American and British Culture ABC01: Scotland on Screen © James Mooney The University of Edinburgh for Jönköping University j.mooney@ed.ac.uk www.filmandphilosophy.com @film_philosophy

1. Scotland on Screen

2. Brigadoon
Minnelli 1954

3. Tourism
Brigadoon is partly responsible for
fuelling Scotland’s tourist industry.
Do you think that it presents a realistic
picture of Scotland and the Scots?

4. The Eagle (2011)
Hadrian’s Wall

5. Hadrian’s Wall
The wall was constructed circa AD 122
to mark the northern boundary of the
Roman Empire.
How is ‘north of the wall’ represented
in these films?
What do you think the legacy of this
boundary has been?

6. Whisky Galore
Mackendrick 1949
Barra, Outer Hebrides

7. Scotland and Alcohol
Alcohol purchases fell by 4% between 2010 and
2011, according to figures from NHS Health
Scotland.
But sales are still around a fifth higher than England
and Wales and are 10% cent higher than they were
in 1994.
Minimum pricing policy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfP9pNr4N3A
How do you think drinking habits in Scotland differ
from your own country?

8. Breaking the Waves
von Trier 1996
Isle of Skye

9. Same-sex marriage
This scene depicts a wedding in the
Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
They retain a large following in some
areas of the highlands and islands.
FPCS website and main beliefs:
http://www.fpchurch.org.uk/
Here’s what their website looks like on
a Sunday:
http://www.fpchurch.org.uk/Sorry.php
The Scottish Parliament has put
forward plans to legalise same-sex
marriage. The Catholic Church in
Scotland has condemned the move,
describing gay marriage as a "grotesque
subversion of a universally accepted
human right”.

10. Local Hero
Forsyth 1983
Pennan, Aberdeenshire

11. Trump Golf Resort Scotland
Trump Golf Resorts website:http
://www.trumpgolfscotland.com/
You’ve Been Trumped (2011 documentary):http
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk-MHQE2xPQ
Windfarms
controversy:http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=kPSBI6P21jk
Should environmental issues ‘trump’ economic
concerns?

12. Just Another
Saturday (1975)
Glasgow

13. Religion in Glasgow
What is going on this this scene?
Sectarianism has been described as ‘Scotland’s
shame’. The below report looks into the roots of
sectarianism in Scotland, the links it has to
football in Glasgow, and a new law intended to
combat bigotry.
Sectarianism 1 - The Roots of ‘Scotland’s Shame’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myy-PuuaYZk
Sectarianism 2 – The Old Firm Effect:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=dSiCfgc2Sok&feature=relmfu
Sectarianism 3 – The New Law:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7YWnHPBKDmM&feature=relmfu

14. Ratcatcher
Ramsay 1999
Glasgow

15. No mean city
Ratcatcher is set in Glasgow in 1973.
Films that portray Glasgow are often
set in this period against the backdrop
of decay, poverty and deprivation.
Despite massive regeneration and its
great cultural significance, Glasgow
retains the reputation of being a hard,
gritty city.

16. Gregory’s Girl
(1981)
Cumbernauld

17. Romance
Gregory is not just a hopeless footballer but
also a hopeless romantic who fails to express his
love for Dorothy.
Read the poem opposite by Tom Leonard.
Can you understand it?
What point is Leonard attempting to make?
Why is the poem called ‘A Summer’s Day’?

18. The Angels’ Share
(Loach 2012)

19. Braveheart
Gibson 1995
Edinburgh

20. The ‘Braveheart Effect’
Do you think that Braveheart presents
an accurate account of Scottish history?
Braveheart was released in 1995. What
significant event took place in Scotland
in 1997?

21. The Prime of Miss
Jean Brodie (1969)
Edinburgh

22. Edinburgh
Miss Jean Brodie is perhaps the
archetypal Edinburgh lady, and the film
is set in and around one of Edinburgh’s
public schools.
What kind of view of Edinburgh do you
get from this?
Who are the ‘dowdy provincials’ to
whom she refers?

23. The Illusionist
Chomet 2010
Edinburgh

24. Landmarks
Chomet beautifully renders some
famous Edinburgh landmarks: the
Barony Bar on Broughton Street;
Jenners dept. store on Princes Street;
the Cameo cinema in Tollcross; Arthur’s
Seat.

25. Trainspotting
Boyle 1996
Edinburgh

26. Trainspotting
Danny Boyle’s film is adapted from
Welsh’s 1993 book of the same name,
which deals with drug and alcohol
abuse and violence in Edinburgh.
Why do you think that Renton believes
that ‘It’s shite being Scottish’?

27. Brave (Pixar 2012)
Brave brings us full circle. Like
Brigadoon, it gives us an (almost)
fantasy Scotland; like Braveheart, it
may have underlying political
significance.
What significance does the allegory
of the four kingdoms have for
upcoming events in 2014?
What is the importance of being
able to choose one’s own fate?

33. Details
© James Mooney
The University of Edinburgh for Jönköping University
j.mooney@ed.ac.uk
www.filmandphilosophy.com
@film_philosophy