Photographing Fairies – 1997 | 106mins | Drama, Fantasy | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Based on the novel by Steven Szilagyi, Nick Willing’s moving tale was loosely inspired by a notorious supernatural hoax and evokes a sense of magic and mystery. Photographing Fairies is actually a fictionalised parable about the need for faith in an early 20th-century world traumatised by war and grief. Performances are generally excellent although Toby Stephens rapid transformation from sceptic to firm believer is unconvincing, but Edward Hardwicke excellently portrays Arthur Conan Doyle and Ben Kingsley is appropriately uptight as the jealous Reverend Templeton. Despite it’s fundamental weaknesses, Photographing Fairies is a darkly stylish and compelling film with fine production values. Another more sanguine version of the so-called Cottingley Fairies of 1917, Fairytale: A True Story (1997), was released around the same time.

Two Victorian girls appear to see and play with tiny winged fairies at the bottom of the garden – and they have the photos to prove it. Highly cynical photographer Charles Castle (Toby Stephens), a veteran of WWI and grief-stricken at the death of his wife on an Alpine honeymoon, makes a living disproving the authenticity of photographs of so-called unexplained phenomena. When the girl’s mother, Bea Templeton (Frances Barber), visits Castle’s studio and shows him a picture taken by her young daughters, the young man declares the image of a fairy to be genuine and goes on a spiritual quest to the village of Burkinwell.

Castle decides to investigate the magical picture further and is actively encouraged by writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Edward Hardwicke). But his growing obsession brings him into conflict with his practical assistant Roy (Phil Davis), and the young girls stern father, Reverend Templeton (Ben Kingsley), who will give no credence to the existence of fairies. Castle is astounded to discover that by the ingestion of hallucinogenic daisies there really are Tinkerbells to see at the bottom of the garden – and he hopes they can weave magic on his blighted life. When Templeton’s wife dies and his daughter is injured falling from the tree where the fairies congregate, the cleric cuts down the tree; when Castle arrives they struggle and the photographer accidentally kills him. When Castle stands trial for murder he makes no defence, and embraces the death penalty.