The Living
The Documentary
The film Documentary,
The Living covers the tragic period of history in Ukraine from 1932
-1933 with delicacy, gentle humour and sympathy. The film is based on
the observations of Gareth Jones, a young Welsh journalist, and through
it is woven the candid accounts, casually caught in the camera, of
witnesses, now well into their 80’s who survived the Great Famine. The
naturalness of their evidence, some given with humour, lightens the
sadness of the production. The lines on their care-worn faces are
captured beautifully by the camera and these display the evidence of a
harsh and bitter life. The suffering they saw of death, of the
appropriation of their food and destruction of their homes is beyond
belief. Despite this many have remained cheerful. Life remains hard for
the peasants for they still live in humble circumstances, but, though
poor they seem content with their present lot.
The dialogue is told through the eyes
of Gareth, and the diaries are read by his great-nephew, Nigel Colley.
This is cleverly done as Nigel rarely looks directly into the camera,
but shots are taken from different angles which lessens the tedium of
direct eye contact by the viewer.
Gareth, on the eve of his thirtieth birthday, was
tragically murdered after being captured by bandits in 1935, two years
later, while investigating the Japanese situation in Inner Mongolia. He
had had a remarkable and extremely full life before his premature
death. Shots are taken from archival material carefully and patiently
researched reminding the viewer that he had worked for the former
wartime Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, that he had been a spectator
to the Depression in the 1930’s in America, and prophetically described,
that of his flight with the newly appointed Chancellor of Germany,
Adolph Hitler. Lighter touches are photos of Gareth’s student days and
of him standing behind President Hoover in the White House. As well
there are archival shots presumably from Soviet sources of a propaganda
nature.
The film commences quietly with President
Yushchenko walking pensively with his daughter across barren land
looking at the site of his forbears burial places; those who died in the
Great Famine. It ends with an emptiness left by the disappearance of the
last eyewitnesses implying that there will soon be no one left to recall
the horrors of the Holodomor, the death by starvation.
I myself am delighted by the portrayal of my uncle
Gareth. Just as the Holodomor was the forgotten man-made famine of the
20th century, so was Gareth quietly air-brushed from that
period of history.
The whole film has been filmed and condensed from
a vast amount of material, both archival and verbal by the brilliance of
the director, Serhiy Bukovsky into one and a quarter hour. Serhiy has
put his heart and soul into the production. Mark Edwards, the producer,
with exceptional thoroughness has been true in every way, both in his
portrayal of the man and the description of Gareth’s colourful life. I
know Mark is captivated by the sad, but enthralling story of Gareth
Jones’ brief life.
It was my desire to have Gareth recognized in his
beloved country, Wales. To my astonishment, but delight he is revered
in Ukraine and soon, I hope will be known in the United States. The film
has achieved my ambition and also Nigel’s. Perhaps one day his fame will
be world-wide.
Thank you Serhiy Bukovsky, Viktoria Bodnar and
Mark Edwards for making this possible. To me it is the fruition of our
long aspiration to have Gareth remembered.
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