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This is the only complete film available on the world-renowned artist potter Bernard Leach, one of the most influential craftsmen of the 20th century.
Bernard Leach founded The
Leach Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall, England in 1920, where
he later wrote his classic; A POTTER'S BOOK.
 The
Leach Pottery soon began welcoming visitors from around the world
to view it's unique experiment in reviving hand-crafted pottery,
then regarded as doomed to extinction.
In 1952, as The Leach Pottery was acheiving international renown,
members of the local photography club set out to show the process
of creating pottery by producing this silent film.
The resulting documentary film is a charming presentation of the daily activities
at The Leach Pottery.
We witness various stages of creation of some
of the Pottery's famed standard ware, and then see Bernard Leach
himself designing and completing one of his "willow" jars.
This locally-made film, now restored and released for the first time on DVD with the cooperation of the late Janet Darnell Leach, and narrated commentary by Warren Mackenzie, provides an especially intimate look at The Leach Pottery.
Special Pottery DVD features include:
- Recording of narration by Warren MacKenzie, at his home in Stillwater, Minnesota, USA,
November 2007
- 14 page booklet, including newly translated article by Shoji Hamada, early newspaper article by Bernard Leach and more.
- 17 minutes of recently discovered film shot by Warren Mackenzie in 1952
- telephone interview with Warren Mackenzie
- slide shows of St. Ives and The Leach Pottery in the 1950's
This film also contains the first ever film footage of legendary Leach trained craftsmen, William Marshall, Kenneth Quick, Joe Benny and David Leach
Links to more information about Bernard Leach, the film and Japanese pottery:
In collaboration with:
Japan Folkcrafts Museum - Nippon Mingei Kan
http://www.mingeikan.or.jp/english/
The Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust
http://www.leachpottery.com/ 
For More Information
Contact Marty Gross Productions, Inc. 416.536.3355 or
email videos@martygrossfilms.com
for more information about purchasing or licensing this film for
broadcast.
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