Gone to Earth (1950) is a film by the British-based director-writer team of Powell & Pressburger.
The film was based on the 1917 blank">novel of the same name by author _Mary Webb (a novel partly inspired by the Diary of Francis Kilvert). The novel was all but ignored when it first appeared, but became widely known in the 1930s, as the neo-romantic revival gathered pace, even inspiring an even more famous and wickedly funny parody, Stella Gibbons's Cold Comfort Farm.
Hazel Woodus is a beautiful but innocent country girl who loves all the creatures around her, especially her pet fox cub. She is given a rough time by her father but can escape to run barefoot through the woods when her harsh life gets too much for her. It is there that she is found by the local squire, Jack Reddin, finds her and is struck by her beauty. The obvious conflict develops when the squire leads the local hunt and tries to kill Hazel's pet fox. The title "Gone to Earth" is taken from the huntsmans cry when the target is no longer obtainable. Written by Steve Crook
[US version]: Hazel Woodus, beautiful English gypsy, lives with her harpist father and believes implicitly in her dead mother's charms and superstitions. Her only friends are half-tame forest animals, notably a fox she's raised. But she catches the eye of lecherous, foxhunting squire Jack Reddin, who becomes obsessed with finding her again. Before he does, she's been courted and wed by the local vicar; but Reddin lurks in the background, hoping to break down her resistance. Passion, conflict and tragedy result amid splendid scenery. Written by Rod Crawford
