Scottish Film Since the 1990S

Screening Scotland: The 'New' Scottish Film since the 1990s Dietmar Böhnke In seinem Überblick über das neue schottische Kino geht Dietmar Böhnke (Leipzig) auf die politischen, öko• nomischen und kulturellen Gründe der 'Renaissance' nach und diskutiert eine Reihe neuerer Filme, neben international bekannten wie Brave Heart und Trainspotting auch andere, die die Themen und stilistischen Merkmale dieses Kinos typisch zum Ausdruck bringen, etwa Lynne Ramsays Morvern Callar und Ken Loachs Ae Fond Kiss. In comparison to England, and and Comfort and Joy ( 1984) three years between 1994 and also to some extent to lreland, as well as the more recent 1996. Taken together, their im Scotland has not enjoyed a group of films following Danny pact on the Scottish film scene high profile in cinematic terms Boyle's Shallow Grave (1994) can hardly be overestimated. in the twentieth century. In and Trainspotting, such as My Mel Gibson's film Braveheart fact, Scotland is conspicuous Name is Joe ( 1998), Ratcatch about the thirteenth-century for having been depicted on er and Orphans (both 1999), Scottish freedom fighter William screen from outside and often Morvern Callar and Sweet Six Wallace, which won five Os in a cliched way. From Whisky teen (both 2002), Young Adam cars including best film in 1996, Galore! (1949) and Brigadoon (2003), Ae Fond Kiss (2004), The could perhaps be dismissed as (1954) through countless cos Flying Scotsman and Red Raad just another of those Hollywood tume films and Kailyard movies (both 2006), and Hai/am Foe versions of Scottish history in the from Hollywood all the way to (2007). 2 This "new Scottish cin Tartanry tradition, were it not for Braveheart ( 199 5), the celluloid ema" (cf. Petrie 2000) has tobe its enormous impact on Scot Scot has been represented by seen in the context of changes tish culture and even politics, many stars such as Katharine in the film industry and in fund which has led critics to speak of · Hepburn and Errol Flynn, Laure! ing structures, particularly since the "Braveheart phenomenon" and Hardy, Liam Neeson and the establishment of the Glas (cf. McArthur 2003) . Mel Gibson, but less frequently gow Film Fund and Scottish Even though the historical until recently - by actual Scots, Screen in the mid-l 990s, as well accuracy of the film is at least · or in a complex and challeng as the growing involvement of doubtful and it has been heavily . ing way.1 Perhaps because of TV channels. At the same time, criticised, and notwithstanding that, the desire for a real Scot an increasingly self-confident its having been filmed mainly in tish national cinema is power critical discourse on Scottish lreland, it was a huge success ful, and it seems that parallel to film has been developing (cf. with the Scottish public and the literary and cultural revival McArthur, Dick, Hardy, Petrie, was almost immediately used in Scotland since the 1980s, Pendreigh, Blandford). for Scottish (nationalist) po and particularly since the politi- litical and tourist propaganda. cal changes of the mid- to lote The Braveheart and Trainspot The strongly anti-English mes l 990s (New Labour govern fing Phenomena sage of the film clearly struck a ment, devolution, Scottish Par lt is a curious coincidence chord with a population tired liament), a 'new' Scottish film that in the mid-1990s a duster of a Conservative government movement is finally emerging, of important and high-profile that kept disregarding Scot with Trainspotting ( 1996) mark films either made or set in Scot tish interests and sensibilities, ingthe breakthrough. In a sense, land was released after the and consequently the Scottish the failure of the first devolution nation had been almost invis National Party used the film in referendum in 1979 can be said ible cinematically for a lang their election campaign. lt is to have diverted the energy time. Besides Shallow Grave, also certainly no coincidence of the nation to creative terri Braveheart and Trainspotting, that after the resounding suc tory, starting a film revival that there was also Michael Caton cess of New Labour in the 1997 included Bill Forsyth 's That Sink Jones's Rob Roy (1995) and Lars general election (when the ing Feeling ( 1979), Gregory's von Trier' s Breaking the Waves Tories were completely wiped Girl ( 1981), Local Hero ( 1983) (1996), all made in the span of out in Scotland), the promised HARD TIMES - Nr. 83 (Frühjahr 2008) 9 Screening Scotland --------------------------------------. it referendum on devolution was was memorably expressed in er-profile non-Scottish films such ! held precisely on the 700th an the statement by central pro as Mrs Brown, The Governess, 1i niversary of the Battle of Stir tagonist Mark Renton: "I hate Skagerrak and Wilbur Wants to ~ ling Bridge on 11 September being Scottish. We're the low Kill Himseff, but mainly, 1 would ~ 1. 