FILM PREVIEW
I Everybody Wins ( 15) Nick Nolte is the shambling private detective employed by femme fatale Debra Winger to reopen a murder case in this small-town thriller. penned by Arthur Miller. Opens Thurs 18.
movie bucks bring this Bruce Willis vehicle to the screen. The world‘s greatest eat burglar is lured out of retirement by a host ofegomaniacs. Vatican art experts and CIA hoodlums. More Moonlighring than Die Hard. Opens Fri 12.
'.,.J' ‘1» I Journery Of Hope (PG) Powerful tale ofa Turkish family who undertake a perilous voyage to Switzerland in order to begin a new life as illegal immigrants. Winner ofthe 1991 Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Sec preivew. Opens Sun 21.
. .2 . . I Kill Me Again ( 18) The. Kilmer clan is in action in
thisfllm noir-ette of faked
murder and double crosses. played against the
background ofcasino
culture. See review.
. Opens Fri 12.
L__ __
20 The List 12 — 25 July 1991
IHutlson Hawk-('15) Big I 5
!
Building a character
Ken Loach‘s slice of construction site life Riff Raffhas brought him his fourth prize at Cannes. Alan Morrison talks to Scottish lead Robert Carlyle about paint, plasterboard and dancing with Madonna.
About halfway through Ken Loach's
latest film RiffRaff. Glaswegian building-site worker Stevie returns to his London squat after another
exhausting day. and is greeted by his
Irish girlfriend Susan offering a birthday cake. A look ofsurprise. confusion and anger crosses his face
before the tears begin to well up. It‘s
a touching moment that says a lot about the two characters and the situation they find themselves in. ‘What binds Stevie and Susan together is loneliness.‘ explains Robert Carlyle. who plays Stevie.
"I‘hey‘re like chalk and cheese. their
relationship is doomed from their first meeting. but they don‘t have anybody else. They‘re both in exactly the same situation. although they‘re living in entirely different worlds.”
It‘s now several months since the filming of szfRaff. and the Scottish actor is sitting in a trendy Glasgow cafe. sipping a cappuccino. It‘s a world away from that ofthe film. although Stevie‘s world is familiar enough to Carlyle. Before his acting
career took off. he spent five years as
a painter and decorator. and at eighteen spent a year and a halfon
construction sites in London. In fact.
director Loach insisted that his cast had site experience in order to bring authenticity to the film set.
‘Stevie has more guts than I would
ever have.’ he admits. ‘sleeping
rough on the streets and finding
himselfasquat—that is different
from my experience. But in terms of
the building site itself. the conditions
and the banter. things haven‘t
changed in ten years as far as I can see.‘
Leaving Glasgow. Barlinnie and
his real name behind him. Stevie arrives in London and in a working ‘ environment that is. by all accounts.
fairly typical of its kind — overrun by rats. devoid of unions and safety
standards. populated by men from
Liverpool. Birmingham. Glasgow. Belfast. It is estimated that there are
on average three deaths a week on 1 cowboy sites. and because the
workers use false names to avoid tax. their families can't be informed.
While the film uses this argument of
centralised employment on a political level. it also works on a . personal level with the characters. as
Carlyle explains.
‘When he left Glasgow. his name was Patrick. but he goes back really as Stevie. By the time he comes
back. he's as much an outsider in his own town as he is down there.‘ Carlyle's own return home after three months‘ filming was less bleak. but — because he refuses to rest on his laurels— no less difficult. After graduating from the RSAMI) in 1986. he worked with the likes of TAG and 7:84. while picking up parts in Taggartand The Bill. Ilis theatre roles gave him a taste for ensemble and collaborative work. and over the past few months he has been the driving force behind Rain Dog Theatre Company. Glasgow , post- 1990 is not the best place to find 1 funding for a new and innovative ' theatre project. but Rain Dog has I already picked up a Paper Boat { Award for their Mayfest production I
Robert Carlisle in am min =
of the Carlyle—directed One Flew ()H’I' The Cue/(00 "s New.
It seems that a week in Cannes and being flavour of the festival when Riff Raff‘won the International ('ritics Prize has not gone to his head. even ifhe is another who can tell the tale. The Night I Danced With Madonna. "l'he Madonna party was phenomenal.‘ he says. just a little starry-eyed. ‘All sorts of people were hanging round. like John-Paul (iaultier. Eddie Murphy. Tina Turner. The only parties I‘ve been used to. you sit with a couple of cans behind a couch.'
R 1'_ ff Rajfupr’ns u! the Cameo. Edinburgh on Fri [2 .