Reviewed by Kim Choe
“Morris dancing. Seemingly an innocent pub pastime involving hanky-waving, bearded men. Or rather, is it an aggressively contested contact sport beset by politics, intimidation, and resistance to change?”
The film started promisingly enough. The mockumentary was to be a tongue-in-cheek look at the quaint English art of Morris dancing, and its struggle to stay both relevant and authentic as the world changed around it.
It followed Derecq Twist (Charles Thomas Oldham), a part-time mechanic whose family has a long and somewhat dark association with Morris dancing, and who is so much of a firebrand that he’s too hot to handle for the cult-like Morris Circle.
It’s a quirky story, but unfortunately the script isn’t quite snappy enough to colour what would otherwise have been a charmingly dull cast of British misfits. It has its funny, oddball moments, but by and large struggles to deliver any of the highly satirical drama and conflict we are promised at the beginning.
What I found most irksome was that the first half of the film passes with only brief glimpses of what Morris dancing actually is – no problem if you are a folk dance devotee, but very unhelpful for the ignorant likes of myself.
The story finally warms up when Derecq heads across the Atlantic for the frontier of Extreme Morris dancing – Los Angeles. As he finds his dancing feet amongst all the bright lights, flamboyance, and pizzaz, we get a glimpse of the real Derecq, and finally see why our mock documentary host is so fond of him.
Unfortunately it’s not enough to make it a compelling watch, and overall the whole film feels decidedly flat-footed.
Two stars.
Morris: A Life With Bells On
:: Director: Lucy Akhurst
:: Starring: Sir Derek Jacobi, Greg Wise, Charles Thomas Oldham
:: Running Time: 100 mins
:: Rating: M – offensive language, sexual references
:: Release Date: October 22, 2009
:: Official Site: Click here
