Water's Edge

I found a few scenes of this film on an old VHS tape I was discarding. What I've got is good and well acted. The scene where the pilots' skull comes off the corpse when the plane is dragged form the pond is superb.

I remember the whole thing as a fantastic evocation of the English rural scene and coming of age in the 1960's. There is a hint of 'Cider with Rosie' in the wild-wood scenes but none the worst for that. Dudley Sutton proves (once again) he is one of the great character actors and makes a superb Vicar which may surprise those who only know him as the frequently drunk Tinker in ' Lovejoy'. As for the juvenile actors? Who they were and what came of them I've no idea.

As Ashley Pharoah is now one of TV's top writers, it's time the BBC /BFI took it out of which ever archive this film rests and repeated it. Or at least released it on DVD.

I first saw this on television in either the late 80s or early 90s and I immediately wished that I had taped it as it was superb.

It features a girl called Lucy who is a bit of a recluse and has a bit of mystery about her. She spends ages with her head in the village pond looking at the wreckage of a world war 2 plane. Another local girl discovers Lucy's secret and tells the local vicar, played by Dudley Sutton. Also, as a bit of a side-plot there are two lads who are waiting to set off the biggest fireworks rocket that they could find.

I wish I could tell you more but it has been so long since I saw it and I only just remembered its name.

The film is, in essence a coming of ages rites of passage type of film. Well worth watching if you can.