Film 'I have faith in all you blues' is exclusively made for Department of Film and Television Studies
Millburn House, University of Warwick.
Millburn House, University of Warwick.
''An Act of Faith' is wonderful newly restored film by the Media Archive for Central England by Robin Whitworth and John Read, the first coloured BBC documentary film. They started shooting in 1957 and was first televised in 1962 on the occasion of the consecration of the new cathedral (and again on the opening night of the BBC2 colour television service in 1967).
The second 'Acts of Faith' films is 'I have faith in all you blues' by Sherrie Edgar.
A contemporary dance and music film created by Edgar, inspired by Robin Whitworth's script and John Read's beautiful colour cinematography in ‘An Act of Faith’. Edgar's film continues the proposition of the title of the film and is derived from the saying, 'I have faith in all you do', changing the word 'do' to 'blues' to represent Coventry's unique blue, but also all the blue tones of our sadness as well as the insignia of Coventry people.
The film starts by entering a place of peace and reconciliation at the Great West Window, seeking the relationship between the body and the architecture of Sir Basil Spence. The camera dances with the dancer, inviting the viewer to feel the human connection to the symbolic artistry of the Cathedral. The dance marinates in the music, capturing a modern expression of place, space and time. There is something quite forgiving about how the body expresses itself through dance in the Cathedral, and like the theme of the Coventry Cathedral, atonement, sacrifice and resurrection, the dance and music do the same. The blue satin dress ravels along the stones 'Tablets of the Word' by Ralph Beyer, and the feet move by the colours of the beautiful stained-glass windows by John Piper and Keith New. We see our blue-ribbon fly and weave past the Graham Sutherland tapestry, 'Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph'.
The film ends with the merciful scenes of the dancer in front of the striking gold mosaic of 'Byzantine'-inspired angel, by Stephen Sykes, taking you through to the Chapel of Industry. Then we blow the candle out to meet another peaceful day.
Director & Producer: Sherrie Edgar
Camera & Edit: Sherrie Edgar
Dance: Lito Alexiou
Music: Matt Eaton
