Scotland in feature film

Diplomarbeit von Sandra-Elisabeth Haider

Abstract:

At Glasgow’s University Library I discovered a book about Scotland on film, Scotch Reels. Originally, Scotch Reels is the title of a research carried out in 1982 about the depiction of Scotland on screen. It was revealed then that the predominant image of Scotland was very much engaged with stereotypes (defined as the “heather and haggis image” by one of the book’s critics) and had obviously nothing to do with the contemporary reality of Scotland. Not surprisingly, that radical view has found a lot of stern critics.

On superficial examination, when I think of all the recent films set in Scotland (ranging from the historical epos Braveheart to the contemporary fast-paced drug story Trainspotting, to mention two of the more popular examples), it seems to me that contemporary films set in Scotland show a wider spectrum of Scottish life than they apparently did before the 1980s, when the stories were mostly (with a few exceptions only) set in the Highlands or on an island, in a community far away from contemporary (modern and industrial) life. As a classic example of those films one can mention the musical Brigadoon by Vicente Minnelli from the year 1954.

However, in my thesis I want to concentrate on films set in the City of Glasgow, since there would be far too much material concerned if I considered every single available recent film set in Scotland.

I would like to find out whether the image of Glasgow has improved (or widened in its conception) through the release of recent films, compared to its depiction in older movies.

As I could not analyse all recent feature films set in Glasgow in this context, I decided to concentrate on a few examples. By taking a closer look at these films I hope to be able to demonstrate how varied (or one-sided – as will be determined) the contemporary portrayal of the city is.

I do not want to omit mentioning my awareness of the fact that my selection is very subjective. Had I selected other movies, the result would naturally have been a different one. Also, I have not taken into account television films or series set in the Glasgow area. Especially in recent years a whole range of series has been produced and broadcasted, for instance the surreal hospital-drama Psychos, starring Douglas Henshall, the controversial Tinsel Town, set in Glasgow’s lively clubbing scene, or Glasgow Kiss, which portrays the city as a modern, airy place, inhabited by sympathetic, educated middle-class people – something the title might not indicate.

The following films have been chosen for closer examination:

Small Faces (Gilles McKinnon, 1995) My Name is Joe (Ken Loach, 1998) Orphans (Peter Mullan, 1998) Ratcatcher (Lynne Ramsay, 1999).

What I considered of importance for this selection are the facts that I have actually seen these films on screen at least once, and that they are available on VHS. Actually, I would have liked to include more recent films set in Glasgow (such as the digitally shot One Life Stand by May Miles Thomas, 2000; Sweet Sixteen, Ken Loach, 2002; Morvern Callar, Lynne Ramsay, 2000), but as most of them are not available on video (yet) an analysis is made more difficult. Another important point for selection is, naturally, that the story of those films is wholly or at least partially set in Glasgow.

Looking at the films it becomes obvious that all these productions are British, some even Scottish. This was not intended, but should not influence my analysis of Glasgow’s recent screen image in any way.

This lack of non-British film-makers’ interest in setting their films in Glasgow is interesting to note, especially because films set in Scotland’s rural areas do exist (mostly in the Highlands or on the Islands; e.g. Braveheart, Mel Gibson, 1995; Rob Roy, Michael Caton-Jones, 1995; Breaking the Waves, Lars van Trier, 1996).

However, Glasgow has been the backdrop for a range of films, although not featuring as itself: In House of Mirth (Terence Davies, 2000), for instance, the Scottish city doubles as a fin de siècle New York. In some scenes of Aberdeen (Hans Petter Molland, 2000) as well as Shallow Grave (Danny Boyle, 1994), Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1995) or Regeneration (Gillies Mackinnon, 1997) Glasgow stands in for Edinburgh.

General facts on the screen-image of Scotland and examples of how films are interpreted by the Scotch Reels authors are included in my thesis, as they are important for a basic understanding of the topic.

I hope to have been able to make clear that the topic I have chosen is of interest to the academic discussion on “Scotland on film”. Since the early 1980s no extensive research has been carried out. However, taking into consideration the prerequisites of this publication, I have to maintain certain limits and therefore concentrate on a selection of films.

A broader analysis, taking into account all productions (productions for television as well as documentaries, feature and short films), would surely be informative.

During recent years there was a discussion going on about the building of a Scottish film studio. On one hand it was said that such a studio is urgently needed if Scotland wants to assure a striving film industry, on the other hand it was argued that money should be put into specific local productions rather than into a big studio complex that hardly any young Scottish film-maker would be able to afford. Those arguing against a film studio claimed that such a project would only be affordable for big non-Scottish film companies, mainly American or also English ones, who have no interest in carrying out productions in Scotland anyway, since they have their own, usually better infrastructure available.

