Haf 2012 - Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru

ARCHIFGENEDLAETHOLSGRIN A SAIN CYMRUTHE NATIONALSCREEN ANDSOUND ARCHIVEOF WALES‘The Private Life of the Gannets’‘The Private life of the Gannets’Y dyddiau hyn mae derbyn unrhyw ffilm sy’n dyddioo’r 1930au yn dipyn o beth i ni yr yr Archif – ond pan fo’r ffilmhonno yn enillydd Oscar, mae’n achlysur go arbennig!These days, the arrival at the Archive of any 1930s film is a bitof an event – but when that film turns out to be an Oscarwinner, it’s really something!Diolch i weddw’r diweddar Dillwyn Miles a Mr Lynn Hugheso Drefach, mae’r Archif bellach yn falch o fod yn diogelu copi16mm o ‘The Private Life of the Gannets’ – ffilm ddogfen15 munud yn cofnodi bywyd nythfa o fulfrain ar ynys fechan,anghyfannedd Gwales (Grassholm) oddi ar arfordir Sir Benfro.Fe wnaed y ffilm ym 1934 gyda’r byd-enwog Alexander Kordayn Uwch Gynhyrchydd arni, ac fe’i hysbrydolwyd gan waithac ymchwil diflino’r naturiaethwr o Gymro, Ronald Lockley,a aned yng Nghaerdydd ac a fu’n byw ar Ynys Sgogwm(Skokholm). Ef oedd Cynhyrchydd Cynorthwyol y ffilm.(Hanner canrif yn ddiweddarach, ym 1983, fe wnaeth LynnHughes ffilm am fywyd a gwaith Lockley – ‘Island Man’ – argyfer S4C.) O ddiddordeb i gyfeillion a staff y Llyfrgell fyddy ffaith mai ym meddiant Dillwyn Miles, a fu’n aelod o Lys yLlyfrgell, yr oedd y copi hwn o ‘The Private Life of the Gannets’.Rhoddwyd y copi i Mr Miles gan Ronald Lockley ei hun,a’i perswadiodd ym 1958 i fod yn ysgrifennydd anrhydeddusCymdeithas Maes Gorllewin Cymru (Ymddiriedolaeth NaturGorllewin Cymru yn ddiweddarach).Fe enillodd ‘The Private Life of the Gannets’ (aysgrifennwyd, a saethwyd ac a adroddwyd gan y bywydegwrenwog, Julian Huxley) Wobr yr Academy am y ‘testun byrgorau’ ym 1937, a chafodd ddosbarthiad eang. Nid yw beirniaidffilmiau bywyd gwyllt yn unfryd eu canmoliaeth (gweler y linci’r darn ar ‘Screenonline’ isod), ond yn bendant fe fu’r ffilm yngam ymlaen yn natblygiad ffilmiau bywyd gwyllt diweddaracha mwy gofalus eu saernïaeth. Onibai eu bod yn ddu-a-gwyn,gallai’r delweddau o’r ŵy yn deor fod wedi eu codio ‘Springwatch’!Mae ‘The Private Life of the Gannets’ hefyd ynrhan o gasgliad y BFI National Archive, a gallwchei gwylio, a darllen mwy, drwy ymweld â:www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/1359851/index.htmlThanks to the widow of the late Dillwyn Miles and Mr LynnHughes of Drefach, the Archive is now the proud guardian ofa 16mm copy of ‘The Private Life of the Gannets’ – a 15-minutedocumentary recording the life of a nesting colony on thesmall uninhabited island of Grassholm, off the Pembrokeshirecoast. Made in 1934 with film giant Alexander Korda asExecutive Producer, the film was inspired by the tireless workand research of Cardiff-born naturalist Ronald Lockley, whohad been living on nearby Skokholm and was also the film’sAssistant Producer. (Half a century later, in 1983, Lynn Hughesmade a fascinating film about Lockley’s life and work – ‘IslandMan’ – for S4C.) Of interest to the friends and staff of theNational Library is the fact that this copy of the Gannets filmwas in the possession of the late Dillwyn Miles, who servedon the NLW Court of Governors. Mr Miles was given the copyby Ronald Lockley himself, who had persuaded him in 1958to become honorary secretary of the West Wales Field Society,subsequently the West Wales Wildlife Trust.