Melvin Poe – image from the film, “Thoughts on Foxhunting”.

The Friends of Emmanuel Episcopal Church Delaplane and Folkstreams.net will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the film “Thoughts on Foxhunting” with a special showing on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 7 PM at the Middleburg Community Center in Middleburg, Virginia.

The event will premiere a new 4K high-definition scan of the original 16mm film.

The 1972 production by filmmakers Tom Davenport (Tom Davenport (filmmaker) – Wikipedia) and Harrison O’Connor was funded by the late Paul Mellon and the National Endowment for Humanities. Legendary foxhunters Melvin and Peggy Poe and the hounds of the Orange County Hunt near The Plains, Virginia are featured. The film provides a representation of the sport during the 1970s which includes the Poes working with and training the hounds, known as the “ringneck reds” near the kennels. The film features exciting chase scenes in an extremely challenging sport.

The narration is excerpted from Lord Peter Beckford’s 18^th-century classic “Thoughts on Hunting,” and edited and delivered by the late equestrian sports scholar, Alexander McKay-Smith. The story opens with a rare kill scene of a grey fox. That scene has made the film controversial with some who fear repercussions from animal rights advocates who led the campaign to successfully ban fox hunting in the United Kingdom. Octogenarian filmmaker Tom Davenport will present the film and speak about how it was made.

Proceeds from the show will benefit the general operating fund for Emmanuel Church in Delaplane, Virginia.

Tickets can be found at “Thoughts on Fox Hunting” and other films by Tom Davenport Tickets, Sat, Feb 4, 2023 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite.

Orginially published on January 14, 2023.