Under Milk Wood

This article is about the 1954 radio drama. For the 1972 film adaptation, see Under Milk Wood (1972 film). For the 2015 film, see Under Milk Wood (2015 film).
A statue in Swansea's Maritime Quarter representing Thomas's fictional Captain Cat

Under Milk Wood is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972.

An omniscient narrator invites the audience to listen to the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of the fictional small Welsh fishing village Llareggub ("bugger all" backwards).

They include Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard, relentlessly nagging her two dead husbands; Captain Cat, reliving his seafaring times; the two Mrs. Dai Breads; Organ Morgan, obsessed with his music; and Polly Garter, pining for her dead lover. Later, the town awakens and, aware now of how their feelings affect whatever they do, we watch them go about their daily business.

Origins and development

When Thomas was staying at New Quay, Cardiganshire, in West Wales, one winter, he went out early one morning into the still sleeping town and verses came to his mind about the inhabitants. He wrote the account of this as a short story named "Quite Early One Morning" (recorded for BBC Wales on 14 December 1944 and broadcast 31 August 1945). He continued to work on the idea for the remaining eight years of his life.

In 1931 a 17-year-old Dylan created a piece for the Swansea Grammar School magazine which included a conversation of Milk Wood stylings with Mussolini, Wife, Mr. Pritchard & Mr. Ogmore. In it are lines which are nearly identical to those that would later be found in Milk Wood. A year later in 1932, Dylan talked at length with his mentor and friend 'The socialist grocer of Brynmill', Bert Trick about creating a play about a Welsh seaside town. At Bert Trick's bungalow in Caswell, Gower in 1933 Dylan read an embryonic 'Under Milk Wood'.

In an interview with Colin Edwards, Bert Trick recalls: "He read it to Nell and me in our bungalow at Caswell around the old Dover stove, with the paraffin lamps lit at night ... the story was then called Llareggub, which was a mythical village in South Wales, a typical village, with terraced houses with one ty bach to about five cottages and the various characters coming out and emptying the slops and exchanging greetings and so on; that was the germ of the idea which ... developed into Under Milkwood. (Dylan Remembered Volume 1, page 165)

In "Quite Early One Morning" there are numerous ideas and characters that would be further developed for Under Milk Wood.; for instance, the short story includes a 28 line poem, of which this is the fourth verse (the name and the final line reappear in Under Milk Wood):

Open the curtains, light the fire, what are servants for?
I am Mrs. Ogmore Pritchard and I want another snooze.
Dust the china, feed the canary, sweep the drawing-room floor;
And before you let the sun in, mind he wipes his shoes.

Thomas wrote to his wife, Caitlin (about 23 May 1953, from the United States, on notepaper from the Poetry Centre), towards the end of a long letter:[1] "I've finished that infernally eternally unfinished 'Play' & have done it in New York with actors."

He had, in fact, promised to deliver the work on his arrival in New York on 21 April but had completed it in the afternoon of the day it was to be premiered, only after being locked in a room to finish it by his literary agent Liz Reitell – the last lines of the script were handed to the actors as they were putting on their make-up.[2]

The same year, he read a part of the script in public for the first time in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at The Poetry Centre. Soon afterwards, with others, he sound-recorded a performance at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, New York.

On 9 September 1953, he delivered a full draft of Under Milk Wood to the BBC as he left for a tour of America, intending to revise the manuscript on his return but on 9 November 1953 he died in New York City.

Thomas is reported to have commented that Under Milk Wood was developed in response to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as a way of reasserting the evidence of beauty in the world.[3]

Llareggub

A boat bearing the name of the fictional location of Under Milk Wood

The fictional name Llareggub bears some resemblance to many actual Welsh place names, which often begin with Llan- (meaning Church, or more correctly, a holy site), but the name was actually derived by reversing the phrase "bugger all". In early published editions of the play, it was often rendered (contrary to Thomas's wishes) as Llaregyb or similar. A double-g is not used in written Welsh. If the name were to be pronounced in Welsh as spoken in South Wales, it would be [ɬaˈreɡːɡɪb].

