Star-studded Shropshire: Remember when Ellesmere College was backdrop to a 1978 Richard Burton psychological thriller?
One big star, one rising star, and a movie called Absolution in the magnificent Shropshire setting of Ellesmere College.
There have been various tributes and commemorations this month for the centenary of the birth of the great Welsh actor Richard Burton, who came to the county to head the cast in the 1978 psychological thriller.
Our archive picture captures Burton, for whom it was among his last films, with Billy Connolly, the singer and comedian whose venture into movies was just beginning, as this was his debut film role.
As for Ellesmere College, it played the part of a Catholic boarding school called St Anthony's which is the backdrop for the action.
Among other notable names in the cast were David Bradley, who had had his breakthrough as a young actor in Kes.
Burton, who was famously twice married to Liz Taylor, was at the time married to Suzy, the former wife of the British racing driver and ex-Formula One champion James Hunt, and she was a glamorous presence during the shoot, which ran for five weeks from April. Some scenes were shot at Pinewood Studios.
