WATCH! NEW POEM/FILM ‘RIOT! THE JERSEY CORN RIOT 1769… IN UNDER TEN MINUTES’ BY THE STORY BEAST
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY JOHN HENRY FALLE. COMMISSIONED BY ARTHOUSE JERSEY WITH THE SUPPORT OF CREATIVE ISLAND PARTNERSHIP.
ArtHouse Jersey is delighted to present ‘Riot! The Jersey Corn Riot 1769… in under 10 minutes’, the latest mini-epic poem from Island tale teller, The Story Beast (alias John Henry Falle). The hairy, tricorn-hatted narrator tells the story of 28 September 1769, the day four hundred or so Jersey peasants broke into the Royal Court as it sat in session demanding new laws be enacted to end the Hunger forced on them by their corrupt and tyrannical judges.
It’s a wild retelling of a truly revolutionary moment in Jersey’s history, an event that pushed the island down the path towards a truer democracy. It’s a ‘People’s History’ that tries to do right by the names and drives of Jerseyfolk experiencing conditions that may be all too familiar to viewers today. The film will be available to watch online via ArtHouse Jersey’s website arthousejersey.je from Wednesday 25 September.
The story goes that in 1769 the price of wheat was being artificially raised by the landlords in the Royal Court, not least the corrupt Lieutenant-Bailiff Charles Lemprière and his brother Philip whose investments in corn-rents - or more ‘Jersily’, rente - would rise when wheat was scarce in the Island. The Lemprières smuggled wheat out, exported it, refused to import it, even hid it in their cellars and as the corn rente rose, Jersey’s cash-strapped peasant farmers were forced into ruinous debt. Worse still, the poor of St Helier faced starvation as the price of a simple loaf of bread became unaffordable. In 1769 the rente was set at a record fifty-four sols (sols being old French currency) per cabot of wheat, 6 sols higher than anywhere else in the British Isles! The people of Jersey decided enough was enough and began their uprising/insurrection/protest/revolution - whatever you want to call it!
John Henry Falle AKA The Story Beast said: This story has it all: Power! Protest! Corn...? Just don’t call it a “Riot”. I mean, I know I have. In the title. Twice. But this wasn't a Saturday night brawl at the Weighbridge taxi rank. It was a legitimate protest by hungry, desperate, morally outraged people who took their lives in their hands to try and change our island for the common good. They weren't entirely peaceful, they weren't even entirely successful but their uprising brought about a revolution that can be felt today in our Democratic and Judicial institutions and that's worth remembering because - like verse - History often rhymes. If a load of peasant farmers and people living in poverty could change things for the better in 1769 then there's a possibility for someone suffering under similar conditions in 2024”
“Loads of people to thank but four in particular. If you were charmed then that’s down to my illustrator Antiochus Omissi (alias The Pengolin) whose energy and character make the film look like the lost satirical cartoons Jersey deserved back in 1769. If it was dramatic, that’s down to my cinematographer, Will Robinson of Submarine Creative who finds the drama and beauty in every shot. If it makes sense, that’s down to my editor Matt Highton who wrangled this wild beast of a film into an actual shape. And if it happened at all that’s down to Tom Dingle and everyone at ArtHouse Jersey whose belief, vision and calm bring so much art to life in this Island and we’re very lucky to have them.”
Director of ArtHouse Jersey, Tom Dingle, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to bring this brilliant piece of writing to the screen, alongside the support of the Government of Jersey’s Creative Island Partnership. To have John Henry so masterfully distil the Corn Riots, as he did with ‘A Complete History Of Jersey in just under ten minutes’’ is a gift to us all. As always, he manages to weave in and out of Jersey’s complex past, not shying away from contention, whilst simultaneously imparting a sense of wonder and pride about this small rock we all call home. We really hope people will take just ten minutes to visit www.arthousejersey.je or our social media channels to soak up this stellar piece of local storytelling”.
The making of Riot! The Jersey Corn Riot 1769…in under 10 minutes was made possible thanks to a commission by ArtHouse Jersey in partnership with The Corn Riots Festival (La Folle D’Avoût) under the Creative Island Partnership. It was written and directed by John Henry Falle with cinematography from Will Robinson of Submarine Creative, illustrations by Antiochus Omissi (alias The Pengolin) and edited by Matthew Highton. Riot! The Jersey Corn Riot 1769…in under 10 minutes by The Story Beast (alias John Henry Falle) available to watch online via ArtHouse Jersey’s website arthousejersey.je from Wednesday 25 September.
