Way of the Morris

Co-director Tim Plester - a member of a Morris dancing troupe in Oxfordshire - delves into the history and world of English folk dancing. A heartfelt ode to his agrarian roots, WAY OF THE MORRIS follows filmmaker Tim Plester on a deeply personal journey from the barleyfields of his childhood to the killing fields of The Somme, in search of a connection with these much-maligned native dances that run deep in his bloodline. Featuring contributions from iconic singer/songwriter Billy Bragg and Fairport Convention s Chris Leslie. As quintessentially homegrown as a game of cricket or a plate of fish-and-chips, Morris dancing is one of Englands most ancient roots traditions. And yet to your average man on the street, its seen as little more than a national joke. And a bad national joke at that. Something to ridicule. Something to be embarrassed about.Things have always been a little different for actor and filmmaker Tim Plester. Tim hails from a family of Morris dancers, and was raised in the quiet North Oxfordshire village of Adderbury; a community with a proud and fertile dancing history stretching back through the centuries. The tinkling of the shin-bells is part of his heritage. Part of his legacy. Part of his very folklore. And yet, despite the connections, Tim doesn't dance. Never has a heartfelt docu-ballad in praise of birthplace, bloodline and rural brotherhood, WAY OF THE MORRIS follows Tim on a deeply personal journey from the barleyfields of his childhood to the killing fields of The Somme, as he traces the poignant link between the spirited folk revival of the mid-1970s and the true story of the young Adderbury Morris side so decimated by the carnage of the First World War. ...Way of the Morris (information from producer).