Robert Fortune The Tea Thief

A film by Diane Perelsztejn

The most profitable robbery ever! By the middle of the 19th century, the West had become totally enchanted with a heady new brew, tea. But, China held the monopoly on its trade and manufacture, which it had fiercely guarded for more than 5,000 years. The British sought to change that, by mounting one of the most audacious espionage missions the world had ever seen: to steal the secret of tea from Imperial China. The man they entrusted with this mission was Robert Fortune, a 36-year-old Scottish botanist.

Year:
2000
Length:
52 Minutes
Version(s) :
FR, EN
Director(s):
Diane Perelsztejn
Writer(s):
Diane Perelsztejn, Willy Perelsztejn, Joëlle Kilimnik
Producer(s):
Willy Perelsztejn, Diane Perelsztejn, Gilles Le Mao
Camera:
Stéphane Patti
Sound:
Benoît Hardonniere
Music:
Peter Crosbie
Editing:
Ken Sallows, Tim Lewis, Monique Rysselinck
With:
Scott Howard, Tracey Callander, Steven Costan, Richard Blight

Produced by Australian Film Finance Corporation, Les Films de la Mémoire, Diane Perelsztejn & Company, La Huit Production, Arte France, RTBF, AVRO

With the support of : Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Communauté Française de Belgique, Télédistributeurs Wallons, Film Victoria, Australian Film Commission, European Union MEDIA Program, Australian Film Finance Corporation, SBS Independent

Additional Information

Career

Festivals and Awards
Festival International du Film d’Art, Maison de l’UNESCO - Paris France Grand Prix du Scénario
The New York Festivals – History & Society section USA Bronze World Medal
Broadcasts
ARTEEurope 
AVRONetherlands 
ARTVCanada 
Discovery ChannelAsia400 diffusions sur plus de 40 pays
GOURMET TVFrance 
HISTORY CHANNELUnited Kingdom, Ireland 
HISTORY CHANNEL IBERIASpain, Portugal 
RAI SatItaly 
RTBFBelgium 
SBSAustralia 
TG4Ireland 
Watch Robert Fortune The Tea Thief on Vimeo

The Film

Film Reviews

Press Comments

The View

This documentary is a delightfully told story, albeit one smacking of colonial exploitation. It is both well narrated and filmed in some of the most beautiful areas of the world.

Jane Fraser
2003

Télé V-7

Monté sur le mode narratif, ce film sur l’épopée de Robert Fortune s’appuie essentiellement sur les propres notes de voyage. Justesse, authenticité, sont les maitres mots de ce documentaire nous immergeant dans une époque et un monde lointains et exotiques.

Anonymous
2001

La Libre Belgique

"Robert Fortune, le voleur de thé" ajoute, au puzzle des récits qui retracent l'histoire et les trajets du thé, une pièce estimable, abondamment documenté, neuve et riche d'enseignements, notamment quant aux ambitions et enjeux économiques, voire politiques, de ce commerce si lié à la culture et au quotidien de l'humanité.

M. Ba.
2000
Film Stills

Gallery