The Felling
British cinema of the past is unexpectedly evoked in this documentary about inappropriate tree cutting in Sheffield.
David v Goliath: A protester and a police officer face off
There were two distinct reasons for approaching this film rather warily. First of all, there was the fact that it runs for 112 minutes which is dangerously on the long side for a documentary even if Frederick Wiseman would oppose that view. Secondly, the subject matter sounds to be such that even the standard length of, say, 90 minutes might seem unsuited to it. The Felling, subtitled An Epic Tale of People Power, is concerned with the protests made between 2016 and 2018 by local inhabitants when the city council in Sheffield set about cutting down a vast number of trees that had long been a notable feature of the streets there. It was not that the trees were in any way dangerous or unhealthy. Instead the excuse was that they interfered with proposed roadworks which were the subject of a huge billion pounds contract entered into by the council with the Spanish owned company Amey. When local inhabitants started to challenge this supposed requirement and tried to stop the tree cutting from going ahead it turned into a long battle, one that had increasing support.
Such a situation might well be given a brief news slot on television and, if that might seem its natural home, how does it fare as the basis for a full-length film? When it comes to my first concern, that of its length, I ultimately took the view as it played out on the screen that it is bearable but not desirable. There is not really enough development in the conflict to fill something close on two hours of screen time: a sense of repetition inevitably sets in together with a belief that not every section of the film justifies its place. Nevertheless, the filmmakers, Eve Wood and Jacqui Bellamy, are not only deeply committed but show some skill in assembling the footage, even if a shorter length would have been preferable.
On the second count – my doubt as to the subject matter being apt for a feature film - the verdict turns out to be much more positive than I had expected. First, although this is a local tale, it can stand as an example of the need for citizens everywhere to stand up against local authorities when their actions can be seen as ill-judged at best and quite possibly illegal to boot. Secondly, the filmmakers quite understandably present events from the viewpoint of the protesters. Not only is that fully justified by the outcome of the conflict, but it also means that this true story has the well-established appeal of being a tale in the tradition of David taking on Goliath. Thirdly, The Felling has a character that is, to borrow the title of another recently released film, ‘quintessentially British’.
This last aspect took me by surprise but it is in some ways the most intriguing element in this film. The events depicted in The Felling are clearly serious since it is concerned with democracy and the right to speak out. It shows underhand dealing as well as harsh treatment of peaceful protesters, arrests and threats which jeopardise the livelihood of the aggrieved people who take action. But at the same time, however deep the underlying anger of the protesters, the tone adopted is for the most part both civil and polite and it feels deeply English in character. Furthermore, the leaders of the protest show delight in examining injunctions imposed in order to find ways in which the wording used in them allows their actions to continue in a form that is not an actual breach of those injunctions. Scenes of this kind carry delightful echoes of Ealing comedies, not least 1949’s Passport to Pimlico. Such elements find The Felling at its best, but the banal bombardment of music chosen for its soundtrack finds it at its worst. Ultimately that irritated me far more than any concerns about it being overlong. That is not to deny that the film has popular appeal, but it would have had far more had it been more succinct.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring: Paul Brooke, Chris Rust, Paul Selby, Alice Fairhall, Alison Teal, Simon Crump, Calvin Payne, Russell Johnson, John Coope, Gary Stimson, Jenny Jones, Martin Young, Deepa Shetty.
Dir Eve Wood, Pro Jacqui Bellamy and Richard H. Wood, Screenplay Richard H. Wood and Eve Wood, Ph Chris Saunders, Jacqui Bellamy, Fran Grace and Deepa Shetty, Ed Eve Wood.
Sheffield Vision-Sheffield Vision.
112 mins. UK. 2022. UK Rel: 9 December 2022. Cert. 12A.
