Tales of Albion is a collection of eight stories of ancient Britain and Ireland, organized around the Wheel of the Year. It was made by Gary Andrews and his Egotrip Media productions, the same group who made the excellent film The Spirit of Albion in 2012. It features many of the same characters and actors from Spirit, and some of the same storylines.
Tales of Albion has been a long time coming. Three years ago, I interviewed Gary Andrews as he was beginning the filming and crowdsourcing the funding. Gary said “We are aiming for a Yule 2014 release but as with Spirit I won’t sacrifice quality to meet a deadline. Everyone is working in their spare time so if we need to hold back to get it to the level I want then we will delay.” As someone whose spiritual work must be scheduled around my paying work, I completely understand – and I’m in total agreement with the decision to do it right rather than to do it quickly.
Tales of Albion was finally released in December 2016. I had pre-ordered the DVD as part of the crowdsourcing campaign, but due to shipping delays (which I blaming on US Customs) I didn’t get it till last Saturday. But now I have it and I’ve seen it.
The Tales
“The Washer at the Ford” (Samhain) – Joanne Marriott is the Morrigan once again, in this prequel to one of the storylines of Spirit. A British soldier in Afghanistan sees an unknown female soldier washing gear in a stream. There are flashbacks to a battle between the Tuatha De Danann and the Fomorians, and then a return to the present where, well, you know what happens when you see the Washer at the Ford.
The Noon of the Solstice (Yule) – The never-ending twice-a-year battle between the Oak King and the Holly King. This tale is in the Winter Solstice slot, but it was filmed at the Summer Solstice.
The Cattle of the Cailleach (Imbolc) – Two hunters are stranded in a snow storm and take refuge in the cabin of an unusual old woman, who extracts a promise that must be kept.
Curses and Secrets (Ostara) – The story of Arianrhod and Lleu Llaw Gyffes. The green screen effects are better than the ones in Spirit, and while the animation is rather basic, it works.
The Spirit of the Greenwood (Beltane) –This story is based on Damh the Bard’s spoken word piece “The Horned God – An Unofficial Biography” from his 2010 album As Nature Intended. It’s a modern, NeoPagan blend of several myths and themes. It worked better in Damh’s audio recording – the film version jumps around through history and myth in ways that are hard to follow, especially if you aren’t familiar with the source material.
Dreaming the Dream (Summer Solstice) – The story of how Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written, as told by Robin Goodfellow (Redvers Russell, who also played Robin in Spirit). Nothing will cure a case of writer’s block like the sudden appearance e of a mischievous but friendly Nature spirit. In the 2014 interview, Gary Andrews said this was his favorite of the tales. I agree, and not just because it’s based on Shakespeare.
The Golden Rider (Lughnasadh) – The story of Rhiannon is woven into a fanciful tribute to Lady Charlotte Guest, who produced the first popular English translation of the Welsh Mabinogi in the mid 19th century. One costuming nit to pick here – I don’t think I’ve ever seen Welsh faeries depicted in sheer gowns. Wales is too cold for that, even for the Fair Folk.
The Birth of the Shining Brow (Mabon) – The tale of Cerridwen and Taliesin, with an emphasis on a mother’s love for her child.
Tales of Albion: trailer 2 from Egotrip Media Ltd on Vimeo.
My Impressions
This is a beautiful film. It’s not an amateur movie – it’s a professional movie made by movie professionals, only on a shoestring budget. The compromises necessitated by the lack of CGI and other expensive special effects all work – you rarely notice that you’re not watching a Hollywood blockbuster. The costumes and scenery look great, and the stories are told respectfully and authentically – there were no “you’re doing it wrong!” moments. But where I walked away from Spirit saying “this is the Pagan movie I’ve been waiting for” I walked away from Tales feeling decidedly underwhelmed.
Part of my impression is just the nature of an anthology. Tales of Albion isn’t one story or even one theme – it’s eight separate stories. If there is a theme it’s the timelessness of the tales – circumstances and events that repeat over and over again because they’re part of what it means to be human. Writer’s block can happen to the greatest of bards, and it can happen to a contemporary Anglican priest trying to come up with her Sunday sermon.
But in an effort to show this timelessness – or perhaps just to make a connection with contemporary viewers – most of the tales have stories within a story. We begin in our time, flash back to the ancient past, then come back to our time to wrap it all up. It makes for a rather choppy viewing experience.
It also means screen time that could have been given to the ancient tales is given to contemporary doings. Some are abbreviated, and I have to wonder how well someone who didn’t already know the stories would be able to follow them.
Overall I enjoyed the movie, and I’m happy to be listed in the credits as a “Friend of Albion” who contributed to the crowdsourcing campaign. But despite the technical improvements, it doesn’t reach the high bar set by The Spirit of Albion.
Tales of Albion: trailer 3 from Egotrip Media Ltd on Vimeo.
The Ninth Tale
“Jack O’Lantern” is a ninth tale that was released as free video when it became apparent that the film was going to take far longer than expected to complete. It is, I think, representative of the eight tales in the movie. If you like this, you’ll probably like the movie. If you don’t, you probably won’t.
Jack O’Lantern from Egotrip Media Ltd on Vimeo.
Ordering
Tales of Albion is an independent film made as a labor of love. You are unlikely to see it in theatres, on cable, Netflix, Amazon, or any of the usual outlets. If you want to see it, you’ll have to order a DVD from the people who made it. Ordering info is on the Tales of Albion webpage.
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