THE WALLACE CLAN aren't what you’d call feaities. Devoted to re-estahlishing thy non-v ioleiit ineansi a land-site for the ('lan. they liav e a knowledge of traditional Scottish hattlecraft that‘s terrifying unless of course they 're on your side. luckily for .\lel (iihson. the script for Brave/nor! was written by a Wallace. :lll‘t‘ll an .-\iiierican one. The Clan were delighted to contribute to cousin Randall's script. and inemhers were hired as assistant directors. fight directors. and extras for those hi'utal hattle scenes. which took six weeks to film. during which they lived on location. ‘lt w as quite traumatic when we came home hecaus‘e wed never really seen any ct\'\ _\' life iii all that time. lt was like coming out of a tiiiie capsule.’ .says Seoras‘ Wallace. chief executive of the Wallace (‘lan 'l’rust. who lost a couple of teeth in the skirmishes. Brave/ruin is screened this fortnight as the .\'lzt_vfe.st drive—in movie on (ilas‘govv (lreen the site. coincidentally. where William Wallace fottglit the Battle olfilttsgtivv' Bridge almost exactly 700 years ago. The (‘lan will he there. re-enactiiig a live cavalry charge. .-\s Seoras rightly ohsei'ves. ‘l‘olk'll no' have seen these things hefore.’ tAndrew Htlt‘ttc‘li
T/ic li’I‘tti'e/icitrt eve/i! is (If (i/(iyeon' (irt't'ii on I’l'i 3-1 .l/uv.
THE MALY DRAMA THEATRE of St l’etershurg are now a staple diet of(ilasgow”s theatre audiences. with their productions of Show III The .llor/iine .VL‘.‘ and li’roI/icrs :lm/ Sisters leaving anyone who saw them gohsinacked. This year. acclaimed director l.ev Dodin brings over the .\laly ‘s student wing to perform (fUIH'IIYIll/IUIHtI. a new ly created piece. drawn from the international touring experiences of the actors. Rather than the debauched confessional one might expect. this is a crazed meditation on the differences between Russia in its constant state of flux and the big had world outside. lit the play. hrass hands" fly through the w indow of a magical room. while young actors e\aiiiine the bodies of former Soy ict leaders with tuhas and ti'oinhoiies. ‘\\'e‘ie trying to assess our recent past.‘ says the \lalys .‘ylichael Stronen. When the changes hegan it seemed
w e'd said goodliyc to the past. hut this is an artificial approach. You realise that you can't get rid ofyour past hecause it shapes your present ~ and your future too.‘ (Neil ("oopet‘i (ftlll.\ll'r’/)/!H/‘Itl1\(t'l 'I'I'tmtiittv. (i/rtxguu. Tue 35' Mar Sit! / .lHIlt‘.
SECRETS AND LIES is wi‘itei/dii'ectoi Mile.- Leigh‘s latest portrait of ordinary people in modern Britain. [his tune the suhiect matter concerns parents and children. roots and heloiiging 'l'he central storyline follows young hlack woman llortense as she searches tor her white hiological mother (‘ynthia The theme is a veiy emotional one. hut Leigh reckons it has a wider significance. 'lt‘s ahoiit something we all w ant and need to do.' he says. ‘which is discover w ho and w hat we are.’ Scottish actress l’hyllis l.ogan features as a woman ohsessed with houi'geois standards. but the acting honours really lie with sympathetieally understated 'l‘iinothy Spall. atid Brenda Blethyn and \lai tann; .lean Baptiste as (‘yiithia and llortense. The film’s tone falls between leigli's previous two. the abrasive Naked and the gentler late /\ Nun .' ‘l thiiil; theres a great deal of sadness iii life lv .S‘ii'ecl and a great deal of lairnotii in Miler/f lcigh argues "l‘his ts'lllxl a film ahout life. and life is tiagic and comic, I don‘t consciously think. "Oh. we'd hetter have .i l‘Il o ltuinonr heie; oh. we'd hetter malse people cry at that." It iust coiiies ou'. that way hecause that‘s how life is. llitaiious and deeply sad.‘ «.-\lan Moi'i'isoiii
Sci rely ."llu’ l I(’\ up Us (if fl’zr’ (Iii/HWC’ mi /:.’/ii 'li'it tit/1' o/i Sit/1 Nil/(1v.
slaw-L. i sit“, v F
2 The List 17-30 May 1996