SCOTTISH FILM
SCOTTISH FILM
I Stella Does Tricks: liresh front her
overnight success in 'l‘rrrrnsprwine. Kelly Maedonald takes the lead role in :i new feature film. Sir/la [)m's ‘l‘rrcks. written by Scottish noyelist .»\. l..
I Macbeth: The latest project in development for Cromwell Productions. the makers of'l'lie Bruce and(..'/iusi'ire 'l‘lre Deer. is a new version of Shakespeare's Scottish play.
.llm bet/1. (‘omplete and unabridged. this w ill be the first in the company's ‘l)efinitive Shakespeare Series' cycle of films. [Inlike previous screen ycisions‘. Crornw'ell's .lluc/ierlr promises to bring out the Celtic aspects of the play. complete with appropriate accents for the Scottish nobles and dramatic use of local landscapes. Mac/wt: is due to shoot this summer.
1 and has received financial backing
Kennedy. The film — with backing from g
the Scottish l-‘ilm Production Fund. ("hannel l’oui'. BFI Production and the Scottish Arts Council Lottery Fund 7 began a lite-week shoot in Glasgow and London on Mon 2S Apr. :‘ylacdonald plays a Scottish teenager trying to escape her life of prostitution in London and ties to her pimp. played by James Bolan. The cast also features liw an Stewart. Hans Matheson and .loyce Henderson. Directed by (‘oky (liedi'oyc. the film is produced by Adam Barker and co-produced by Scottish filmmaker .-\ngus l.ariiont. I Centenary Reels: Winner of the NW) Award for Best Iintry in the Scottish l’ilm ('ouncil/Scottish Television (‘entenary Reels scheme (this year's development of First Reels) is Beacons. an inventive film on the influence light and shade play s on people‘s lives. by Edinburgh-based filmmakers (‘hris Dooks and Alex Norris. R unners-irp were Margaret Reeves‘s drama Sorry ’Iii Srrv lint Sammy /.\ Dem! and Hannah Robinson's .s/m‘ra. The (‘enteriary Reels films are currently being broadcast on Scottish Television. with subsequent programmes on Tue 7 May tll.25ptnl and Tue H May t l l .4tlpml.
from (lrampian 'l‘clevision. which has exclusive rights to the completed film's television premiere.
I Trainspotting at Cannes: Thcr'e's a lot of water between l.eith docks and the exclusive marinas of ( ‘annes. btit the 'Iil'rrins/mfmre crew won‘t be ottt of
their depth w hen the movie receives its
first screening outside ofthe l‘ls' at the world‘s biggest and most prestigious
film festival this month.
lny ited as part of festival director
(lilles Jacob's ()fficial Selection. but
screened ottt of competition in a
. midnight slot. 'li'rri'ii.i/m/li'irg has been honoured with the same high profile
launching pad that. in recent years. has been filled by Iv’cserr'ori' Dogs. '/'/1(' ('y‘rrrr/ .S'irs/ier'ls. 'l'lie .»l(/r‘crrlrrre.s (2f-
l’l'th'lf/(l Lttttl [it /)f(' l-‘mx ()tht' midnight movies this year include
Spike l.ee's Girl 6 and the latest from
the 'l'aviani brothers.
.-\lso of Scottish interest in the Official
’ l’estival. w hose Jury is headed by
l’rancis ('oppola. is .lru/c. starring (‘hristophei' liccleston. which shot in
'. lidinburgh last year. Other highlights include the premieres of new films by David (‘ronenberg Robert Altman.
("hen ls'aige. Michael (‘imino. Bernardo Bertolucci. Peter (lreenaw'ay. John Sayles. Takeshi Kitano and Eric Rohmer. Actors Al Pacino. Anjelica
lluston and Steve Buscemi make their
directorial debuts. '/'/I(' Lisl's on—thc- spot (‘annes report features in the next
' issue.
on LCATION A STAR IS BORN
Children of primary school age queue up to file into an old classroom in a school in Glasgow’s West End. The girls wear pinafores. ankle socks and Alice bands or pigtails. The boys wear shorts and tank tops, Oor Wullie spiky crops and cheeky expressions. Some are uncomfortable with their uniforms and all look slightly out of place. But that’s because the film crew are in ’96 while the kids are in ’69 on precisely the day which the Apollo 11 moon landing is due to take place. One by one they tell their teacher of their personal ambitions.
Under the auspices of director David Moore, they are filming one of this year’s Scottish Film Production Fund/BBC Scotland Tartan Shorts: The Star, adapted from an Alasdair Gray short story by National Film School
l
graduate John Milarky.
‘lt’s a beautiful story, only two pages,’ says Milarky. ‘I love brilliant endings and I can’t think of a better ending than a wee boy swallowing a star and zooming off into the night sky to become one, but in order for it to work in a short film I felt you needed a
V strong reason for swallowing the star.’
Indeed. So in Milarky’s script, Spud Murphy’s mother has just died and he has been told that the stars are all the dead relatives from Earth. (in his first day back at school Spud, expressiver tplayed by Gordon McCorkell, tells his teacher he intends to take steps to join his mother.
