The Belstone Fox
| The Belstone Fox | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original British quad by Brian Bysouth | |
| Directed by | James Hill |
| Written by | James Hill |
| Produced by | Sally Shuter Basil Rayburn Julian Wintle |
| Starring | Eric Porter Jeremy Kemp Bill Travers Rachel Roberts Heather Wright Dennis Waterman |
| Cinematography | James Allen John Wilcox |
| Edited by | Peter Tanner |
| Music by | Laurie Johnson |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Fox-Rank (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £361,000[1] |
| Box office | £400,000[1] |
The Belstone Fox is a 1973 British children's film directed by James Hill, and based on David Rook's 1970 novel. [2] [3]
Plot
The Belstone Fox is the nickname given to Tag, a fox cub rescued from the woods and adopted by huntsman Asher. The young fox is reared in captivity with a litter of hound puppies, including Merlin, with whom Tag becomes especially friendly. Asher is devoted to Tag, but when Tag leads the hunt into the path of a train and many hounds are killed, the result is tragic. [2]
Cast
- Asher - Eric Porter
- Kendrick - Jeremy Kemp
- Tod - Bill Travers
- Cathie - Rachel Roberts
- Stephen - Dennis Waterman
- Jenny - Heather Wright
Critical reception
Time Out called the film "a dismayingly literal and unimaginative version of David Rook's novel," ; [4] the Radio Times gave it two out of five stars, calling it a "workmanlike adaptation," adding, "Porter and Rachel Roberts acquit themselves adequately but the film ultimately impresses more for its wildlife photography than for its dramatic interest," ; [5] whereas TV Guide gave the film three out of four stars, writing, "Porter is solid as the hunter who brings the baby fox to the hound for nurturing. Hats off to the trainers and technical experts who let the animals steal the show." ;[6] and Britmovie described it as a "touching tale," adding, "Eric Porter as Asher and Rachel Roberts as his wife are first-rate." [7]
References
- ^ a b Ten Points about the Crisis in the British Film Industry Gordon, David. Sight and Sound43.2 (Spring 1974): 66.
- ^ a b "The Belstone Fox". BFI.
- ^ "The ballad of the Belstone fox : a novel / by David Rook. - Version details - Trove".
- ^ "The Belstone Fox". Time Out London.
- ^ Peter Freedman. "The Belstone Fox". RadioTimes.
- ^ "The Belstone Fox". TV Guide.
- ^ "The Belstone Fox".