‘The Private Life of the Gannets’, which is written, shotand narrated by distinguished biologist Julian Huxley, wonthe Academy Award for best short subject in 1937 and wasdistributed widely. Critics of the wildlife film genre are notuniversal in their praise (see the link to the ‘Screenonline’ piecebelow), but the film most definitely helped to pave the way forlater, more rigorously-produced wildlife films. The images of theegg hatching, but for being black and white, could be straightout of ‘Springwatch’!‘The Private Life of the Gannets’ is also in the BFI NationalArchive collection, and you can view it, and read more, byvisiting: www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/1359851/index.htmlAlec TempletonIt’s Alec Templeton Time!Yn Unol Daleithiau America yn ystod y 1930au,40au a 50au roedd llais gŵr o Radyr, ger Caerdydd, i’w glywedbob wythnos ar ei sioe radio ei hun, a ddarlledwyd ar drawsy wlad i gyd, o’r dwyrain i’r gorllewin.Alec Templeton oedd y gŵr hwnnw, ac er iddo gaelei eni’n ddall, datblygodd yn bianydd, yn gyfansoddwrac yn ddiddanwr heb ei ail.Gwelodd yr arweinydd jazz, Jack Hylton, fod y pianyddifanc yn meddu ar dalent wrth i’r ddau gydweithio ynLlundain, a gwahoddodd Templeton i deithio gydag ef a’i fandi America ar gyfer cyfres o gyngherddau ym 1936. Cymaintoedd llwyddiant Templeton, fe arhosodd yno a datblygu gyrfalewyrchus yn gweithio gyda mawrion ei ddydd, gan gynnwysEthel Merman a Bing Crosby. Ymhlith nifer o anrhydeddau,dyfarnwyd iddo seren ar y ‘Walk of Fame’ yn Hollywood.Cawsom flas ar ei fywyd a’i waith yn y Drwm ym misMawrth, mewn cyflwyniad gan Rhian Davies a’r pianydd,Simon Crawford Phillips, mewn awr ddifyr o hanesion ganRhian a pherfformiadau gan Simon, ynghyd ag enghreifftiauo recordiadau sain a ffilmiau prin o gasgliad yr Archif.Mae’n bosib mai Alec Templeton yw’r Cymro enwocafoddi cartref sydd heb ei gydnabod yn ei wlad ei hun. Gobeithio,yn sgil y cyflwyniad hwn, y daw mwy o bobl i werthfawrogiei ddawn.It’s Alec Templeton Time!In the United States of America throughout the 1930s, 40sand 50s, the voice of a man from Radyr, near Cardiff, was to beheard over the airwaves in his own ‘coast to coast’ radio show.Alec Templeton was his name and, although blind frombirth, he developled an amazingly successful career as a pianist,composer and entertainer.In 1936, Templeton was invited by bandleader Jack Hylton,who had recognised the young pianist’s talent when they workedtogether in London, to accompany him on a tour of America,and was persuaded by the warm reception he received there tostay on and forge a successful career working with the greats ofhis day, including Ethel Merman and Bing Crosby. Among otherplaudits, he was awarded a star on Hollywood’s ‘Walk of Fame’.In a special presentation in the Drwm in March,Rhian Davies and pianist Simon Crawford Phillips gaveus a taste of Alec Templeton’s life in words and music,supplemented by sound recordings and rare film clips fromthe Archive’s collection.Alec Templeton may well be the most famous Welshmanwho remains unrecognised in his own country, and we hope thispresentation will have helped to raise awareness of his talent.HAF 2012 — RHIFYN 16 Cylchlythyr Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru SUMMER 2012 — ISSUE 16 The National Library of Wales Newsletter