A battle to behold as Midlands Movies visits upcoming historical epic
On a bright Sunday morning at a campsite just off the A52 in rural Staffordshire, you would never have guessed that a run-of-the-mill grass field would soon set the stage for an epic encounter between 15th century armies.
This was the location for an ambitious 4-day shoot as part of new short film The Pretender which is being made by Anthony-Hamilton Productions and OGK Pictures.
The film is set in 1497, where Prince Richard of Shrewsbury, the youngest of the missing 'Princes in the Tower', faces both inner demons and King Henry Tudor’s forces during the final days of his conquest for the throne of England.
This fictionalised alternative history suggests Richard III’s oft-rumoured ‘disappearing’ of his young nephews to take the crown was actually not as dark as portrayed. Here, much later, the film explores a theory that one of the boys may have survived and began plotting to regain his sovereignty.
This intriguing new angle will be made by the Derbyshire director of the film Oliver Griffiths. Griffiths has already cut his cloth with a number of successful shorts including Smile Smile Smile and the Midlands Movies Awards-nominated A Personal Errand. The latter of the two being set in the American West (but shot locally) and shows the filmmaker’s experience in taking viewers back to the past and demonstrates his already successful handling of creating historical stories in the Midlands.
But despite the accolades this film is his and the team’s biggest project to date with over 2 years’ worth of preparation. And boy, could you see it on the day. A huge team of battle reenactors, with era accurate armour and weapons, were prepped to recreate this alternate chronicle set within the War of the Roses.
There was also a large, tented encampment and men, women and children of all ages in costume to provide further authenticity to this period reproduction.
Playing Prince Richard is seasoned actor Jack D. Anthony, who is also producing via Anthony-Hamilton Productions. And Louis Brough, no stranger himself to the Midlands Movies Awards and a filmmaker in his own right, joins the team as Director of Cinematography and between the whole group, shots were set up to make the most of this amazing ensemble.
Once the army had been ushered into place, the dedicated production team readied the makeup, camera and blocking ready for one of the film’s most important moments.
And it was here during this brief scene we saw filmed, there were exciting echoes of the best Hollywood movies set during the era, with nods to Henry V (both Olivier and Brannagh versions) as well the more recent The King (2019) with Timothée Chalamet. With the promise of a call-to-arms being heard, a Braveheart-style rousing speech was on the cards and is surely an essential must for any medieval movie skirmish.
Once the army had been ushered into place, the dedicated production team readied the makeup, camera and blocking ready for one of the film’s most important moments.
And it was here during this brief scene we saw filmed, there were exciting echoes of the best Hollywood movies set during the era, with nods to Henry V (both Olivier and Brannagh versions) as well the more recent The King (2019) with Timothée Chalamet. With the promise of a call-to-arms being heard, a Braveheart-style rousing speech was on the cards and is surely an essential must for any medieval movie skirmish.
Exploring the Plantagenet line, the film already has a great connection to the history that took place in the region – and especially Midlands Movies’ hometown of Leicester where the King Richard III’s remains were unearthed in the car park just a decade ago.
And the famous Bosworth Battlefield where Plantagenet and Tudor history clashed is just down the road – and funnily enough, holds its own battle reenactment days – undertaken by the very same group involved on this shoot!
With the film's shooting days continuing throughout the rest of the week at a local castle and church, the film continues apace and you can follow the film's latest updates and release schedule via the official page and production companies below.
https://www.instagram.com/thepretendershortfilm/
