Original subtitles

Thank you.

The story is set in a house in a remote valley in Wales.

Here on honeymoon are newlyweds Clive and Margaret.

Both have been married before, and their children, Roger and Alison, are now

forced into a tense step-brother-step-sister relationship.

Gwyn, the housekeeper's son, has helped Alison discover a strange set of dinner

plates in the loft of the house.

Alison traces the flower pattern on the plate to make paper owls.

But when Gwyn's mother, the housekeeper Nancy, hears that the plates have been

moved, she is furious.

Meanwhile, Roger has photographed a strange stone by the river, and from a

sequence of odd events around the house, and from Hugh the gardener's tangled

stories, Roger, Alison, and Gwyn begin to piece together a local legend which

seems to link the stone with the plates.

Ludoeth was a woman created out of flowers as a wife for the hero, Hugh.

But she fell in love with a young man, Gronu.

Standing on a hill called a Bryn, Gwyn aimed a spear which passed right through

the stone and killed Gronu.

Gwyn discovers that Alison has hidden the plates in a little hut in the

garden, built for her by her first father.

And the two of them stay there, secretly, one night.

Very early next morning, Gwyn questions Hugh about the legend.

He warns Hugh that his behaviour will get him sacked.

You don't own the place, he says.

Their name is on the books of the law.

But I own the ground.

The mountain.

The valley.

I own the song of the cuckoo.

The prambles.

The berries.

The dark cave is mine.

You won't see, will you?

Get out of my way, you daft devil.

And get that trapdoor cover made. I am a stag of seven times.

Hell! I am a fire upon a hill.

I am a hawk in the sun's tears.

I am the wolf in every mind.

you look a bit peaky this morning.

sure you're okay?

you mustn't overdo things you know. it's not good for a young lady.

I'm fine thanks.

I'm not properly awake that's all.

I'm always like this if I oversleep.

Well shall I ruffle up old Nancy to do your poached egg? We kept your breakfast

as long as we could but it turned nasty.

No honest Clive I'll be okay.

I think I'll go for a breath of fresh air.

Too true.

Oh where's Roger?

messing about with his films. drawing them I think. anyway he said not to

disturb him.

never mind.

I shan't be long.

oh remember what Margaret said won't you?

yes Clive.

mothers can't help worrying you know.

no Clive.

and she has your best interest at heart.

We want you to enjoy yourself.

That's what we're all here for, you know.

We want you to be happy, that's all.

See that mountain over there?

Every summer the people from the valley went up the top to cut peat.

Four days it took them.

How did they bring it down?

With horses.

But it's so steep.

And they use sledges.

I wish I was like you.

You belong here.

Me?

It's the first time I've seen the place. Well, that's it.

You came here a week ago, and you know everything as if you'd always lived

here.

Well, I've been spending holidays at the house all my life, yet I don't belong.

You know, I'm as useless as one of those girls in fashion photographs.

Just stuck in a field or a puddle or a mountain and someplace they look

gorgeous.

But they don't know where they are.

I'm like that.

I don't belong.

But it's your house.

Yes, but that doesn't count for much at the moment.

This is the only place that's really mine.

How long has your family owned the place?

Oh, ages.

Um... I can't remember.

Daddy inherited from a cousin who was killed.

When was he killed?

Oh before I was born.

I've seen some pictures of him. He was very good looking.

Come and take a look in your house.

I'd rather not.

Come on. Won't take a moment.

No Gwyn.

I'm scared.

Where are those owls you made?

Come on. Where are they? Oh Gwyn don't go on at me.

Not you.

Look, you're the only person I can talk to.

Well, you wouldn't think it.

What about when I wanted to talk to you, eh?

The way you swept past and went in. Oh, Clive, how sweet.

And me out there. How do you think that felt? But I had to.

Mummy was coming down any second.

And so what?

I was all for her about the message you wrote.

Saying you wanted to see me.

Mummy was livid. She said some horrid things.