1997. When the new Scottish est of the fucking low, the scum argue, to the dozen or so ' real' ~ Parliament was finally opened of the earth, the most wretch Scottish films mentioned at the ~. on 1 July 1999, television pro ed, servile, miserable, pathetic beginning of this article. In par- ~ grammes used the soundtrack trash that was ever shat into ticular, it is the variety and high lt from the film for their coverage c ivilization." Of course, part of artistic quality of these films that lri of the event. All of this has led the attraction of the film was makes the Scottish film scene !~ one critic (or rather fan) to enti that it was not typical of Scot so vibrant and interesting to- 1« tle a book Broveheart: From Hol land - it was about global youth day - in contrast, some crit- u· lywood to Hofyrood (cf. Ander culture and the club and drug ics have argued, to the more !~ 3 son). In cinematic terms, the scene as much as it was about commercially oriented English/ fJ most important consequence (post)Thatcherite Britain or Ed ~ritish scene (cf. Blandford). lt[ of the film's reception for Scot inburgh, and its style was more 1s perhaps too early to talk of fü land was a government review reminiscent of Tarantino than of a viable and sustainable Scot- !: of the film industry which led to Bill Forsyth. lt was also very clev tish film industry, but a start has ~ the establishment of the fund erly marketed and included a been made with the founda- r1' ing and development body soundtrack of hugely popular tion of institutions and organi- [C Scottish Screen, which can be 'Britpop' bands as well as lggy sations such as Scottish Screen, [r seen as instrumental in the fol Pop. On the other hand, Trains the Glasgow Film Office, the K lowing renaissance of Scottish potting, which was adapted Screen Academy Scotland, K film. from lrvine Welsh's cult novel Filmcity Glasgow and Ecosse t Much more important for the of the same title (1993) , fea Films, as well as the involve-f aesthetics and the themes of tures strong Scottish accents ment of several broadcasters in r the new Scottish film than this and taps Scottish traditions like film production, such as Chan- t import, however, were the first 'booze and violence', Calvinist nel 4 (which co-produced both ) two films by the Scottish-English self-loathing and the hard man Shallow Grave anc:j Trainspot- ·. team of filmmakers Danny Boyle figure. lt was thus the flrst suc ting) and BBC Scotland. In ad- ~ (director), John Hodge (screen cessful example of a Scottish dition, Scottish-born actors •··. play) and Andrew Macdonald film that managed to depict a have made an increasing im- : (producer), who partly profit vital yet largely overlooked side pact on global cinema, follow- : ed from the newly established of Scottish life with honesty and ing in the footsteps of the lone ·.•. funding possibilities: Shal/ow humour, while also appealing Hollywood Scot Sean Connery: 1. Grave and Trainspotting. The to a wide international young next to the high-profile exam-[ first of these was a clever little audience. This, together with its ples Ewan McGregor and Rob- f i·.. thriller set in the more upward stylistic innovations (such as the ert Carlyle, one would have to f ly mobile Edinburgh and pio fast-paced opening sequence mention · Robbie Coltrane, Billy f neered a new speedy and 'hip' or the fantastic dream se Boyd, Ewen Bremner, Dougray l. t style for Scottish films (while at quences), made Trainspotting Scott, Kelly Macdonald and Til- f the same time borrowing from the starting point of the new da Swinton (an adopted Scot), f the Gothic-Calvinist tradition Scottish cinema. 4 who won an Oscar in 2008 fod' of James Hogg or Robert Louis her role in Michael Clayton, os ~;i Stevenson). The second meant The New Scottish Film: Some well as the belated film careerl'.} the international breakthrough General Observations and Two of Billy Connolly. Perhaps even ~: not only for the filmmakers and Case Studies more important than that, sev- ~r. some of the a.ctors, notably Since the breakthrough of eral m. ajor fil~making ta_lents l·'·:·:.•.•·•.•· .1 Ewan McGregor and Robert Trainspotting, Scotland's vis have emerged 1n Scotland 1n re-[f> ; Carlyle, but also for a Scotland ibility on screen has been sig cent years, among them Lynne ~! , on screen that was at a far re nificantly enhanced. This is not Ramsay, Peter_Mullan, Pa~I La- ~! 1 move from both Brigadoon only due to the (re)discovery of verty and David Mackenz1e. ln ~r 1 and Braveheart a Scotland of Scotland as a setting for interna the ~ollov:ing m?re detailed at- ~t\i the drug-consuming underclass tional big-budget productions tent1on will be g1ven to two films~y , of the housing estates whose like the Harry Potter films or The which are representative of the ~"t opinion of their harne country Da Vinci Code and some low- 'new' Scottish cinema.

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