Hedd Wyn (1992) User Reviews

The valiant preservation of Welsh language and culture

[elihu-2 · 22 May 2000]

The Welsh have been valiantly preserving and promoting their beleaguered language and culture. In recent years, the Welsh film industry blossomed, with such inventive slices-of-life as LEAVING LENIN (1993), which was filmed in St. Petersburg, shown at international film festivals and garnered considerable interest and accolades. It showed to the world that the Welsh language is very much alive.

HEDD WYN is another example, as it depicts the life and death of one of Wales' greatest poets. Ellis Evans (Huw Garmon), under the pen name ÒHedd WynÓ writes thoughtful, spare verse which wins kudos from his countrymen. The son of a farmer, he isn't as educated as some bards, but his kind and genuine nature fuels his talent.

The film evinces his pastoral existence in his native village, his richly nuanced relationships with three different women, his reluctant transformation into a soldier, and his eventual sacrifice in World War I. More a biopic than an exploration of poetic inspiration, the film nonetheless has its lyrical moments, and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Welsh magic

[gardiner_liz · 10/10 · 1 December 2007]

This Welsh-language film directed by Paul Turner is based on the true story of Ellis Evans - a young poet living in North Wales at the start of WW1. Huw Garmon is excellent as Evans - the young lover; the poet; the farm boy and, ultimately, as a young soldier sent to his death at the Somme. Evans competes in the National Eisteddfod - a cultural competition which includes the awarding of a Bardic chair to the winner of the poetry competition but, before the winner is announced Evans, whose bardic name was Hedd Wyn, is sent to the front. This film captures perfectly the Welsh traditions bound up with the Chapel and the family. It also shows vividly the young lives wasted in the conflict. The countryside of North Wales is shown in glorious colour,contrasting with the grey mud of the trenches. There is one scene where the Major is leading his troops down a country road. As they approach the camera the scene shifts to the side of the road and one sees the faces of these boys who are marching off to what we now know was almost certain death. The troops were played by young army cadets and it helps us to remember that few of those who died were old men - they were young boys - "they shall not grow old as we that are left grow old". The final scene where the Bardic chair is brought, swathed in black, to the Evans' farmhouse is so moving. The parents, grieving for their lost son, accept it with dignity knowing that he will never see his prize. A beautifully acted, directed and photographed film worthy of its Oscar nomination.

Truly a lovely film!

[hipbone · 10/10 · 24 January 2001]

This story about the tragic life of the beloved Welsh poet Ellis Evans compares favourably with "All Quiet on the Western Front". One comes away from this film convinced of the hopelessness of war and yet, bolstered by the knowledge that for all our general savagery we humans can now and again produce poetry of sublime proportions.

Sadness and beauty combined

[williamr-2 · 9/10 · 10 August 2000]

I have given this film a 9. Being a Welshman I already knew the story of Hedd Wyn and I was very impressed with how this piece of Welsh history was put to film.

Although the film does loose something in translation, overall I was quite impressed at the skill of the translators in managing to convey at least a little bit of this man's brilliance as a bard.

The sense of loss that this film conveys is very strong and when watching this film and pondering over the life of Hedd Wyn, I can't help thinking that somewhere in the world today many more valuable lives are being lost due to needless conflict.

Sentimental in the grand old Welsh tradition

[Daffodil · 9/10 · 11 September 1998]

My mother and I sobbed all the way through the second half of this film. To be fair, it can only be properly appreciated if you speak Welsh; the poetry loses everything in translation. It does become pretty mawkish at times but as a true Welsh woman I'm a no-holds-barred sentimentalist and I fell for it hook line and sinker.

Drags to long

[saoudisophia · 1/10 · 6 June 2022]

Some seance drag on to long and its uncomfy Also Ellis deserves better than lizzie and that jini. Bob (his younger brother) is a absolute mong. Hail Hedd wyn. Ellis is daddy UwU.

mae hyn yn drawiadol*

[lee_eisenberg · 10 March 2014]

Wales is the part of the United Kingdom about which we don't hear much, and that's what makes Paul Turner's "Hedd Wyn" all the more enjoyable. I had never heard of the title poet until watching it. Ellis Evans proudly wrote in his native language and took as his pseudonym Hedd Wyn, the Welsh words for "blessed peace". But with the arrival of World War I, the English drafted him and sent him to his doom.

The movie is both an indictment of war and of England's domination of Wales. There can be no doubt that the English looked down on the Welsh just as they did the Scots and the Irish, and therefore had no qualms about sending them into harm's way. Evans was disgusted with the jingoism pushed by London, but even he got thrown into the war.

The movie's most impressive quality is of course its use of Welsh. For all that I know, it might be the only movie filmed mainly in Welsh, a language that has some of the most interesting spellings of all. It's just a really good movie. Rwy'n argymell y ffilm (Welsh for "I recommend the movie").

*That's Welsh for "this is impressive".

the pub scenes

[philjones921 · 10/10 · 29 December 2007]

the pub scenes were filmed in a former mental hospital outside Ruthin in north wales i was an extra for the two days the crew were there. the first day i was a soldier playing cards behind the star and his friend and the next day i was a "civvie"in a grey tweed jacket. the beer was real on both days but the "whisky" was ginger beer,one soldiers glass had a hole in the bottom so his drink went down quicker than it should i don,t think it shows on screen.when the scene starts the words "jammie bastard" are heard this refers to me winning the cards the sound man queried the remark but the director said it was OK,the soldier who said it really had a better hand than me

What a fantastic film....

[gambit-9 · 8 February 1999]

As someone who lives only some 10 miles away, and known the story so well, it was such a pleasure to watch the film.

It showed how pointless war is. I think that what Ellis did, go and join up, so to save his younger brother from doing so, is so brave. Such acts you wouldn't expect to see today in society.

I have seen this film many times and it's just as good each time around. It will make any person cry at the end.

One interesting thing, in the film Huw Garmon (Ellis Evans) courts Sue Rodderick (Lizzie Robers), but in a soap shown here in Wales, Sue plays Huw's his mother!!!

You don't have to be Welsh to appreciate this film...

[krusty_the_baker · 29 January 2006]

I'm not Welsh, although my father is, and I don't speak the language. It doesn't matter. The thrust of this film is that the hero sacrifices himself, both for his brother, and for his country, to go and fight, despite stating that he doesn't think that he can kill his fellow men. Along the way he comes across bigotry and prejudice; the persecution of his Welshness in the film is just as relevant to our society now, regardless of what culture or language is being mocked and derided. It seems that in early C.20 Britain we were suspicious of a man because he spoke a different language, so he might be a spy. Now we think he might be a terrorist. I guess we don't learn a lot.

The unity and bonding of the young soldiers being sent to fight in what we all know was a horrendous and particularly pointless war is touching, and the pointlessness of the millions of deaths of young men is made abundantly clear. A superb film. I watched it with my mother, and we cried too.