Scotland in Film by Kyle Young ©
You might think it would be hard to write an article about Scottish films, but in fact the contribution Scotland has made to the world of film has been almost as enduring as the difference made by Scots in the field of invention.
In this article I will look at several Scottish films in no particular order whether from quality, or time period. The reason for this is quite simple: I grew up seeing the films listed in no particular order and some of the older ones had more of an impact, because I was younger when I saw them, than the more modern ones. Also the more obvious ones like ‘Braveheart’ and ‘Rob Roy’ are not at the top of my favourites because they milked part of Scottish history in a way that ranged from being inaccurate to downright misleading.
Not all the directors of Scottish films were even Scots. Danny Boyle has created such wonderful works as ‘Trainspotting’ and ‘Shallow Grave,’ both of which were Scottish by dint of using actors such as Ewan McGregor, Peter Mullan and Kevin McKidd, all actors who made the Scot a modern film icon. Then, of course the actor with one of the most recognisable voices in the world is Sean Connery, who even at 76 is still an icon for others to admire.
When Bill Forsyth created Local Hero in 1983 this was just one more work added to what had become a one-man Scottish film industry. He had already made That Sinking Feeling and Gregory’s Girl. These were low-budget comedies, with teenage actors and did not have much funding.
To make Local Hero, he head-hunted Burt Lancaster and retreated to the Highlands. The Hollywood star played the head of an oil company that wants to buy land for a refinery, but changes his mind when he sees the beautiful landscape. Bill Forsyth was accused of pandering to stereotypes of what Highland Life was like by critics. This criticism was largely mistaken for a good reason. Forsyth played on a series of Scottish stereotypes only to subvert them, and this made for good comedy. There is a remote village where although the minister has a Highland accent, he is black. The tranquillity of the village paradise is shattered by low-flying jet aircraft; and the meal in the hotel turns out to be the injured rabbit Peter Capaldi had rescued from the roadside earlier in the film.
Whisky Galore! Was directed in 1949 by Alexander Mackendrick. Many critics of the day were to dismiss Mackendrick’s comedy about the islanders of Todday as stereotypical, patronising and tame. However this underrated comedy film is extremely funny while managing to be highly subversive.
"A happy people with few and simple pleasures," says the opening voice-over, as nine children appear, one after the other, through a crofthouse door. The story is simple: by attempting to salvage 50,000 cases of whisky from a grounded ship, a criminal Celtic brotherhood outwit the English Home Guard captain.