The geographical inspiration for the town has generated intense debate. Laugharne was the village where Thomas lived intermittently from the 1930s. This town was probably the inspiration for the people of Llareggub, although the topography of the town is thought to be based on New Quay, where Thomas was staying when he started writing the play seriously in 1944. Both towns use the Under Milk Wood association to attract tourists, hence the rivalry, and the Dylan Thomas Trail has been opened in New Quay.[4]

More recent research has indicated that most of the first half of the play was written in South Leigh, Oxfordshire, whilst the second half was mostly written in America in May 1953. Fewer than 300 lines were written in Laugharne.[5]

Thomas drew a sketch map of the fictional town. This is now at the National Library of Wales and can be viewed online.[6]

The name Llareggub was first used by Thomas in a short story The Burning Baby[7] published in 1936. ("Death took hold of his sister's legs as she walked through the calf-high heather up the hill... She was to him as ugly as the sowfaced woman Llareggub who had taught him the terrors of the flesh.")

In the play, the Rev Eli Jenkins writes a poem that describes Llareggub Hill and its "mystic tumulus". This was based on a lyrical description of Twmbarlwm's "mystic tumulus" in Monmouthshire that Thomas imitated from Arthur Machen's autobiography Far Off Things (1922).[8]

The town's name is the inspiration for the country of Llamedos (sod 'em all) in Terry Pratchett's Discworld. In this setting, Llamedos is a parody of Wales.

Plot

The play opens at night, when the citizens of Llareggub are asleep. The narrator (First Voice/Second Voice) informs the audience that they are witnessing the townspeople's dreams.

Captain Cat, the blind sea captain, is tormented in his dreams by his drowned shipmates, who long to live again and enjoy the pleasures of the world. Mog Edwards and Myfanwy Price dream of each other; Mr. Waldo dreams of his childhood and his failed marriages; Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard dreams of her deceased husbands. Almost all of the characters in the play are introduced as the audience witnesses a moment of their dreams.

Morning begins. The voice of a guide introduces the town, discussing the facts of Llareggub. The Reverend Eli Jenkins delivers a morning sermon on his love for the village. Lily Smalls wakes and bemoans her pitiful existence. Mr. and Mrs. Pugh observe their neighbours; the characters introduce themselves as they act in their morning. Mrs. Cherry Owen merrily rehashes her husband's drunken antics. Butcher Beynon teases his wife during breakfast. Captain Cat watches as Willy Nilly the postman goes about his morning rounds, delivering to Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard, Mrs. Pugh, Mog Edwards and Mr. Waldo ("It's another paternity summons").

At Mrs. Organ-Morgan's general shop, women gossip about the townspeople. Willy Nilly and his wife steam open a love letter from Mog Edwards to Myfanwy Price; he expresses fear that he may be in the poor house if his business does not improve. Mrs. Dai Bread Two swindles Mrs. Dai Bread One with a bogus fortune in her crystal ball. Polly Garter scrubs floors and sings about her past paramours. Children play in the schoolyard; Gwennie urges the boys to "kiss her where she says or give her a penny." Gossamer Beynon and Sinbad Sailors privately desire each other.

During dinner, Mr. Pugh imagines poisoning Mrs. Pugh. Mrs. Organ-Morgan shares the day's gossip with her husband, but his only interest is the organ. The audience sees a glimpse of Lord Cut-Glass's insanity in his "kitchen full of time". Captain Cat dreams of his lost lover, Rosie Probert, but weeps as he remembers that she will not be with him again. Nogood Boyo fishes in the bay, dreaming of Mrs. Dai Bread Two and geishas.

On Llareggub Hill, Mae Rose Cottage spends a lazy afternoon wishing for love. Reverend Jenkins works on the White Book of Llareggub, which is a history of the entire town and its citizens. On the farm, Utah Watkins struggles with his cattle, aided by Bessie Bighead. As Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard falls asleep, her husbands return to her. Mae Rose Cottage swears that she will sin until she explodes.

