"Savour the
glorious story...relish every minute".
Set aside an hour and a half of your time, close the door and settle
into an easy chair. Then watch The Lost World of Mr. Hardy and savour
the glorious story of how a small company from the tiny town of Alnwick
in Northumberland managed to capture the very hearts and minds of
anglers throughout the world.
Angling purists, anyone who has North East connections, avid Hardy
collectors and everyone who respects traditional craftsmanship will
relish every minute of this film, a firstclass documentary that
entertains, teaches and inspires in equal measure.
Jason Hill, Fieldsports
Magazine (Autumn 08)
Read
full article
Taunted by
Waters
Pressure of space in Trout Fisherman’s review section meant
that the books squeezed out this delightful DVD. No way could I let it
pass into the ‘out’ tray un-noted, however.
I had two reservations as I slid it into the DVD player: firstly, that
it would be a dry, earnest and ultimately dull backtrack through the
annals of Britain’s famous Hardy company. Secondly, that it
would show every sign of the director being in thrall to the
company’s PR department.
Completely wrong on both counts. As fascinating as it is independent,
Andy Heathcote and Heike Bachelier’s film fuses grainy
footage and photographs from the company’s past with an
enchanting score composed by Stephen Daltry.
Always staying the right side of sentimentality, it is an oral history;
its script written as it happened by the recollections of men who
invested much of their working life in what is a British angling
institution. To a man, they are noticeably unfaltering in their speech
and memories; a sign, perhaps, of people discussing a passion rather
than just a job.
And the PR people, you suspect, got nowhere near it. The camera is
unflinching as it records the visible unease of the managing director
recalling the sleepless nights he had while preparing to implement the
fresh directions in which he felt Hardys had to move.
Flyfishing is not without its ugliness, be it pollution, declining
stocks or the anti-social jerk who thinks his fly box is covered by the
Official Secrets Act. Yet it retains a calm and gentleness capable of
enchanting even the outsider. For all the wistfulness of its tale, The
Lost World of Mr Hardy captures those qualities perfectly and is a
credit to its makers and Hardy alike.
Jeffrey Prest, editor Trout Fisherman
magazine writing in Taunted by Waters (Nov 08)
"Unmissable. Buy
it now".
Ah, but those golden days! Hardy was once the biggest employer in the
Northumberland town of Alnwick. For fishermen, a trip to London and
visiting Hardy’s in Pall Mall was akin to seeing
Buckingham Palace. Hardy ruled the world, supplying tackle to
maharajahs, film stars and royalty.
The film-makers, Andy Heathcote and Heike Bachelier, tell the Hardy
story with sympathy and a touch of hope, not for Hardy’s
perhaps, but for those who still believe in hand-making beautiful
things. Every reader of this magazine will love this DVD ... it has
pace, some wonderful anecdotes, sensitive filming and tight editing.
You know the ending, but you won’t want it to end.
Enhanced by great footage from the Hardy archives of the 1920s,
including a quite wonderful sequence of a ghillie doing all the hard
work with a 40lb Norwegian salmon, while the angler claims the glory
and leaves the ghillie to carry back both rod and fish. Unmissable. Buy
it now.
Keith Elliott, Classic Angling
Magazine (July 08)
Read
full article
"Essential"
The Lost World Of Mr. Hardy tells the story of the Hardy
tackle company by way of glorious archive films and photographs, and
interviews with current and retired Hardy workers, with contributions
from modern independent craftsmen, notably reel maker Chris Lythe and
rod maker Edward Barder. It is nostalgic and romantic. On one level an
historic record, on another a lament for lost manufacturing prowess...
Simply, you are left wanting more. This is a beautiful film, several
cuts above much angling viewing, and one that could be broadcast on
mainstream television. Essential. Richard Baker
Richard Baker, Trout
& Salmon Magazine (May 08)
Read
full article
"I can't recommend it highly enough"
When The Lost World of Mr Hardy arrived I sat down to
grab a few minutes viewing over a cup of coffeee. Ninety three minutes
later I watched the last frame... We can get the film quality out of
the
way quite quickly: superb image
quality, first class editing, excellent sound, pleasing original music.
A good start then... An exceptionally well made, hugely entertaining
and thought-provoking documentary - I can't recommend it highly
enough!
Magnus Angus, Fly
Fishing & Fly Tying
Magazine (May 08)
Read
full article
Verdict:
10/10
Filmmakers Andy Heathcote and Heike Bachelier have created an
excellent documentary and the big companies could learn a thing from
these two independent film makers. This DVD will appeal to all
who
have a passion for angling and I think it will be a future classic. I
therefore give it 10 out of 10.
Bryan Baron,
Fishingmagic.com website (April 08)
Read
full article
"A lush and beautifully made film"
...and a real treat for anyone interested in the traditions of quality
vintage fishing tackle and the history of Hardy's. The filming is
excellent and has the feel of a big screen production rather than that
of a television documentary. You will find no snappy editing or quick
'bites'; there is plenty of time to enjoy the places and the people
involved, both past and present, in making fine fishing tackle. The
music has been specially composed by Stephen Daltry, and I am sure many
will be ordering the film score music CD when it is available from
Trufflepig Films.
The Lost World of Mr.Hardy is a film to enjoy again and again,
not just
for the information but for a hefty dose of that misty, nostalgic
comfort of the past. It shows the age of the British Empire, when
Hardy's were at the top of their game, their fishing tackle the best,
created mostly by hand in Alnwick by the people who used it. The film
has been described as a 'requiem' for British manufacturing in the face
of global competition, but that aspect is almost incidental to the main
theme, which is the very human story behind the manufacture of what was
the finest fishing tackle in the world.
Malcolm Cullen, Pure
Piscator Website,
Read full article (opens new
window at PurePiscator.com)
"Only the best is good enough for fishermen"
... and though it was fishing tackle that John James
Hardy Jr. had in mind when he uttered that line near the end of the
19th century, after viewing this documentary one might surmise that
J.J.'s words are indeed prophetic, as they have come to embrace the
efforts of Heathcote and Bachelier and their film, The Lost World of
Mr. Hardy.
Though The Lost World could stand alone on the anecdotes of
former Hardys directors and employees or perhaps even composer, Stephen
Daltrys' music, particularly intriguing is the way the filmmakers chose
to incorporate present-day rod and reel makers, Edward Barder and Chris
Lythe ... their inclusion brings the film full-circle and thus fulfills
Andy Heathcote's desire that we "Be inspired by a poignant reflection
of the world we live in and the myriad ways it has changed over 130
years."
As I reflected on my first go at The Lost World of Mr Hardy, I
found myself at once, not only wrestling with a sense of loss, but also
nuturing rekindled feelings of adoration for those who churned out and
stamped their intitials into my Hardy reels ... one reel at a time.
Shoeless Joe, Clarks
Classic Fly Rod Forum
"Bravo! Encore!
I have just watched The Lost World of Mr Hardy. Wonderful! I feel like
I’ve just been to the cinema and am still totally captured by
the experience. What keeps coming to my mind is how this is just such a
superb, magnificent story, capturing our changing world over the years
up until our modern day so very well. How different is the language of
today’s contemporary manager. Equally interesting for
non-anglers, the film manages to show the real value of craftsmen and
of the handmade. Touching interviews. Humour and wisdom. Once again:
wonderful!"
Ralf Koss, Journalist (Cologne, Germany)
