Friday 19 November 2010

The Lost World of Mr Hardy

A few weeks back I received by post, a copy of the “The Lost World of Mr Hardy” presented by “Truffelpig films” & produced & directed by Andy Heathcote & Heike Bachelier, and what an outstanding piece of cinematography it is. Although I’ve never owned a Hardy’s rod or reel, I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with a couple my grandfathers split cane rods several years back and I was always impressed with how wonderfully they cast. So to be able to put faces and places to their manufacture was rather special experience for me…..especially being a geordie like!

Anyway the film takes you on a journey from the company’s inception in the late eighteen hundreds by William & John James Hardy to the “House of Hardy” to present day Hardy- Greys. Filled with personal accounts from past employees, wonderful archive clips from their hay day when their split cane rods and Foster Hardy’s perfect reel, were to be matched nowhere else in the world. The film gives real insight into in to how Hardy Brothers brought engineering of the highest quality into fishing tackle manufacture. Introducing the first fishing catalogues as well as half hour fishing films to take round to prospective clients during the 1920’s was unheard of then. In short they literally revolutionised the fly fishing industry into what it has become today. As a fly tier I found the interview with Ken Middlemist particularly interesting, as he reminisced about the good old days where Salmon flies were dressed and not tied, by hand.

It’s only fitting that the finest fly rods & reels in the world should have a truly remarkable film produced about them which this film is, and for any avid fly fisherman out there I honestly recommend you add “The Lost World of Mr Hardy” to your collection.

To order a copy, click any of the links or the image to visit the Truffelpig website or click the banner in the right column of my blog

The Lost World of Mr Hardy (trailer) from Trufflepig Films on Vimeo.

Here is a short clip from the film just to wet your appetite.

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