Marlborough LitFest’s first film/book tie-in at The Parade Cinema is a sell-out success

Last night, Marlborough LitFest partnered with The Parade Cinema in Marlborough to show an exclusive film screening of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, followed by a Q&A with author of the original book, Rachel Joyce. This was a chance for festival sponsors, including lead sponsor, Fermoie, as well as donors and Friends of LitFest, to enjoy a literary-themed evening film performance.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, starring Penelope Wilton and Jim Broadbent was released in the UK on April 28. The film and book trace the physical and spiritual journey Harold Fry makes as he walks from Kingsbridge, Devon to Berwick-upon-Tweed where his friend, Queenie, is dying in a hospice. He leaves behind his wife, Maureen, and as he walks we learn of the tragedy of his relationship with his son, the silences in his marriage and the friendship that Queenie had offered him. The people he meets on his journey all contribute to his transformation and in turn allows Maureen to also make a transformative journey. It is ultimately an uplifting story of hope and truth.

LitFest was delighted to invite Rachel, who was also the screenwriter and executive producer on the film, to a Q&A session after the screening. Rachel spoke about how she adapted the book. “What works in a book doesn’t necessarily translate into a film as they are two different realities…so the slow reveal about the son in the book had to appear as flashbacks in film from the very beginning. However, the central questions in the book – what is the burden Harold is carrying? And why don’t the couple talk? remain…

In writing the screenplay I had to overcome the difficulty about a couple who don’t speak and Harold who can’t deal with how he feels. So the dialogue had to be pared back and I had to consider how much I could write which the actors could show on their faces.”

There are of course, advantages to film and the character of England becomes an even bigger character in the film than in the book. We are shown the sweeping landscapes and urban streets. The use of folk music in the film also adds another dimension – that of the healing power of music. Sam Lee’s old English folk song plays as Harold’s relationship with the natural world develops.

When Rachel Joyce wrote the book she had just been told that her own father was dying. She wrote the screenplay during the pandemic. The book and the film, she believes, highlight many current concerns – the need to reconnect with the land and measuring our carbon footprints, mental health issues and the idea of community.

Genevieve Clarke, Chair of LitFest,said, “Ever since the cinema opened in 2021 we have really wanted to do a book/film tie-in. It is entirely appropriate that it is The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry which was an international bestseller, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and LitFest’s Big Town Read in 2015 when Rachel came to Marlborough to speak about it.

LitFest are very excited to be working with Fermoie, our new lead sponsor and we really appreciate their enthusiasm and support. It’s fabulous to see the quality of their fabrics designed and printed on our doorstep in Marlborough and there’s definitely a match between their creative approach and our ambitions for LitFest.”

Fermoie was established in Marlborough in 2010, by Farrow & Ball founders Tom Helme and Martin Ephson and is one of the world’s leading creators of fine fabrics, all designed and made in-house. It now employs 50 people in its design studio, factory and showroom in the town. 

Martin Ephson, Co-Founder of Fermoie, said, “This new partnership with Marlborough LitFest, which encourages and celebrates the best in human creativity, is a perfect fit with Fermoie’s broader ambition.” Click here for more information

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is showing at The Parade Cinema click here for tickets. A new edition of the book is on sale at The White Horse bookshop.

The programme for this year’s festival (28 September – 1 October) is currently being put together and will be released in June; tickets go on sale in July. For more information click here.