I have decided to include a chapter on the Scottish film industry in my thesis, since this industry is undoubtedly a strong factor in providing certain prerequisites for (here: Scottish) filmmakers. This is done in the form of an extensive chronicle.

The kind of filmic analysis I am going to do is not based on a specific school. I have merely worked with general introductions to the topic. In general I have used a very personal approach, by trying to confirm and being able to explain my initial impression by watching the films over and over again.

In selecting the films I have not paid attention to the criterion of representation. Therefore my results should not be generalised. The result is merely a personal and subjective one.

The literature I am going to work with is based on four publications: Scotch Reels from 1982, although often criticised, is cited as groundbreaking research on “Scotland and film” in nearly every publication on the topic. Another influential book was published eight years after Scotch Reels: Eddie Dick’s From Limelight to Satellite shows already different and more positive points of view than its predecessor. Also from 1990 is Forsyth Hardy’s Scotland in Film. The most recent work on Scotland on screen and the Scottish film industry is Screening Scotland by Duncan Petrie, published in 2000. Petrie “examines the longer and deeper history of Scottish cinema in a more positive light than previous commentaries”.

I want to introduce these publications and the different views or their authors in my thesis and will also use newspaper-articles and essays from various specialist periodicals to give an insight into the Scottish situation.

What I do not intend to do here, though, is an in-depth study of the complex field of the search for a Scottish identity, or a historical survey. My main focus is on an aesthetic analysis of recent films and their depicted image of Glasgow, then and now.

Table of Contents:

	Preface	1
	Introduction	3
1.	Chapter I: The debate on Scottish film and the representation of Scotland and Glasgow on screen	8
1.1	Introduction Chapter I: Scotland and Film	8
1.2	Scotch Reels - Edinburgh 1982	12
1.2.1	Introduction	12
1.2.2	Aims	14
1.2.3	Results	15
1.2.3.1	Tartanry and Kailyard	17
1.2.3.1.1	Introduction	17
1.2.3.1.2	Historical connections	19
1.2.3.1.3	Literary connections	21
1.2.3.1.4	Pictorial connections	28
1.2.3.1.5	Cinematic connections	29
1.2.3.2	Clydesidism/ The image of the city	31
1.2.3.2.1	Introduction	31
1.2.3.2.2	Historical connections	32
1.2.3.2.3	Literary connections	33
1.2.3.2.4	Pictorial connections	37
1.2.3.2.5	Cinematic connections	39
1.2.4	Conclusion	41
1.3	Reactions to and criticism of Scotch Reels	42
1.3.1	Introduction	42
1.3.2	John Caughie	42
1.3.3	Cairns Craig	45
1.3.4	Pam Cook	47
1.3.5	David McCrone	48
1.3.6	Duncan Petrie	49
1.3.7	More criticism	52
1.3.7.1	John Brown	52
1.3.7.2	Thomas Elsaesser	54
1.3.7.3	Scott L. Malcomson	55
1.3.7.4	Forsyth Hardy	56
1.3.7.5	Jeffrey Richards	57
1.3.8	Conclusion	57
1.4	Conclusion Chapter I	58
2.	Chapter II: Popular images of Glasgow and its people	59
2.1	Introduction Chapter II	59
2.2	Details	62
2.2.1	The Hard Man	62
2.2.2	Slums	64
2.2.3	The legacy of the „Red Clydeside“	67
2.2.4	Heavy drinking	69
2.2.5	Sectarianism	71
2.2.6	Football	73
2.3	Conclusion Chapter II	74
3.	Chapter III: The development of a Scottish film industry	76
3.1	Introduction Chapter III	76
3.2	„A Poor Scottish Cinema“	76
3.3	Critics of „A Poor Scottish Cinema“	79
3.4	Chronicle	82
3.4.1	1920s	83
3.4.2	1930s	84
3.4.3	1940s	88
3.4.4	1950s	89
3.4.5	1960s	90
3.4.6	1970s	92
3.4.7	1980s	93
3.4.8	1990s	98
3.4.9	2000	105
3.4.10	2001	106
3.4.11	2002	109
3.5	Conclusion Chapter III	114
4.	Chapter IV: Recent films and their depiction of Glasgow	116
4.1	Introduction Chapter IV	116
4.2	Films	118
4.2.1	Ratcatcher	118
4.2.2	Orphans	121
4.2.3	Small Faces	123
4.2.4	My Name is Joe	126
4.3	Conclusion Chapter IV	129
5.	Conclusion	131
6.	German Abstract/ Zusammenfassung auf Deutsch	139
	Bibliography	152
A)	Books	152
B)	Newspaper-articles, essays, periodicals and URL-addresses	155
	Appendix	162
A)	Abbreviations	162
B)	Film list 1995 to date	164