| The Long journey Home |
| "Long Journey Home is a short film about two families who were united in marriage and divided by war. It’s about love found and lost, about ordinary people caught up in massive continent-wide events: about life’s unexpected turn of events and about reconciliation. It tells the true story of Betty Adams, a young English woman, who married a German man, Rudolf Jebens just before the Second World War. She moved to Germany with him in 1938 and they started a family, but when war came, Rudolf joined the army, eventually becoming a lieutenant in a Flak unit. In 1944, he died in the Ukraine. Back in Germany, Betty's neighbours looked after her, and in 1945 she escaped before the advancing Red Army and was liberated by British troops in Lubeck. She returned to England in 1946, and raised her children in a small house in Surrey, where she lived until 2000. This scene (which is still in it's unfinished state) represents Rudolf's unit in a small skirmish with Russian troops in the Crimea in 1943. His unit was Heeres-Flakartillerie-Abteilung 297 (Army Anti-Aircraft Motorised Artillery Regiment 297) which was part of the 17th Army. Their main area of operations was Ukraine and the Crimea. For the film, I wanted a short scene which would show Rudolf's experience of war on the Russian Front. We built a set depicting a typical trench and dug out, and then was put in touch with Mike Reddy and his fellow re- enactors from the Luftwaffe Society. With the promise of limitless tea and bacon sandwiches, Mike and the guys entered into the spirit of the piece. They dressed the set with their kit, put up patiently with the waiting that accompanies any film shoot and bought a level of authenticity and genuine enthusiasm to the production that money can't buy! The film is still in post-production, with completion planned for late 2011. David Fairhead Director, Long Journey Home" |
Copywrite 11/10/2011 David Fairhead