Well, these are strange times. The weather is glorious, the sky is blue, the air is warm and the beaches are… well the beaches are deserted. As are the lanes, the parks, the gardens, everything. Everywhere is deserted. It’s the Easter weekend and Cornwall is empty, and that’s a good thing. But I imagine you are missing your dose of Cornwall, I am. With these travel restrictions in place, we’re not getting out and about either. So I’ve pulled together a list of films featuring Cornwall.
Try these on Netlix, Sky, Virgin, Britbox or Amazon. There’s no guarantee that they are all available to stream but you should be able to buy them. I hope you find something new and enjoy Cornwall from afar.
Let me know if I’ve missed anything major.
In no particular order or preference:
Bait
Martin Ward is a cove fisherman, without a boat. His brother Steven has re-purposed their father’s vessel as a tourist tripper, driving a wedge between the brothers. With their childhood home now a get-away for London money, Martin is displaced to the estate above the picturesque harbour. As his struggle to restore the family to their traditional place creates increasing friction with tourists and locals alike, a tragedy at the heart of the family changes his world.
Summer in February
The Newlyn School of artists flourished at the beginning of the 20th Century and the film focuses on the wild and bohemian Lamorna Group, which included Alfred Munnings and Laura and Harold Knight. The incendiary anti-Modernist Munnings, now regarded as one of Britain’s most sought-after artists, is at the centre of the complex love triangle, involving aspiring artist Florence Carter-Wood and Gilbert Evans, the land agent in charge of the Lamorna Valley estate. True – and deeply moving – the story is played out against the timeless beauty of the Cornish coast, in the approaching shadow of The Great War
Straw Dogs
Upon moving to Britain to get away from American violence, astrophysicist David Sumner and his wife Amy are bullied and taken advantage of by the locals hired to do construction. When David finally takes a stand it escalates quickly into a bloody battle as the locals assault his house.
The Shell Seekers
Given an opportunity to trade her most cherished possession for comfort and security, Penelope Keeling (Dame Angela Lansbury) must take a good look at her future. With three grown children and a lifetime of memories, she realizes that something is missing, the simple joy she knew as a child playing on the beach. So she embarks on an incredible journey – fifty years into her past – to discover the secret to happiness for her friends, her family…and herself.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
When Jacob (Asa Butterfield) discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds a magical place known as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers and their powerful enemies. Ultimately, Jacob discovers that only his own special “peculiarity” can save his new friends.
About Time
At the age of 21, Tim discovers he can travel in time and change what happens and has happened in his own life. His decision to make his world a better place by getting a girlfriend turns out not to be as easy as you might think.
Johnny Frenchman
There is always rivalry between the Cornish and Breton fishermen, but the two factions have a routine ebb and flow of civil hostility until the breach is widened by the announced marriage of a Breton son to a Cornish maiden. It takes the outbreak of World War II to unite the sides against a common enemy, Nazi Germany.
Alice in Wonderland
Alice, an unpretentious and individual 19-year-old, is betrothed to a dunce of an English nobleman. At her engagement party, she escapes the crowd to consider whether to go through with the marriage and falls down a hole in the garden after spotting an unusual rabbit. Arriving in a strange and surreal place called “Underland,” she finds herself in a world that resembles the nightmares she had as a child, filled with talking animals, villainous queens and knights, and frumious bandersnatches. Alice realizes that she is there for a reason–to conquer the horrific Jabberwocky and restore the rightful queen to her throne.
Fisherman’s Friends
A fast living, cynical London music executive (Daniel Mays) heads to a remote Cornish village on a stag weekend where he’s pranked by his boss (Noel Clarke) into trying to sign a group of shanty singing fishermen (led by James Purefoy). He becomes the ultimate “fish out of water” as he struggles to gain the respect or enthusiasm of the unlikely boy band and their families (including Tuppence Middleton) who value friendship and community over fame and fortune. As he’s drawn deeper into the traditional way of life he’s forced to reevaluate his own integrity and ultimately question what success really means.
The Bad Education Movie
Mr Wickers and his class go on one final school trip after they finish their GCSEs.
Saving Grace
A widow discovers after her husband’s suicide that he has mortgaged everything they own and the banks are ready to foreclose. Faced with impending doom and little working knowledge except her ability to grow plants, she struggles to save her home. Enter her gardener, who is struggling to make a few marijuana plants grow in a hidden location and suggests that she use her green house to help grow the plants and sell them to make the money both need. He is wanting to get married, but needs capital. What he doesn’t know is that his girl friend is pregnant and thus fears that they will be busted for growing marijuana. While supposedly working, the whole village is well aware of the endeavor and is hoping for their success. When the plants come in, Grace takes the crop to London and tries to sell it to a ruthless, but charming drug dealer. Everything busts loose from there.
Ladies in Lavender
Taking place in pre-World War II England, aging sisters Ursula (Dame Judi Dench) and Janet (Dame Maggie Smith) live peacefully in their cottage on the shore of Cornwall. One morning following a violent storm, the sisters spot from their garden a nearly-drowned man lying on the beach. They nurse him back to health and discover that he is Polish. Communicating in broken German while they teach him English, they learn his name is Andrea (Daniel Brühl) and that he is a particularly gifted violinist. His boat was on its way to America, where he is headed to look for a better life. It doesn’t take long for them to become attached to Andrea, and they dote on him. Other townspeople, however, have their suspicions, especially when he befriends a Russian woman, Olga
TV Series
Delicious
Poldark
Wycliffe
Doc Martin
Wild West
Echo Beach / Moving Wallpaper
Jamaica Inn
You may also enjoy my post about a lost film featuring Pola Negri and NOT filmed in Mevagissey. It also occurs to me that I should probably do a feature on Charlestown, our tiny Georgian port that features in hundreds of movies, if only for a few minutes.
Hope you enjoy discovering some new titles and we’ll see you all again soon!