I didn't know she could be like that.

Like what?

Oh, I can't tell you.

Oh, thank you very much.

Sorry I spoke. Oh, don't, Gwyn.

It's not me.

Well, who is it then?

Look, I only want to talk to you. Oh, me too.

You're the only one who ever called me Alison.

Well, that's your name, isn't it? Yes, but everybody calls me Ali, Ali, Ali.

It's horrid.

Ali, Ali, cat.

Look, I only want to talk to you, girl.

With you, it's... Everything goes how I mean it.

Have you had any breakfast?

No I couldn't. Neither could I.

It was just like sawdust.

Hello.

I wondered where you were.

I've been shouting after you.

In a minute.

Come on Ali.

I said in a minute.

Ali your mother's knocking about.

Don't you think you ought to remember?

What's he on about?

Gwen.

don't come to the house with us.

what? I tried.

really.

mummy says I'm not to talk to you.

it's quite an order miss.

and I'll use the tradesman's entrance in future.

I want to see Mrs. Now, what's the total? I've got work to do. Surely.

Polished tables isn't a place for sticky photographs.

He was only using it for a joke. He's ruined my polish. I'm sure he didn't

mean to. I want to see Mrs.

He's just finishing drying his photograph. I'm giving notice. Oh,

steady, hon.

I'm sure we can work this out.

I ask to polish it twice a day.

Sometimes three.

Expensive holiday, this.

I was all morning with these prints, and she went and stacked them in the sun.

Yes, well, you mustn't expect the Nances of this world to have too much savvy.

Oh, yes.

Well, Gwyn seems pretty smart.

Or he thinks he is.

Ah, that's just the trouble.

Brains aren't everything. By a long chalk, you must have the background.

Is that why Margaret's gone so county with Alison?

Yes, well, it's very tricky.

Very, very tricky.

You know.

Well, how about these snapshots of yours, eh?

Well, they may be okay if I can keep them flat.

Mm-hmm.

And what's this?

Well, they're all shots of that stone of Gronu thing down by the river.

Can you see how I've made the hole in it frame those trees up on the brim? Ah.

Well, Gwyn was with me when I took that one. Then he went off.

Well, you know this is very effective.

Well, then half-bacon turned up.

Now, look. Here are the two I took when he was there.

Yes, that's very good. Spot on again.

Are they?

Yes, they're all... Ah.

What?

Well, look in these. There's something there, just beside the trees.

What is it?

I can't say.

It's not in the other one right enough.

Have you tried a magnifying glass?

No, but I've enlarged the print.

Oh, by the way, Margaret would like to hang on to your binoculars for a few

more days. I said I thought you wouldn't mind.

Here.

Yes, well, that's a lot better, isn't it?

I'd say that was someone waving a stick or something.

Or is he throwing it?

Like the man who's supposed to have killed someone from there.

Oh, steady on. Well, what's on his head?

Oh, nothing.

Well, I've blown this bit up.

His hair's long then, gathered at the back and down to his shoulders.

One of these hippie types. I must say, it's not often you see them in the great

outdoors, is it?

Well, look at this one.

Ah, yes, well, that's a motorbike.

Up there?

Well, it's just a place for a scramble.

Though I must say, you'd think we'd have heard about it, wouldn't you?

Was there anyone riding around? No, Dad, that's just the point.

These were chopped within two minutes, and I was watching the brin.

And there was nobody there.

Well, how have these two turned out like this?

Haven't the faintest.

Unless old Halfbacon was putting some sort of jinx on you.

Are you serious? Could he?

Oh, wall back.

We're not in the Middle Ages.

You'll be roasting the chap at the stake next.

Where have you been, boy?

You was clumping about no end.

Nowhere, ma'am.

I've brought you a present.

See?

They're not unusual.

Will they do?

All right.

They'll do.

Where do you find the money?

I've been saving a bit.

Listen, ma'am.

If I belted Roger, what would happen?

Would he be sacked?

