Solace in Wicca

Solace in Wicca
Online Release Poster
Directed by	Andy North
Produced by	Nathan Russell-Raby Andy North
Written by	Nathan Russell-Raby
Starring	Joanna Taylor Steve Craige Wayne Kelsall
Music by	Andy North
Cinematography	Daniyel Lowden
Edited by	Jim Hampton
Production company	CinemaNX, Isle of Man Film
Distributed by	Culture Vannin
Release date	15 September 2013 (2013-09-15) (Villa Marina, Isle of Man) 23 November 2017 (2017-11-23) (International Home Media)
Running time	9 minutes
Country	Isle of Man
Language	Manx Gaelic (English Subtitles)
Budget	18,000

Solace in Wicca is a 2012 Manx-produced short biographical horror drama film about the 1617 execution of Margaret Quaine and her son Robert,^[1] the only executions for witchcraft recorded on the Isle of Man^[2] and one of the last witchcraft executions to be sanctioned by the Church of England in the British Isles.

The short film was the first production to be shot entirely in Ancient Manx Gaelic, and was financed by Culture Vannin, CinemaNX and Isle of Man Film.^[3] It premiered at the Isle of Man Film Festival in September 2013 and was distributed online in November 2017 by Culture Vannin.^[4]

Plot

The screenwriter described the film’s theme as a “War between two religions - one is witchcraft that is used for good and comfort and solace, and the other is the church, that was used as an evil political tool.”^[5]

The film opens in the dungeons of Castle Rushen on the Isle of Man, where a shackled Margaret Quaine is menacingly confronted by the Bishop of Sodor and Man, who informs her that by handing her soul over to the devil, she has committed a crime against Man and a crime against God. He leads her up the staircase to the gallows, and the story of Margaret's arrest and trial is told via a series of flashbacks as she makes her way to the stake.

Refusing to be bullied into submission by the Bishop,^[5] Margaret keeps a dignified silence for the duration of the film. Whilst tied to the stake, the Bishop gleefully announces that Margaret's baby son, Robert Quaine, will also taste the flames for bearing the blood of a witch; at which point Margaret breaks her silence and screams for mercy from deep within her soul. The residents of Castletown are appalled; the executioner refuses to kill the baby, causing the Bishop to light the flames himself to fulfil his duty to God.

The film finishes with Margaret Quaine's husband reading a note from his late wife, urging him to make peace with her departure - for she lives in the breeze and the sun and the night sky. Illiam sees his wife and son in natures beauty, and finds solace in Wicca.

Production

The first draft, titled The Tale of Margaret Quaine,^[6] was written in English by 17-year-old^[7] Nathan Russell-Raby, who was inspired to write the film after hearing the story on an organised ghost-walk in Castletown Square;^[8] the real-life location of Margaret Quaine's execution.^[9]

The screenplay was one of thirty-two^[3] screenplays submitted to the MannIN Shorts Screenplay Contest in January 2011 and was selected as one of three screenplays eligible for a production-budget as part of the MannIN Shorts scheme.

Andy North, lecturer of film and digital media at the Isle of Man College and Chester University, was hired to direct the short-film and helped developed the screenplay throughout a six-month period of pre-production.^[10] North decided^[11] to translate the screenplay’s dialogue into the period-accurate Manx Gaelic Language,^[8] a decision which attracted the financial support of Culture Vannin.^[12]

The opportunity to support emerging talent excited the Isle of Man Government's film investment partner CinemaNX, who co-financed the production with a view to acquiring the rights to an English-language commercial remake.^[3] CinemaNX's successor Pinewood Studios optioned the rights and developed the commercial remake as a Halloween origins story in 2013.^[13]

Principle Photography took place over a 5-day period in July 2012, at national heritage sites Castle Rushen, Cregneash Village, and the Niarbyl Fault.^[8] Manx National Heritage donated use of their sites without charging a location fee, due to the historical nature of the piece.^[14] None of the locations featured in the film were the real-life locations of the 1617 Witch-hunt, as they are now too ruined or modern to play themselves in a low-budget period drama.

Experienced non-Manx-speaking actors were cast in the lead roles, and learned their Manx dialogue parrot fashion via a CD recorded by a dialect and language coach.^[5] Fluent Manx-Speakers were cast in minor roles.^[15]

Reception

The film was particularly well-received by the Celtic, Pagan and Manx-Language communities. Adrian Cain, Manx Language Development Officer for the Manx Heritage Foundation commented that “Such a high profile and professional production illustrates what a vibrant position the language finds itself in at present”^[16] and Gaelic-enthusiasts noted that the filmmaker’s decision to shoot in the Manx language marked a huge step forward^[17] for a language once considered extinct by UNESCO.^[18] The High Court of Tynwald note that the film helped the island secure a strong presence at the Celtic Media Festival^[19] in 2014, and the festival was subsequently held on the Isle of Man in 2017.^[20]

The film was met with some criticism for its villainous interpretation of John Phillips (Bishop of Sodor and Man), who's most notable contribution to society during his tenure as Bishop was, ironically, inscribing the Manx Language and preserving it for future generations^[21] - but nonetheless praised Wayne Kelsall's performance in such a role.^[17] Some critics believed the filmmaker's decision to include the execution of the baby was a "sickening" and "tasteless" scene in an otherwise promising film^[22] and Manx Radio presenter John Moss described the "gruesome" depiction of such a harrowing real-life event as contentious.^[15]

Solace in Wicca was the first short film to receive funding support from Isle of Man Film - several of the film’s crew debuted their careers on the short, and have since developed careers in the film & television industries through skills and experience gained on the short film.^[23] These results proved valuable to the companies mantra of economic development, who have since annually supported talent-development in the craft of film and entrepreneurship by committing funding to micro-budget projects under the banner of the MannIN Shorts scheme.^[23]

References