‘I take the normal and l exaggerate it,’ explains Milarky, who is currently developing the story La, A Note To Follow Soh which won him the Dennis Potter Award. ‘I don’t do it on purpose but for some obscure reason it comes out exaggerated.’ Welcome to shooting stars. (Fiona Shepherd)
I Farinelli r :5" lavish. intricate.ornamental the look of this l‘uropean period drama mirrors its subiect matter. the vocal style til tilt: ttl' ill\l\)I--\’I\ most famous castratos. Not that this is . n empty costume piece fa'nrly rivalries. the ses appeal of an lSth century pop star. the physical and mental scars of rmrtilatron -. all combine for a dramatic treat. Arid when the modern ear attunes itself. the music is sublime. Goth Century box; also l-'o.s (lurld retail at
L' l Slim
I Dead Cold i is) ,-\ftei' the tratrrna of an l.:\ carviacking. a writer and his wife head fora secluded cabin in the mountains. w here they come across a man halt- fro/en on their doorstep There's not even a hrrrt of a blush as the film brazenly rips off Dr'rlr/ ('(rl/n. right down to the title. ‘I know where I‘ve seen you before.‘ goes one bit of dialogue. ‘on one of those crime shows on TV.‘ The scenery is nice. tl‘irst Independent) I Panther l 15) Never granted the cinema release it deserved north of the border. Mario and Melvin \"an Peebles's retelling of the early days of the Black Panther movement is a rare film indeed. It takes an uncompromising political stance without becoming preachy and approaches ati epic slice of history with an energetic visual style that oo/cs vitality. (PolyClram)
I Before The Rain r IS) Three interlinked stories create a terrible. inevitable circle of violence in Milcho Manchevski's extraordinarily beautiful and moving depiction of the Balkans conflict. The opening and closing sections. set in Macedonia. show the self— destruction of quiet communities against incredible landscapes; the middle story. featuring Mikel/'s Katrin ("artlidgcfi proves that Britain was never as divorced from the events as it would like to have imagined. (Poly(iram/lilectric.
L' l 5.99)
I Ran r ISi Akira Kurosaw'a's formalised version of Kine /.('(II' is a modern cinematic masterpiece that proves the universality of Shakespeare by transferring the pl;iy"s themes to loth century Japan's patriarchal society. In this w'idescreei \ crsion. the colours are sumptuous. the
VIDEO
' iiiaiestically sweeping
battle scenes remarkable.
The special collector’s
' L‘tllllt‘ll .llSU lt‘rlllll'L‘S A.K. ""
E The Making Of Ran by in:
acslairrrcrl (‘hi'rs Marker.
which rs a fine piece of
work in itself tlarriirerc.
£19k)”,
I Morgan: A Suitable
Case For Treatment r Po;
Kttl'c‘i Rt‘ls "IS lWiti
serious corr'cdv reflects
the title ol'energv going
thio'igh the British trlrri industry at the time
David \\'arr.er play s air amiable nutter. obsessed w ith gorillas and pushed met the mental edge when his e\-w rfc
r Vanessa Redgrave! begins a new life with another man. Reis/ glosses incl some of the more disturbing issues with surreal humour. r|.umrei‘e. {9.9%
I Hangar 18 that .-\H lllt‘ classic l'l-( ) conspiracy theories come otrt to play fit this pretty poor l‘hs‘tl tttoy 1: about two
a l'S (loverntiicnt cover tip when their space shuttle collides wrtlr an alien craft. The effects are rubbish. the acting not much better. '/‘/rr' .\'~/-'/'/e.\ has knocked it into touch. r\'ision. esclusiyely from llM\'r
I Shanghai Triad l Iii [hang Yimou‘s .ltls Shanghai gangster tale is seen through the young eyes of a country boy brought to the city to act as a personal assistant to cabaret singer and mob boss's mistress (long l.i. The surface glamour of the clubs and beauty of the carrierawork hides the pow er struggles that eyeritually force the (iru/trrI/rri'style family into hiding on an isolated island. The plot drama isn't nearly as interesting
woman whose se\ual
Exotica
' astronauts fighting against
as the character study of a
Farinelli power backht‘cs; l‘ittt It’s still one of Vhairgk less enthralling works iPoly(irarrtrl’lectric.
f; l S 90'
I Can You Keep It Up For A WBBR? l in l ( ll~ t'tltll'st‘. the title's only retcrririg to the clumsy hero's attempts to hold a job for ‘1“. CH thtys \\ lllltllll getting tired Then again. as as a domestic aide. hes constantly being eriiployed bv women who gust can" keep their clothes on. Soil core. frraai' fnaar British htrriioui' from the "(ls that so abysmal it makes l'r.‘ thltll‘lc' c‘lllt‘llthcs st'cltt llls't‘ l)lL‘lsc'll\l;tlt pl‘tisc'.
r Redcrrrptron. U199)
I Last Exit To Brooklyn
r IN The working-class underbelly of New York (‘ily rri MS: is unllrnchiiigly e\posctl in l'lr ltdel‘s feature which brings a linropcan toughness to the .-\merrcan setting. Set against a dockyard strike. the film is like ()/i The Hitler/ruin dragged through low life hell. as a group of desperate individuals. including Jennifer Jason Leigh’s [it't“llltllt‘ and Stephen lung‘s closet gay union leader. struggle to survive by any means necessary. t.-\r'iow. £l5.‘?‘)i ' I Greystoke tl’( ; l The epic nature ol llugh lludson‘s Tar/an movie comes to the lore \ktlh greater ease in this w‘rdesct'een version. Not only is John .-\lc<nt‘s stunning jungle photography given the reverence it tlL‘SL‘l'YL‘S. tlte addition of a John Scott musical overture to the action gives the piece an amiroprrate sense of grandeur and theatricality. Ralph Richardson's final performance remains as touching as er. tBeyond Vision. 1.120%
I Exotica r lsr .-\toni l‘igoy‘airK character study. set in air upmarket table- dancmg _roirrt. is as iiiagnrficcntly compelling on y ideo as it was ill the cinema. Stripping away levels of behaviour and layers of narratiy c. it builds to becorrre a seductive thriller with plenty of human gritnpttssltill and wonderful per'ftirmances. t.-\rtrficral liye. {15.9%
The List 3- l() May l‘~)‘l(i