RITE 24

Theme — Alchemy, focusing on the dissolution and coagulation of elements, both chemically and spiritually, aiming to complete the self.

Setting — A dark, spooky 13th-century house in Dorset, with historical ties to Nathanial Bond, an alchemist and archaeologist.

The origins of this film go way back to 1979. While researching a local Ley line (my environmental studies teacher Miss Hod was highly progressive) I “borrowed” a reference book on the history of central Dorset. Right next to the area I was looking at were details of an unusual and enigmatic house, Binghams’s Melcombe, dating back to the 13oo’s. I desperately wanted to explore the place, so 3 or 4 years later when I came to make my degree film it seemed like an ideal opportunity to knock on the door. It was opened by Mrs. Langham, who along with her husband John (a ship propeller manufacturer) was delighted to house me and my crew for two shoots. The subsequent film, The Rite of Rain, went on to win 1st prize at the Sony film Festival in 1983 and was screened at the National Film Theatre.
When a couple of years ago I came across the film, referenced in the BFI archive, I decided to get it retransferred from the ancient U-Matic tape and then on foot of a modest Arts Council of Ireland award, remake it using fragments of old footage, new footage, and a host of narration missing from the original but existent in an old oilskin notebook.