Depends how hard it doesn't hurt.

You wouldn't mind if I belted him?

Him? Sure.

Oh, he says, where's my photos? He says, who's moved them off the table? You've

no right, he says. Don't you move nothing without permission, he says.

There's all that sticky on my table I just polished.

Then he thinks he can come in and flash his pound notes around.

Who? Him?

Lord Muck?

Oh, Joe.

When I think of the titled heads I've seen round that table.

He's not even a gentleman.

How do you know he isn't?

There's ways of catching them.

It was the same the other night when he was flashing his pound notes.

I thought, right I thought.

I'll lay knife and fork and we'll see how you manages a pair, my laddo.

A pair, ma'am?

It takes a gentleman to eat a pair proper.

Oh, I made him look a fool.

What happened then?

Alison covered up for him.

She picked hers up and she ate it in her hand. But she knew.

She knew.

She's a twister, that one.

My Bertram could eat a pear.

Lovely.

Yes, ma'am.

What, boy?

Nothing, ma'am.

You done that job yet?

What job?

Fix that trap door.

Yes. After breakfast, fastened up proper now.

Brass screws.

Right.

Brass screws for coffins.

Yes, ma'am.

You don't know, boy.

Them plates was for my bottom drawer.

Not that I needed no bottom drawer, but he says, you have them for your bottom

drawer, he says, and let them think what they like.

My Bertram didn't care that much.

But he didn't know what they could do.

What, ma'am?

If there was justice in heaven, I should be sitting at that table saying potatoes

was cold, not her, not her, boy.

Who, the missus? Oh, you should have seen her face when she found us in the

stable. That's when she tried it on with the petrol.

All that petrol, boy.

But he just laughs at her.

We'll be married, he says.

He didn't care, and a lot of them, he says. If they don't like it, they know

what they can do.

But he didn't know what they could do.

What, ma'am?

That idiot outside, half-baked, that mad fool.

Oh, it was accident, of course, they said.

But there isn't the pound notes in London to pay me for losing my Mr.

Bertram.

Just when I had him landed, high and dry.

Are you really going to spend all day clicking that thing?

I want to go up the mountain.

You're not interested in my photograph, so why worry?

flowers are going to make me sneeze if I stay.

There'll be some wind at the top.

If you don't melt on the way out.

Oh, cut out the bickering, you two. No wonder I'm not catching any fish.

I want to go up the peak road.

Well, you know what they say.

One man's, what's it?

Well, I want to go up the mountain, Clive, and Roger just wants to waste his

food. Yes, you get halfway up and we'll have to send out the St. Bernards.

For crying out loud, Ali, if you're going to go, go!

I think I'll try a little further upstream.

You in quarantine for smallpox or something, are you?

Well, you know Mummy says I'm not to talk to you again.

I can't see her.

Oh, I'm going home.

Right. And I'll come with you.

No!

Don't leave!

Why not?

What do you want?

I want you to be yourself for a change.

That's what I want.

Well?

Mummy will be so angry if she finds out.

And I hate upsetting her.

You're not having much luck with it, though, are you?

Mummy was upset the day before, and I'll bet you anything Mummy will be upset

today.

I wonder what pleasures tomorrow will bring.

And your stepfather's in trouble with my mam, isn't he?

He'll find a tough going there.

She's the blue on armour plating.

Why are you so horrid about people?

Oh, my mam, you mean.

She hates my guts.

She doesn't.

A lot you know.

What'll you do when you leave school, Alison?

Mummy wants me to go abroad for a year.

There you are.

What do you, you as Alison, what do you want to do?

I've not thought.

I expect I'll go abroad.

Then what?

Sit at home and arrange flowers for Mummy?

Probably.

And Roger?

He'll join Clive in his business, I expect.

Right fireballs, aren't you?

straining like greyhounds of the slips.

what's wrong with that?

nothing.

nothing.

I don't blame you girl.

what are you going to do then that's so marvelous?