A FIELD IN ENGLAND (2013)

With special guest Bobby Frederick Tilley

Intro, Math Club, and Debate Society (spoiler-free) 0:00-20:20
Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy) 20:21-50:34
Superlatives (so. many. spoilers.) 50:35-1:05:17

Director Ben Wheatley
Screenplay Amy Jump
Featuring Julian Barratt, Peter Ferdinando, Richard Glover, Ryan Pope, Reece Shearsmith, Michael Smiley

Opened July 5, 2013 (UK)
Budget £ 316,000 ($349,808.84)
Box office $32,846 US/Canada / $97,195 worldwide

SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS

The 17th century. The English Civil War.  Whitehead, a man of letters, maker of lace, and self-described coward, is tasked with finding and arresting the colleague and rival alchemist who stole his master’s papers.  He enlists the aid of Cutler, a soldier who claims he can take them to a nearby alehouse, and two deserters, the wily Jacob and dull-minded Friend. Upon arriving at Cutler’s destination – not the alehouse, but a wide open field strewn with hallucinogenic mushrooms, the group locates the alchemist, O’Neil.  But instead of taking in his man, Whitehead, along with Jacob and Friend, find themselves O’Neil’s prisoners. And as Whitehead becomes a literal tool in O’Neil’s plot to seek out a deposit of gold in the field, this one-time familiar place quickly turns strange and otherworldly.

SPOILER-FREE GUEST BIO

Bobby Frederick Tilley is a costume designer for theater, film, and TV.  His theater credits include Be More Chill (Lyceum Theater, Broadway, Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Costume Design, 2019 Theatre Fans Choice Award Best Costume Design); Bulldozer: The Legend of Robert Moses starring Constantine Maroulis; Hot Mess; The Legend of Georgia McBride; the World Premiere of Guards At The Taj (Henry Hewes Design Award nomination for Costume Design), The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner, and the World Premiere of Annie Baker’s Body Awareness (Atlantic Theatre Company); Joe Iconis’s Broadway Bounty Hunter starring Annie Golden; The Power of Duff (Geffen Playhouse); the World Premiere of Open House (Signature Theatre); the World Premiere of Stephen Karam’s Sons of the Prophet (Roundabout); the World Premiere of All New People (2econd Stage); Thinner Than Water (LAByrinth Theater Company); the World Premiere of Annie Baker’s The Aliens (Rattlestick); Nora and Delia Ephron’s Love Loss and What I Wore (Westside Theater); Lizzie Borden (The Living Theater, Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Costume Design and Henry Hewes Design Award nomination for Costume Design); Top Girls (Act 1, MTC); Mel and El: Show & Tell (Ars Nova); and Gaugleprixtown and The Most Lamentable and Tragical Historie of the Barber-Surgeons (Studio 42). His costume designs for film and television include Hello, I Must Be Going, The Green, Four Lane Highway, Little Kings, Rubout, Robert Smigel’s “TV Funhouse” for Comedy Central, “Manhattan Valley,” and “Once in a Lifetime.”  With Laura Bauer, he worked on Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown starring Sean Penn, Uma Thurman, and Samantha Morton; Peter Hedges’ Pieces of April starring Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson and Alison Pill; Theresa Rebeck’s Spinning Into Butter directed by Mark Brokaw; and Tom Donaghy’s Story of a Bad Boy. Favorite recess snacks: opiates and black licorice.

EPISODE NOTES

Music from “A Field in England” by Jim Williams. “Baloo My Boy” performed by Richard Glover.

Listen to our other recording with Bobby, on the film Frankenstein’s Army.

BONUS SHORT

ORIGINAL MINI-DOC

TRAILER

SUPERLATIVES

The Gaspar Noe Award for Most Disturbing Scene
Bobby: Cutler pisses on Jacob and Friend in the pit, then shoots them
Eric: The psychedelic, stroboscopic ego death of Whitehead
Bradford (TIE): O’Neil blows the back of Cutler’s head off; Whitehead blows O’Neil’s face off

The Ellen Ripley Award for Character Who Most Deserves to Live (but Doesn’t)
Bobby: Friend
Eric: Friend
Bradford: [Abstaining]
*Note as Friend is seemingly resurrected at least twice in this film, we’re giving this award assuming he does die, and what we’re seeing in the film is a projection. Prof. Louryk was unwilling to commit to this distinction.

The Michael Myers Award for Character Who Most Deserves to Die (and Does)
Bobby: O’Neil
Eric: O’Neil
Bradford: O’Neil

The Ken Russell Award for Most Baroque Screen Moment
Bobby: The psychedelic, stroboscopic ego death of Whitehead
Eric: The entire divination sequence
Bradford: The psychedelic, stroboscopic ego death of Whitehead

The Brad Dourif Award for Character Who Could Have Been Played by Brad Dourif
Bobby: O’Neil
Eric: Jacob
Bradford: O’Neil

FINAL LETTER GRADE

Bobby: A
Eric: B
Bradford: A