The Sailor's Home Arms, New Quay, now known as the Seahorse Inn, which provided the name for the Sailors Arms.[9]

As night begins, Reverend Jenkins recites another poem. Cherry Owen heads to the Sailor's Arms, where Sinbad still longs for Gossamer Beynon. The town prepares for the evening, to sleep or otherwise. Mr. Waldo sings drunkenly at the Sailors Arms. Captain Cat sees his drowned shipmates—and Rosie—as he begins to sleep. Organ-Morgan mistakes Cherry Owen for Johann Sebastian Bach on his way to the chapel. Mog and Myfanwy write to each other before sleeping. Mr. Waldo meets Polly Garter in a forest. Night begins and the citizens of Llareggub return to their dreams again.

Characters

Principal productions

Character14 May 1953 New York[10]1954 BBC Radio1957 BBC TV1963 BBC Radio 1964 BBC TV 1972 Film 2003 BBC Radio 2014 BBC TV[11][12]
First VoiceDylan ThomasRichard BurtonDonald HoustonRichard Burton Donald Houston Richard Burton Richard BurtonMichael Sheen
Second VoiceDion AllenRichard Bebb Ryan Davies Siân Phillips
Captain CatRoy PooleHugh Griffith William Squire Hugh Griffith Aubrey Richards Peter O'Toole Glyn HoustonTom Jones
Rosie ProbertNancy WickwireRachel Thomas Gwyneth Petty Aubrey Richards Elizabeth Taylor Mali HarriesNia Roberts
Polly GarterNancy WickwireDiana Maddox Marion Grimaldi Margo Jenkins Marion Grimaldi Ann Beach Eiry ThomasKatherine Jenkins
Mr. Mog EdwardsAllen F. CollinsDafydd HarvardAubrey Richards Richard Davies Victor SpinettiMatthew RhysIoan Gruffudd
Myfanwy PriceSada ThompsonSybil Williams Margo Jenkins Gwyneth Owen Glynis JohnsLisa PalfreyKimberley Nixon
Mrs. Ogmore-PritchardSada ThompsonDylis Davies Dorothea Phillips Dorothea Prichard Siân PhillipsChristine PritchardCharlotte Church
Mr. OgmoreAllen F. CollinsDavid Close-Thomas David Garfield Jack Walters Dillwyn OwenSion ProbertTom Ellis
Mr. PritchardDion AllenBen Williams John Gill Emrys Leyshon Richard Davies Islwyn MorrisAneirin Hughes
Butcher BeynonAllen F. CollinsMeredith Edwards Gareth Jones Richard Curnock Ieuan Rhys Williams Hubert ReesSion ProbertRobert Pugh
Gossamer BeynonNancy WickwireGwenllian Owen Margo Jenkins Margaret John Angharad Rees ?
The Rev Eli JenkinsDylan ThomasPhilip Burton T. H. EvansT. H. EvansAubrey Richards Wayne ForesterBryn Terfel
Lily SmallsSada ThompsonGwyneth Petty Gwyneth Petty Maralynn Burt Meg Wyn OwenCatrin RhysEve Myles
Mr PughRoy PooleJohn Huw Jones Raymond LlewellynTalfryn ThomasTalfryn ThomasSteffan RhodriJonathan Pryce
Mrs PughNancy WickwireMary Jones Rachel Thomas Mary Jones Vivien MerchantSara McGaugheySiân Phillips
Mary Ann SailorsSada ThompsonRachel Thomas Betty Lloyd-Davies Rachel ThomasChristine PritchardSharon Morgan
Sinbad SailorsAllen F. CollinsAubrey Richards Talfryn Thomas Hubert Rees Michael ForrestSteven MeoJon Tregenna
Dai BreadAllen F. CollinsDavid Close-Thomas John Gill Dudley Jones?Owen Teale
Mrs Dai Bread OneSada ThompsonGwyneth Petty Guinevere RobertsDorothea Phillips Ann Bowen Mali HarriesDi Botcher
Mrs Dai Bread TwoNancy WickwireRachel Roberts Patricia Mort Pamela Conway Ruth MadocSara McGaugheySian Thomas
Willy Nilly PostmanDion AllenBen Williams Mervyn Johns Denys Graham Tim Wylton Iestyn JonesTom Rhys Harries
Mrs Willy NillyNancy WickwireRachel Thomas Rachel Thomas Yvette Rees Bronwen Williams Eiry Thomas
Cherry OwenDion AllenJohn Ormond Thomas John GillJohn GillGlynn Edwards Andy Hockley
Mrs Cherry OwenNancy WickwireLorna Davies Buddug-Mair Powell Buddug-Mair Powell Bridget TurnerRuth Jones
Nogood BoyoAllen F. CollinsDillwyn Owen Howell Evans David Jason?Craig Roberts
Organ MorganRoy PooleJohn Glyn-Jones David Garfield Richard Parry?
Mrs Organ MorganSada ThompsonOlwen Brookes Patricia Mort Dilys PriceRuth Jones
Mae Rose CottageSada ThompsonRachel Roberts Nerys Hughes Susan PenhaligonCatrin RhysAlexandra Roach
GwennieSada ThompsonNorma Jones Olwen Rees?
Jack BlackRoy Poole John ReesSteffan Rhodri
Evans the DeathAllen F. Collins Mark Jones?Iwan Rheon
Mr WaldoRoy Poole Gareth Jones Roderick Jones Ray Smith?Steffan Rhodri
Utah WatkinsAllen F. Collins David Davies?
Mrs Utah WatkinsNancy Wickwire Maudie Edwards?
Ocky MilkmanRoy Poole Griffith Davies?
P.C. Attila ReesAllen F. Collins Brinley Jenkins Davyd Harries?
Bessie BigheadNancy Wickwire Peggy Ann Clifford?
Mrs Butcher BeynonNancy Wickwire Branwen Iorwerth Mary JonesSharon MorganSuzanne Packer
Lord Cut-GlassDion Allen Richard Davies Dafydd Havard?
Gomer Owen Ieuan Rhys Williams?
First NeighbourNancy Wickwire ?Sophie Evans
Second NeighbourSada Thompson ?Melanie Walters
First WomanSada Thompson ?
Second WomanNancy Wickwire ?
Child's VoiceSada Thompson ?
First DrownedAllen F. Collins ?Tom Rhys Harries
Second DrownedDylan Thomas ?Karl Johnson
Third DrownedAllen F. Collins ?Iwan Rheon
Fourth DrownedDion Allen ?Aneurin Barnard
Fifth DrownedDylan Thomas ?
Voice of a Guide BookRoy Poole John HumphrysGriff Rhys Jones
BillyRoy Poole ?
Johnny CristoDion Allen ?
DickyAllen F. Collins ?
Voice Matthew Rhys
Voice Aimee-Ffion Edwards
Voice Griff Rhys Jones
Voice John Rhys-Davies
Voice Andrew Howard
Voice Rakie Ayola

