Gone to Earth

David Farrar - Jack Reddin
Jennifer Jones - Hazel Woodus
Cyril Cusack - Edward Marston
Sybil Thorndike - Mrs. Marston
Esmond Knight - Abel Woodus
Edward Chapman - Mr. James
Hugh Griffith - Andrew Vessons
George Cole - Cousin Albert
Beatrice Varley - Aunt Prowde
Frances Clare - Amelia Comber
Gerald Lawson - Roadmender/Elder
Raymond Rollett - Landlord/Elder
Ann Tetheradge - Miss James
Louis Phillip - Policeman
Sid James - Barman (Knucksie)

1897. Shropshire girl Hazel Woodus lives with her father Abel and Foxy, a half-tame fox rescued from the hated foxhounds, her life ruled by the superstitions of her dead mother. Walking late one night, she believes herself pursued by the 'Black Huntsman' and accepts a lift from Squire Reddin who takes her to his home at Undern Manor and attempts to seduce her. Hazel escapes with the help of the squire's manservant Andrew Vessons. After meeting Hazel at the local fair, new minister Edward Marston proposes to her. Having vowed to marry the first man who asks her, Hazel accepts. An infatuated Reddin begs that she marry him instead but she cannot break her word, and the wedding takes place. Reddin haunts Hazel until, guided by her mother's book of spells, she secretly meets him and returns to Undern as his mistress. Edward arrives to reclaim his bride and during the violent quarrel Reddin - himself a hunter - threatens to harm Foxy. Hazel is repulsed and returns with Edward.

When a delegation of church elders demand that he turn his unfaithful wife out, Edward decides to leave the church and start afresh. Meanwhile Hazel, hearing the local hunt in the adjoining fields, rescues Foxy but is herself pursued by the bounds. Reddin follows, trying to lift her out of the hounds' reach but Hazel refuses to drop the fox in the path of the dogs. Edward races to meet her as she approaches the house, but midway she and Foxy plunge to their deaths in an open, disused mineshaft: as the call from the hunt leader echoes across the fields: 'Gone To Earth'.

Gone to Earth was released in the UK to mixed reviews - New Statesman dismissed it as 'the worst bit of kitsch its makers have yet produced' - and Selznick announced plans the following March to reshoot the film for American release, partly, it was claimed, to satisfy the US censors, but mainly 'to improve the picture' which would be retitled Gipsy Blood. Although Powell was approached to direct the new sequences, Christopher Challis says, 'Micky didn't want anything to do with it', which placed the cameraman in a quandary when invited to go to Hollywood for the reshooting. 'I talked to Michael and Emeric', he says, 'and asked, "What am I going to do? Isn't it disloyal if I go?" but they said "Well we'd much rather you did because at least there'd be somebody there to make sure it looks the same if nothing else"'.

Rouben Mamoulian directed the new footage while, as Challis recalls, 'tremendous arguments about the script caused a lot of reshooting - pretty well the whole of the end sequence and additional scenes too'. Selznick eventually discarded all but 35 minutes of Gone to Earth even eliminating some characters altogether until - with yet another new title, The Wild Heart and running at only 82 minutes - it was finally released in May 1952. This version differs from Gone to Earth by the addition of a spoken prologue (by Joseph Cotten) - a typical Selznick device - and a few non-essential plotlines, but loses much of the poetic imagery and mystical quality of Powell and Pressburger's version.

Pam Cook, in a 1986 Monthly Film Bulletin, asserted that 'Jennifer ]ones' utterly convincing performance as the complex and divided heroine... is transformed in the reshot sequences into a virtual reprise of Pearl's steaming sensuality in Duel in the Sun'. Despite his undeniable reputation as a quality filmmaker, the ever-meddling Selznick was sorely lacking in terms of subtlety when preparing a screenplay, milking dialogue from literary works for the sake of 'authenticity' at the expense of the overall spirit of the piece. This clumsy, verbose approach is apparent even in his masterpiece Gone with the Wind. Powell's direction of Gone to Earth, aided by the handsome camerawork of Christopher Challis and Freddie Francis, made prologues and explanatory titles wholly unnecessary.

Despite Selznick's efforts, The Wild Heart failed with US audiences although, perversely, this version was released in the UK on home video in 1980, with the original unavailable until the NFA's glorious new print was seen at the 1985 London Film Festival. Gone to Earth was finally recognised as one of The Archers' most beautiful movies with stunning photography, superb performances and a terrific, evocative music score by Brian Easdale. In 1971 Powell considered the picture 'a disaster.. except for Jennifer's performance which I thought was absolutely wonderful', feeling that they had 'never licked the script... it is doubtful if Mary Webb can be licked’.