Backstory and Inspiration

Spurred on by the optioning by 2 US Producers of my story "I See Spiders" based on my Father's struggle with Parkinson's I realised that films that are based on real life events and that come from the heart will resonate strongly with others.

As a boy some of my fondest memories were trips down to Cornwall from our home in Devon to see my Grandparents. Nowadays not a long time but back then there was no Motorway and part of the journey took us past The Jamaica Inn made famous by Daphne Du Maurier in her Classic novel. It also took us over Bodmin Moor, a bleak and moody landscape of granite and moss. It was easy to imagine the Cornish smugglers with a child's imagination. I knew when we were near as there was this small hump bridge over the stream before we got there. I suspect my Dad would always put his foot on the pedal a little just before the approach, which of course my Brother and I loved, we would cheer, a mini roller coaster effect if you like.

My grandparents lived in St Dennis Cornwall. Not the attractive coast that everyone thinks of when you mention Cornwall but an almost lunar like landscape caused by the quarrying by English China Clays. My Grandfather like most people in the Village worked for them and was a labourer shifting clay at 6 pence a barrel. As we neared the large clay mounds I could almost imagine the smell of the large Cornish Pasties awaiting. The Cornish Pasty was the staple food for the miners and labourers and something my Grandfather (George) would take everyday. High in stodge and calories it supplied the fuel they needed for a long day's slog. After polishing off two sizeable pasties, instead of a fizzy drink he would hand me a glass of water stating clearly "Lions drink water!" Grandad would take me to the local park, the best and quickest route was to go alongside the old railway (that wouldn't happen now!) We would wave to the Railway Diver as the train passed taking chat from the Clay Works. One time along the way he even showed me how to make a whistle out of a piece of wood and a pocket knife.

I would often revel in Grandad's stories which we would hear again and again but gladly so. When the pig escaped going to market. But my favourite when he and my Grandmother were courting and were cornered by a Bull. He famously struggled with the beast and stuck the bull's horns firmly into the ground. He was not tall but strong as an Ox! Literally! There was another story that fascinated me. He was a champion Cornish Wrestler. He would on occasion go to do wrestling demonstrations in London, the furthest he ever travelled from his home in St Dennis. It culminated in a huge match with a Japanese Martial Arts Master Yukio Tani at The London Palladium. I believe he lost to what I think was an unknown move.

At the behest of my Grandmother Val he eventually gave up the Wrestling but remained an active and immensely strong man until the age of 92. He never really figured out what I did, I was a young Art Student and suggested I do something "proper" when I was older. I never minded, I was living in a different and more International world than the one he knew. Sometimes I think his world was better. He never saw me reach my goal of becoming a Disney Animator. I still don't think he would have got that but it doesn't matter. One day whilst in our garden Grandad was showing me some wrestling moves. I was a tall 6ft 18 year old young man. He was well into his 70s and short in stature but stocky as hell. He asked me to try and throw him to the ground. I tried and tried again and it seemed as if his feet had spread roots into the ground. Next thing I knew I was flat on my back winded. "Be careful with your Grandad" shouted my Mum from the Kitchen window!

But it is with extreme affection that I remember George Bazley a Champion Wrestler of Cornwall and now it is his story I want to tell.