Acting

Martin Carthy

Acting credits

Acoustic Routes poster
7.0

The story of seminal guitarist and singer Bert Jansch, from his early days in Edinburgh, Scotland, to becoming the acoustic guitarist that everyone wanted to be. As a teenager, in the early 1960's Bert sat at the feet of Brownie McGhee at the Howff Folk Club in Edinburgh mesmerised by 'Key to the Highway'. Armed with that raw American Blues influence and a bewildering technique, he fashioned sublime interpretations of traditional and blues music on the acoustic guitar. The result was music that had a profound influence on a generation of musicians including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Neil Young, and it still inspires todays' generation of guitarists and singers.

Acoustic Routes

1992

Nursery Rhymes poster
9.0

70 favourite traditional songs and rhymes presented as a pop-up book which comes to life through animation, puppetry & live performances. The beautiful visual world draws on the work of such classic children's illustrators as Arthur Rackham (Peter Pan) & John Tenniel (Alice in Wonderland). A delightful musical score by Tony & Grammy winning composer John Du Prez, features everything form Northumbrian pipes to Baroque orchestra, folk guitar, early instruments, military band, fairground organ & even a singing sheep (courtesy of Percy Edwards).

Nursery Rhymes

1982

No artwork available
NR

In 1982, folk musician Nic Jones was at the peak of his career, but driving home from a gig one night a near-fatal car crash changed his life forever. Almost every bone in his body was broken and neurological damage meant that he would never play his guitar in front of an audience again. Apart from a couple of tribute concerts, Nic Jones disappeared from the public eye for thirty years. Then in the summer of 2012, encouraged by friends and family, Nic returned to the stage to play several festival performances.. The concerts were a resounding success and for his old and new fans, a moving comeback for their musical hero.

The Enigma of Nic Jones

2013

Return of a Stranger poster
5.5

An obsessed man returns to claim the woman he loves.

Return of a Stranger

1961

No artwork available
NR

Documentary reviewing the music and career of female singer songwriter Sandy Denny. Although deeply revered amongst fans of folk music and the 'singer-songwriter' genre, she has never received the universal acclaim so long overdue and so often heaped on those of a far lesser talent. This documentary attempts to redress this imbalance and reveal why she remains such an inspiration to so many. The film includes musical performances by Sandy Denny, reviewed and re-assessed by a team of esteemed experts, obscure footage and rarely seen photographs of Sandy, brand new and exclusive interviews with Dave Swarbrick, Martin Carthy, Dave Mattacks, Gerry Conway and John Renbourn, Fairport Convention biographer and all-round Sandy Denny expert Patrick Humphries, folk journalist Colin Irwin and Uncut magazine's contributing editor, Nigel Williamson.

Sandy Denny: Under Review

2006

No artwork available
NR

Documentary telling the story of Sidmouth Folk Week, "Europe's longest running folk festival" through film and photographs donated from archive collections or found after years of neglect, combined with interviews from past and present performers, organisers and attendees.

A Small Quiet English Town

The Battle of Waterloo poster
NR

For the infantrymen, old hands and raw recruits, 36 hours of forced march and a night in pouring rain are followed by a day in a muddy cornfield, facing cannon, cavalry, and infantry. If they're still standing as the day ends, they've won.

The Battle of Waterloo

1983

Big Bill Broonzy: The Man who Brought the Blues to Britain poster
NR

Big Bill Broonzy would inspire a generation of musicians, yet he was not the man they believed him to be. This first, very intimate, biography of the pioneering bluesman uncovers the mystery of who Broonzy really was and follows his remarkable and colorful journey from the racist Deep South to the clubs of Chicago and all across the world. With contributions from Pete Seeger, Ray Davies, Keith Richards, Martin Carthy, John Renbourn, and members of the Broonzy family. Broonzy's own words are read by Clarke Peters.

Big Bill Broonzy: The Man who Brought the Blues to Britain

2013

Bob Dylan: Roads Rapidly Changing - In & Out of the Folk Revival 1961 - 1965 poster
9.5

The story of the Greenwich Village Folk Revival, and the part Bob Dylan played in it. This film tells the story of Dylan's entry into and departure from the US Folk Revival, and features new interviews with many of the big players from the scene as it unfolded, as well as an abundance of timely footage, rare performances and numerous other features.

Bob Dylan: Roads Rapidly Changing - In & Out of the Folk Revival 1961 - 1965

2015

Guitar Nights – The Four Martins poster
3.8

Imagine travelling from New Orleans to Seville, throughout the English countryside to the Jazz clubs of Europe and America, and all in an hour and a half within your own living room. See before you on this DVD a stunning line-up of some of the World’s greatest acoustic guitarists playing together for the first time. Each one a virtuoso in his own right and together offering a taster of paradise. Presenting together on stage : MARTIN CARTHY England’s finest exponent of traditional folk music, with his unique style of playing which has gained him recognition the world over; JUAN MARTÍN named "Dr Flamenco" by The Times, he has been named as one of the world’s finest guitar players; MARTIN SIMPSON quoted by Guitar Player magazine as "One of the finest finger pickers and slide players of our time"; MARTIN TAYLOR who Acoustic Guitar call "THE acoustic guitarist of his generation" and JazzTimes "Europe’s finest guitarist".

Guitar Nights – The Four Martins

2003