Other notable productions

The play had its first reading on stage on 14 May 1953, in New York City, at The Poetry Center at the 92nd Street Y.[13] Thomas himself read the parts of the First Voice and the Reverend Eli Jenkins. Almost as an afterthought, the performance was recorded on a single-microphone tape recording (the microphone was laid at front center on the stage floor) and later issued by the Caedmon company. It is the only known recorded performance of Under Milk Wood with Thomas as a part of the cast. A studio recording, planned for 1954, was precluded by Thomas's death in November 1953.[14]

The BBC first broadcast Under Milk Wood, a new "'Play for Voices", on the Third Programme on 25 January 1954 (two months after Thomas's death), although several sections were omitted. The play was recorded with a distinguished, all-Welsh cast including Richard Burton as 'First Voice', with production by Douglas Cleverdon. A repeat was broadcast two days later. Daniel Jones, the Welsh composer who was a lifelong friend of Thomas's (and his literary trustee), wrote the music; this was recorded separately, on 15 and 16 January, at Laugharne School. The first attempt to bring the play to the screen occurred in 1957 when the BBC broadcast a televised version narrated by Donald Houston.[15] The play won the Prix Italia award for radio drama that year.[16] In 1963, the original radio producer, Douglas Cleverdon, revisited the project and recorded the complete play, which was broadcast on 11 October 1963.

