Episode details

Radio 4 Extra,04 May 2014,100 mins
Dylan Thomas: The Beach of Falesa
Available for 239 days
Never filmed screenplay by Dylan Thomas, adapted for radio for the centenary of his birth, and narrated as a 'Film for Voices' by Matthew Rhys. Wiltshire arrives on an unnamed Pacific island hoping to trade in copra. But an encounter with rival trader Case leads to a macabre wedding. Shunned by the locals, Wiltshire sets out to uncover the secret behind Case's mysterious hold over the islanders, and the truth in the tales of the singing devils living deep in the bush. Dylan Thomas adapted the short story of the same title by Robert Louis Stevenson to create this screenplay but it was never filmed, despite interest from Richard Burton. It blends some of the wordplay of Under Milk Wood with the brooding mystery of Heart of Darkness. Producer Alison Hindell came across The Beach of Falesa when her stepdaughter moved into a new house in Sydney and found the published edition of the text amongst the remnants left behind by the previous owner. Narrator ..... Matthew Rhys Wiltshire ..... Matthew Gravelle Case ..... Nicky Henson Uma ..... Fiona Marr Jenkins / Captain ..... Simon Armstrong Randall ..... Stephen Critchlow Little Jack ..... Steve Toussaint Original music composed by Roger Goula Sound by Nigel Lewis. Adapted for radio and directed by Alison Hindell. A ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Cymru Wales production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2014
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