

http://www.intriguing.com/mp/_video/fish.avi

[PeterT]

Is this Morris dancing ?

 

I think that it has its origins somewhere in the Cotswolds! Maybe a Bourton on the Water (in the water?) solo jig.

[Dazbo]

Morris dancing has appeared a couple of times in Midsommer Murders and in Calendar Girls (in the background as part of a village fete)

[PeterT]

...as part of a village fete.

That's reminded me that Goathland Ploughstots appeared in "Heartbeat" a couple of times, a few years back. On the first occasion, Eliza Carthy was one of the musicians.

 

Regards,

Peter.

[Dirge]

The Beaux of London City appeared in one of the St. Trinians films, (there are only three - but I can't remember which one it is!).

 

Chris

It's 'the Great St trinians Train Robbery' or something like that; Frankie Howard leads a gang of train robbers who've hidden their loot in St Trinians and try and reclaim it during a parents day; at one point FH is mincing around with the morrismen having had to clobber one of them who saw the gang at work behind the curtain and take his place. It's not the best St T film, unfortunately. Even so give me something like that over an Arnie film any day though. (or even worse a 'Romantic Comedy' euggh; how DO you express a cold shudder in print?)

[premo]

The Beaux of London City appeared in one of the St. Trinians films

 

I always thought it was Westminster MM in the St Trinian's film. I'm sure I remember their portcullis badges

[cnrobinson]

You could well be right. I would need to see it again, though it is not a very good film!

 

Chris