The 1972 film adaptation, with Burton reprising his role, also featured Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O'Toole, Glynis Johns, Vivien Merchant and other well-known actors, including Ryan Davies as the "Second Voice". It was filmed on location in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, and at Lee International Film Studios, London.

In 1988 George Martin produced an album version, featuring more of the dialogue sung, with music by Martin and Elton John, among others; Anthony Hopkins played the part of "First Voice". This was subsequently produced as a one-off stage performance (as An Evening with Dylan Thomas) for The Prince's Trust in the presence of HRH Prince Charles, to commemorate the opening in December 1992 of the new AIR Studios at Lyndhurst Hall. It was again produced by Martin and directed by Hopkins, who once again played 'First Voice'. Other roles were played by Harry Secombe, Freddie Jones, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Siân Phillips, Jonathan Pryce, Alan Bennett and, especially for the occasion, singer Tom Jones. The performance was recorded for television (directed by Declan Lowney) but has never been shown.

In 1992 Brightspark Productions released a 50-minute animation version, using an earlier BBC soundtrack with Burton as narrator. This was commissioned by S4C (a Welsh-language public service broadcaster). Music was composed specially by Trevor Herbert and performed by Treorchy Male Voice Choir and the Welsh Brass Consort. Producer Robert Lyons. Director, Les Orton. It was made by Siriol Productions in association with Onward Productions and BBC Pebble Mill. This was released on DVD in October 2008. DVD ref: 5 037899 005798.

In February 1994 Guy Masterson premiered a one-man physical version of the unabridged text at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh playing all 69 characters. This production returned for the subsequent Edinburgh International Fringe Festival and sold out its entire run. It has since played over 2000 times globally.

In 1997 Australian pianist and composer Tony Gould's adaptation of Under Milk Wood (written for narrator and chamber orchestra) was first performed by actor John Stanton and the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra.[17]

In November 2003, as part of their commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Thomas's death, the BBC broadcast a new production of the play, imaginatively combining new actors with the original 1954 recording of Burton playing "First Voice". (Broadcast 15 November 2003, BBC Radio 4; repeated 24 December 2004.) Digital noise reduction technology allowed Burton's part to be incorporated unobtrusively into the new recording, which was intended to represent Welsh voices more realistically than the original.

In 2006 Austrian composer Akos Banlaky composed an opera with the libretto based on the German translation by Erich Fried (Unter dem Milchwald, performed at Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, Austria).

In 2008 french composer François Narboni composed an opera, Au Bois lacté, based on his own translation and adaptation of Under Milk Wood. It was created at the Opéra-Théâtre in Metz, France, with staging by Antoine Juliens. The work is for twelve singers, large mixed choir, children choir, accordion, dancer and electronics sounds.

In 2008 a ballet version of Under Milk Wood by Independent Ballet Wales toured the UK. It was choreographed by Darius James with music by British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones. A suite including music from the ballet was recorded by Court Lane Music in 2009.

In 2009 and 2010 a translation in Dutch by the Belgian writer Hugo Claus was performed on stage by Jan Decleir and Koen De Sutter on a theatre tour in Belgium and the Netherlands (e.g. the Zeeland Late-Summer Festival, the Vooruit in Ghent, etc.).

In 2010 a one-woman production of the text was performed at the Sidetrack Theatre in Sydney, Australia, presented by Bambina Borracha Productions and directed by Vanessa Hughes. Actress Zoe Norton Lodge performed all 64 characters in the play.[18]

Presented by the Ottawa Theatre School in March 2011, directed by Janet Irwin and featuring the graduating class of the Ottawa Theatre School, as well as other Ottawa Actors.

In July 2011 Progress Youth Theatre (Reading, Berkshire, UK) performed a stage adaptation of the radio script. All visual aspects, such as stage directions, costume, set and lighting design were therefore devised entirely by the youth theatre. The voice parts were shared equally among seven actors, with other actors playing multiple "named" parts (with the exception of Captain Cat, who remained on stage throughout the production).

