Starring Maxine Peake, Charles Dance, Freddie Fox, Tanya Reynolds
Fanny and John Lye and their young son Arthur live lives of Puritan stricture on a secluded farm in a valley beside a forest. Once a Captain in the English Civil War, now a firm believer in Oliver Cromwell’s republic, John suffers a game leg and therefore it is Fanny who must carry out most duties around the farm. She does so with a sense of resignation, taken for granted by both husband and son.
One morning, when the family are out at church, two uninvited visitors take refuge in their barn: the charismatic Thomas Ashbury and his young ‘wife’ Rebecca Henshaw, who come running from the forest naked as Adam and Eve. Upon discovering the intruders, John threatens violence – whereupon Thomas tells a story of robbery by vicious highwaymen. Although suspicious, John offers clothes and shelter for the night – to Fanny’s satisfaction.
Whilst the young couple are polite, almost obsequious at first, soon Thomas’ carefree manner can’t help but reveal itself: he makes seductive eyes at Fanny and then draws Arthur into a food fight, for which – to Thomas’ prurient disgust – the house patriarch disciplines both wife and child. The next day, as Thomas and John coppice wood, Rebecca accidentally reveals to Fanny that she and Thomas are unmarried. Fanny is shocked by this admission, but, at Rebecca’s insistence, withholds the information from her husband.
Soon after, three more strangers approach the farm: a Sheriff and his Deputy, accompanied by the local Constable, hunting members of a blasphemous ‘Ranter’ sect. Panicking, Thomas hides and takes Arthur hostage, coercing John into lying and turning the pursuers away.
With the family and the two Ranters now trapped in the house, fearful of the Sheriff’s return, events quickly escalate in ways that will change all their lives forever.
LIMITED EDITION DETAILS:
Fanny Lye Deliver’d [4K UHD + BLU-RAY] [LIMITED EDITION]
Limited Collectors’ Edition of up to 3,000 individually-numbered units
Includes Exclusive 130m Extended Cut (UHD only)
Region Free
DISC ONE – 4K-UHD:
- Previously Unseen 130m Extended Cut of the Film
- Dolby Vision HDR 4K UHD Presentation from a 16-bit 4K transfer of the original 35mm camera negative in 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio
- 5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
- Director Commentary Track
- Optional SDH English Subtitles for the Hard-of-Hearing
- Encoded by Fidelity in Motion
DISC TWO – BLU-RAY:
- 111m Theatrical Cut
- HD Presentation from a 16-bit 4K transfer of the original 35mm camera negative in 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio
- 5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
- ‘Lockdown Q&A’ from the Edinburgh Film Festival, with Charles Dance, Freddie Fox, Tanya Reynolds & Thomas Clay
- Behind-the-Scenes Stills Gallery
- Trailer
- Optional SDH English Subtitles for the Hard-of-Hearing
- Audio Description Track for the Visually Impaired
- Encoded by Fidelity in Motion
BOOKLET:
- Exclusive essay by Professor Nigel Smith of Princeton University
- Original premiere review by Fionnuala Halligan
- Interview with Thomas Clay on the music of the film, by John Mansell
