If you’ve never yet had the chance to watch the 1971 cult classic The Moon & The Sledgehammer (film synopsis below) then now’s your chance to watch it online for the very first time. The film is available on-demand as part of a new trial via Seed & Sparks, a sort of Fair Trade Filmmaking Movement that Folk Radio UK is very supportive of and which we hope as many of you out there as possible take part in. As well as promoting new and unusual films they offer on demand viewing as well as crowd-funding for new projects. Through Seed & Spark you can watch The Moon & The Sledgehammer for just £1.76 and multiple times over a 3 day period.
The Moon & the Sledgehammer is being featured on Seed and Spark as part of the collection, FILMS THAT MAKE THE WORLD FEEL CHANGED, curated by Charlie Phillips, deputy director of the international documentary festival Sheffield Doc/Fest and long-time fan of the film.
Charlie’s other film choices are Sick Birds Die Easy by Nicholas Fackler whose cocktail of psychedelia and conspiracy theories challenges concepts of reality and knowing the real you, and The Bruce Lacey Experience, directed by Nick Abrahams and Turner prize winning artist Jeremy Deller, featuring the treasured British eccentric and visionary artist Bruce Lacey.
The combination of films is an ode to independence and determination, laying out a feast of individuals doing it their way, right on the edge. Great combo Charlie!
The Moon & The Sledgehammer – Film Synopsis
The 65-minute film is a portrait of the outmoded and unusual Page family: Mr Page; his two sons Peter and Jim; and two daughters Nancy and Kathy, who lived a simple but successful self-sustained life in near isolation in their ramshackle woodland home – albeit more wood life than Good Life. The land is littered with inland flotsam and jetsam; rusty iron carcasses, rotting pianos, disemboweled car bodies, parts of old engines and gigantic spanners.
In their unlikely setting the daughters pursued traditional female roles while the men devoted a great part of their time to maintaining and driving their ancient Allchin and Fowler steam engines around their land to no apparent purpose apart from the sheer enjoyment of it.
Cut off from society and its influences, their bizarre personal fantasies and philosophies reveal a true independence of existence. Their seemingly eccentric lifestyle shows a family at one with nature, but at odds with society and each other. Yet for all their eccentricities they ably demonstrate that they are remarkably successful at looking after themselves in a way few of us are today and indeed make us question the accepted sanity and values of today’s ever more homogenized society
Giveaway
To celebrate the new Video-on-demand showing we have a copy of the DVD ‘The Moon & The Sledgehammer‘ to giveaway. For the chance to win simply email me alex [at] www.folkradio.co.uk with ‘The Moon & The Sledgehammer’ as the subject heading and your name and address in body of the email. All entries must be received by 25th July 2014.
Summer Sale
During the Video On Demand trial period DVD sales are temporarily suspended in the run up to a SUMMER SALE. Copies of the DVD can be ordered NOW for just £10 (a saving of £6.99) whilst stocks last, reserved copies will be posted from 1st August.
Also available: Behind the Moon & the Sledgehammer £8 or 2-DVD box set (the film and Behind the Moon & the Sledgehammer) £17 (was £29.99).
To ensure you reserve your copy please go to: http://themoonandthesledgehammer.com