The BBC Formula 1 introduction to the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix features extracts of the audio for their opening VT.

In 2012 the Sydney Theatre Company staged a production starring Jack Thompson as First Voice and Sandy Gore as Second Voice, with a cast including Bruce Spence, Paula Arundell, Drew Forsythe, Alan John, Drew Livingston and Helen Thomson.[19] The production was staged in the Drama Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.

In 2012, Gould's 1997 adaptation of Under Milk Wood (written for narrator and chamber orchestra) was again performed by actor John Stanton as part of the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School's inaugural performance at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Gould played piano and worked with the students as a musical mentor.

Guy Masterson of Theatre Tours International has produced and performed a solo version of the play over 2000 times since its world premiere in 1994. It has been performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 1994, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2010; in Adelaide, Australia in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012; and in London's West End Arts Theatre.[20]

In October 2014, the BBC launched an interactive ebook entitled Dylan Thomas: The Road To Milk Wood, written by Jon Tregenna and Robin Moore. It deals with the journey from Swansea via the BBC to New York and beyond. [21]

Quotations

One of many articles celebrating the work of Dylan Thomas. This mug bears a quotation from the prayer of the Rev Eli Jenkins in 'Under Milk Wood'.

References in other media

References

  1. ↑ Paul Ferris (ed.), Dylan Thomas: The Collected Letters. Macmillan, 1985.
  2. ↑ Thomas, David N. (2008). Fatal Neglect: Who Killed Dylan Thomas?. Seren. ISBN 978-1854114808.
  3. ↑ Snodgrass, Dorothy (December 21, 2010). "Review: Under Milk Wood at the Library". The Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  4. ↑ The Dylan Thomas Trail, Y Lolfa, 2002.
  5. ↑ See pp. 285–313 of D. N. Thomas (2004), Dylan Remembered 1935–53, vol. 2, Seren, as well as published articles collected at http://undermilkwood.webs.com.
  6. ↑ Dylan's Llareggub map at The National Library of Wales's website.
  7. ↑ The Burning Baby. Dated October 1934 in the "Red Notebook" and first published in the magazine Contemporary Poetry and Prose, issue for May 1936. This information listed by Walford Davies in Dylan Thomas: Collected Stories. Phoenix, 2000.
  8. ↑ Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood, The Definitive Edition (Dent: 1995), p. 91.
  9. ↑ The Dylan Thomas Trail in New Quay, West Wales.
  10. ↑ Caedmon TC 2005: liner notes to 2-LP set. This reading has been reissued as part of an 11-CD boxed set of Dylan Thomas from the Caedmon Collection, but without the detailed cast listing or very extensive original liner notes, which clarify that Thomas was still rewriting the script until the time the performance began. This would explain any discrepancies in the text between this draft and the final published version. "Evans the Death" is here identified as "Thomas the Death".
  11. ↑ "Under Milk Wood". BBC. 2014. |section= ignored (help)
  12. ↑ "Programme Information" (PDF). BBC Wales. p. 3. |section= ignored (help)
  13. ↑ Dylan Thomas: The Collected Letters edited by Paul Ferris. Macmillan 1985. Footnote by editor.
  14. ↑ "Dylan Thomas Unabridged: The Caedmon Collection", Green Man Review.
  15. ↑ "Under Milk Wood". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  16. ↑ Prix Italia "PAST EDITIONS — WINNERS 1949 – 2007"
  17. ↑ .
  18. ↑ Reviewed by John Rozentals, Oz Baby Boomers, 5 July 2010.
  19. ↑ Lloyd Bradford Syke, "Review: Under Milk Wood | Drama Theatre, Sydney", Crikey, 29 May 2012.
  20. ↑
  21. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/bbc-dylan-thomas-road-to-milk/id928536953?mt=11&ls=1
  22. ↑ "Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood", UK Jazz.
  23. ↑ Gorski, H. (2015), 13 Donuts, Jadzia Books, 2015: Introduction.
  24. ↑ You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1.
  25. ↑ "Under Milk Wood: an opera."

External links

Readings

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.