The Secret of the Forest was the first film directed by

Darcy Conyers Darcy Conyers (1919–1973) was a British screenwriter, actor, producer and film director. He is sometimes credited as D'Arcy Conyers. He was the founder and creator of Bistro Vino in South Kensington, London, in 1964 - possibly the first casua ...

. It was produced by Ryant Pictures for the Children's Film Foundation (CFF). The storyline was developed by

George Ewart Evans George Ewart Evans (1 April 1909 – 11 January 1988) was a Welsh-born schoolteacher, writer and folklorist who became a dedicated collector of oral history and oral tradition in the East Anglian countryside from the 1940s to 1970s, and prod ...

following a formula already developed by the CFF.

Locations

The film was inspired by the late 1930s archaeological discovery of

Sutton Hoo Sutton Hoo is the site of two early medieval cemeteries dating from the 6th to 7th centuries near the English town of Woodbridge. Archaeologists have been excavating the area since 1938, when a previously undisturbed ship burial containing a ...

. The film was made on location in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

including scenes in

Ipswich Museum Ipswich Museum is a registered museum of culture, history and natural heritage located on High Street in Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk. It was historically the leading regional museum in Suffolk, housing collections drawn from both the fo ...

Rendlesham Forest Rendlesham Forest is a mixed woodland in Suffolk owned by Forestry England with recreation facilities for walkers, cyclists and campers. Geography The forest is in the parishes of Bromeswell in the west, Eyke, Capel St Andrew to the south, a ...

and on the

Deben River The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising to the west of Debenham, though a second, higher source runs south from the parish of Bedingfield. The river passes through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at F ...

References

External links

*
The Secret of the Forest
' Film available to view at

East Anglian Film Archive The East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) is a specialist archive of filmed heritage, and it is the regional film archive for the East of England. It collects and preserves film and videotape primarily from the Eastern counties of Bedfordshire, Cambri ...

1956 films Children's Film Foundation 1950s British films British black-and-white films {{1950s-UK-film-stub