As documentaries go, then this was a short and sweet 'homage' to an almost forgotten innovator and architectural visionary. The film was presented in a series of chapters, chronologically charting his career, influences, development etc as both an architect and painter; but said very little about his private life. Each chapter was narrated by both voice-over and on camera by the film's director Anthony Dolan and we were shown, where possible, the original sketches for the buildings he designed, as well as how they looked once completed, and of course, how they look in the present day.
I was extremely interested in seeing this film since I live in Middleton, the birthplace of Wood, and whose town is littered with buildings he has designed and built. I pass at least two on a daily basis, and my mother taught in one of the schools he designed. What was even more of a surprise for me was to find that friend, historian and distant relative Geoff Wellens, was also in this documentary speaking about Wood! [he'd kept that one quiet!] However, my point is that I already had a good knowledge of his architecture - or at least those building which are in my immediate vicinity - but knew absolutely nothing of the man himself.
Wood was born on 17 May 1860 in Middleton, and went to school at 'The Old Grammar School' as it is now called. He was later to marry the daughter of his old school master! The film glossed over much of his early life, save for saying that it was wrought with tragedy as some of his siblings and mother all died whilst he was still very young. Instead the film concentrated on his imagination and creativity as an artist - first as a fine artist; something that Wood himself wanted to do more than anything, and something he would return to in later life - but instead, he went into the profession that his father suggested for him, an architect. As a young man striving to make his mark, he mastered many of the professions associated with architecture and became proficient in stained glass, sculpting, woodwork, metalwork and furniture designer and maker. Not content with simply following the trends of the day, Wood looked at his architecture in a more 'complete' way, taking into account nature, the elements, and the surrounds of each building he was to design. This thinking was way ahead of his day, and although the cubist movement, art nouveau, and art deco were all on the horizon, they were still a couple of decades away and Wood was one of the first to use designs which were later to be labelled as such.
The film tells how he preferred to work on smaller scale projects - ones which he could manage and oversee personally - and never had more than one partner / associate working with him, despite having new offices in Manchester and becoming a figure of some renown. Most of his buildings were built locally. Middleton, Rochdale, Hale, and over the Pennines in Huddersfueld and area for his extended family. However, Wood was a quiet, reserved and introverted man who never gave any lectures and shunned the limelight, consequently, almost escaping the history books completely!
In later life his wife went to live in a small house he had designed in Sutton Coldfield whilst he took a grand tour of The Mediterranean, going back to his first love of painting. He drew sketches and watercolours which could be classified as impressionist, and certainly romantic. After having travelled enough he finally settled in a small town on the outskirts of Imperia in Liguria, Northern Italy, and, despite frequent visits back home and to his wife, he succumbed to a heart attack in October 1935 and is buried in the place he came to call home in Italy.
Two actors are used to recreate the figures of Edgar Wood and his wife Anne (Gareth Mason and Sarah Crowther) although their input and necessity in the film is unclear. They appear several times in montages whilst Dolan speaks in voice-over, but they add nothing and they are heard to speak only once, and so, when they do, it strikes one as odd and out of place.
The film though does provide the novice with the backbones of Edgar Wood, an important visionary and master of architecture who would undoubtedly have gone completely under the radar if it wasn't for a dedicated handful who aim to keep his legacy alive; as indeed he really ought to be more well known than he is. The film finishes, as indeed I will too, with a snippet of information which is actually quite astounding. Towards the end of his career before moving to Italy, he drew up plans for a large skyscraper to be built in Manchester. Had it been built it would have been the tallest building in Europe at that time. Such was his futuristic thinking!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 3/9/18
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