Task 2: Scotish Cinema

Scottish cinema is some what hidden away by the limelight of both the British Cinema, which in it's self is hidden away by the 'Big 6'. However some very influential films have been created in Northen Ireland, to name a few:

1. Braveheart
2. Mac Braveheart
3. Brigadoon
4. Gregory's Girl
5. Local Hero
6. Rob Roy
7. That Skinking Feeling
8. The Wisher Man
9. Trainspotting
10. The 39 Steps

Question: Which film stars Bradd Pitt as an IRA member?

Answer: The Devil's Own

Noteable Scottish Actors:

1. Sir Sean Connery-Still at the top of his profession after fifty years, Sir Sean is one of the most bankable
   stars in the world and shows no sign of slowing down. He returns in 2008 in the fourth Indiana Jones film.
2. Billy Connoly-While remaining one of the world's best-loved stand-up comics for over thirty years The Big Yin has also found time to carve out a niche as a well respected dramatic actor, perhaps most memorably as Queen Victoria's gamekeeper in 1997's Mrs Brown, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA.
3. Tom Conti-One of the finest character actors Scotland has ever produced. Well worth seeking out is his performance as a drunken poet in the 1983 classic Reuben, Reuben, which also stars a very young, pre-Top Gun Kelly McGillis.
4. Denis Lawson-Familiar to a generation of cinema-goers as Wedge Antilles in the first three of George Lucas's Star Wars films, Perthshire-born star, Lawson's finest hour was undoubtedly as the charmingly scheming Gordon Urquhart in Local Hero. He's also Ewan McGregor's uncle!
5. Ewan McGregor-Without question, one of the biggest names to emerge in Scottish cinema in recent
   years, Ewan McGregor has starred in over thirty films since he burst onto the scene in Shallow Grave in the early 90's. He now also works as a highly respected UNICEF ambassador.
6. Kelly Macdonald-Another graduate of the Trainspotting cast, Kelly Macdonald enhanced her reputation no end with an understated performance as a maid in Robert Altman's masterful 2001 murder mystery Gosford Park.
7. Robert Carlyle-After his unforgettable role as Francis Begbie in Trainspotting, Robert Carlyle went on to play the lead in The Full Monty – one of the highest grossing British films of all time. He's also been a Bond villain: Renard in 1999's The World is Not Enough. Not bad for a boy from Maryhill.
8. Bill Patterson-One of the most prolific and respected actors ever to emerge from Scotland, Bill Paterson has been impressing audiences since the late 1970's. He's worked extensively in both film and television, appearing in productions as diverse as Auf Weidersehen Pet and The Killing Fields.
9. Daniela Nardini-Best known for her portrayal of hard-living lawyer Anna Forbes in the hit TV series This Life, Largs-born Daniela Nardini also appeared recently in the criticallyacclaimed movie, Festival, a black comedy set during the Edinburgh Festival.
10. Peter Mullan-While not yet a household name Peter Mullan is one of Scotland's most respected actors and has appeared in a huge variety of hit films, from Trainspotting to Braveheart, as well as in many lesser-known critical hits like Young Adam (with Ewan McGregor) and My Name
11. Brian Cox-Born in Dundee and a recent recipient of the CBE, Brian Cox is now a major Hollywood star. He was also the first actor to play Hannibal Lecter, appearing as the monster psychiatrist in Michael Mann's Manhunter long before Anthony Hopkins took on the role.
12. David Tennant-The Bathgate-born actor who almost single-handedly made Dr Who cool again, Tennant started his career as an extra in Rab C. Nesbitt! Will soon surely be moving onto great things on the big screen . . .
13. Gerard Butler-Since leaving Glasgow University Law School Gerard Butler has gone on to carve out a formidable Hollywood career, appearing in projects as diverse as blockbuster epics like 300 and a the film version of the Phantom of the Opera musical. Tantalisingly he is set to play Robert Burns in the upcoming movie Burns, but shooting has once again been postponed.

http://www.scotland.org/celebrate-scotland/organise-anevent/
event-ideas/scottish-film-night/actors.html

Noteable Scottish Directors: 

Peter Mullan

• Was born on the 2 November 1959, in Peterhead, Scotland, UK
• At the age of 19 he became interested in film, and due to this experimented by making many short films.
• He wasn't admitted to the National Film School, so he decided to dedicate himself to acting, and made his debut in the theatre in 1988 before moving to cinema and television.
• Fame came with the parts he played in such films as Riff-Raff (1991) by Ken Loach, Braveheart (1995) by Mel Gibson and Trainspotting (1996) by Danny Boyle, but above all when he won for best leading actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998 for My Name Is Joe (1998), once again by Loach.
• The Magdalene Sisters (2002) is the second feature-length film he has directed. He also directed a few episodes of the BBC TV series, "Cardiac Arrest" (1994), which earned him a best director nomination from the Royal Television Society.
• Over his career he has claimed a total of 22 awards these for several reasons. Which tend to be centered around My Name Is Joe and The Magdalene Sisters. 

Bill Forstyh

• Was born on the 29 July 1946, Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK, he is know for his directing and commitment to film. Forsyth first came to attention with a low-budget film, That Sinking Feeling, made with youth theatre actors and featuring a cameo appearance by the Edinburgh gallery owner Richard Demarco.
• Relative success of the film was carried to a far higher level by his next film Gregory's Girl in 1981. This featured some of the same young actors, in particular John Gordon Sinclair, as well as the acting debut of the singer Clare Grogan. The film was a major hit and won 'Best Screenplay' in that year's BAFTA Awards.
• In 1983 he wrote and directed Local Hero, produced by David Puttnam, and featuring Burt Lancaster. It was rated in the top 100 films of the 1980s in a Premiere magazine recap of the decade.
• Forsyth's next film was the 1984 Comfort and Joy, about a Glasgow radio DJ caught between rival ice cream companies, which again featured Clare Grogan.
• Forsyth had limited success in Hollywood. The 1987 Housekeeping was his first American film.
• Another movie, Being Human, was shelved by the studio for four years after Puttnam was ousted. Gregory's Two Girls from 2000 appeared as a sequel to Gregory's Girl, with John Gordon Sinclair playing the same character, but it received mixed reviews. In a June 2009 interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, Forsyth stated that he is currently working on a new film project with the working title of Exile.

Similarities and Differences to Mainstream British Cinema:

The majority of the cast tend to be Scottish, which is easily identified due to their accents, which is similar
to British cinema, as the characters tend to be in the majority English with accents that easily identify the
nation. Such as the posh southeastern accent.
The films tend to be aimed towards a predominantly Scottish audience, due to the use of slang and local
terms. This could also seen in certain British films with the use of cockney slang.
One of the main differences will be the setting, as Scottish films will use their lush available scenery as well as the cities. Where as British cinema tends to be either on farmlands or crammed into urban areas.
Both tend to be similar in terms of realism and national identity with the lower budget films, but the more higher budget films play to the stereotypes to increase the market for their production.