Firetrail Premiere
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The Imperial Theatre marquee displays the
Firetrail logo. |
By Lydia Hawke
Firetrail, a movie based on my novel of the same
title, blazed into Augusta, Georgia August 25, showing to a packed Imperial Theatre. The
Imperial is a landmark in downtown Augusta, located across the street from a Confederate
memorial. Civil War reenactors conducted a parade just before the movie started and
gathered in around the memorial. The troops fired volleys from their black-powder muskets
to celebrate the movie opening.
Known as "South Carolina's Gone With the Wind," the
three-hour Civil War epic takes place during Sherman's march through the Carolinas.
Scenes were shot on location all over South Carolina's low country and other areas in
the state.
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Author Lydia Hawke and daughter Jennifer
Filzen at the booksigning. |
How did the movie come about? I go to Civil War reenactments to
do booksignings, and I freelance for Civil War magazines. I heard about a set built for
filming the burning of a town at the Battle of Aiken event, and thought that would make an
interesting article. So in February of 05 my husband and I drove up to Aiken, South
Carolina. I sold some books, got some great pictures, met filmmaker Chris Forbes, and
watched them shoot the burning of Barnwell, South Carolina (renamed Burnwell by the
waggish Yankees). Oh, yeah, I sold the article, too.
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Just before the movie started,
cast member Maj. Terry Gatch proposed to musician Jennifer Dyches. She accepted! |
Chris acquired a copy of Firetrail and loved it. He was ready
for aJust be more ambitious project, had the cooperation of some of the reenactment
community, and sent me a contract in September of 2005.
My husband and I passed the screen test, and we're in the
movie as the hero's mother and father. We spent a lot of weekends driving up to
various locations in South Carolina (we live in NE Florida) doing our scenes and assisting
with the shoots. We met some great folks and some quirky horses. We now have a whole new
family up in South Carolina, as we really enjoy the characters who became the characters
in my book. Along the way Chris built two sets and burned both of them in concert with
reenactment weekends. Is he a pyromaniac? Hmmm.
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Leading man Jim Hilton |
The premiere went wonderfully. The cinematography is beautiful
and the acting is amazing, putting to shame those Hollywood A-list types. Chris Forbes and
the cast did a great job of developing the characterization and building tension. There's
lots of action and a couple of love stories. The soundtrack music written for the movie by
Jennifer is perfect for the movie.
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Cast members Jerry Chesser, Maj. Terry Gatch
and Roger Wanke. |
Since the premiere, Firetrail has had
successful showings in Aiken, Hampton and Columbia, South Carolina. Audiences have
received the movie enthusiastically. According to reviewer, James Banfield of The
Light of the Low Country Magazine, "This movie can be seen by the whole
family, something that is rare these days. The depiction of the characters and their
steadfast fight to stand and be who they were, South Carolinians, was great." Mary
Clayton Banfield writes in the same magazine, "An excellent plot of love, suspense,
survival, and the ravages of war are brought home to the viewer in a very real way. This
is a movie that any history buff will want to see, and any moviegoer will be left in
anticipation, waiting for the next scent."
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Reenactors fire a volley |
The next scheduled showings will be 2 p.m., October 21 at the
Palmetto Grande theatre in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and 3 p.m., October 28 at The
Book Store and So Much More in Ormond Beach, Florida.
The DVD's will be printed up in October and we're taking
pre-orders. Check my website, www.lydiahawke.us
for order information and updates.
Click here for information
about Lydia
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