Sunshine on Leith

Thanks, Mike! It has been on my list to see and I love The Proclaimers!

Craig and Charlie make a cameo appearance a few minutes into the movie. Watch for them coming out of a pub while Davy and Ally are dancing down the street.

It's the best hour and 40 minutes you'll ever spend!

Mike (Auchterless)

Thank you Mike for sharing this wonderful musical. So, so, uplifting.

Lol! I thought that was them but didn’t stop to go back for a second look. :)

I adore the flashmob scene too, play, rewind, play again, repeat!!!!

If you want another film recommendation, Whisky Galore, either the 1940s original or the 2010s remake.

MC-Glasgow, I will put that one on my list to check out also. :)

The 1949 Ealing Studios classic 1949 version of Whisky Galore! is a much better adaptation of Sir Compton MacKenzie's novel than the 2016 version, as witnessed by the Rotten Tomatoes rating of 96% for the original, and 42% for the remake. Audience ratings were 84% and 49% respectively.

I've seen both movies, and I have to concur. Even though the original is in black and white, and the remake is in color, the characters in the original portray a droll Islander humor much more so than in the 2016 version. The rapid cutting sequences during the hiding of the whisky are a credit to to the Ealing Studios' film editors.

The original Whisky Galore! was filmed mainly on Barra, which is very near to Eriskay, where the S. S. Politician foundered in 1941. The events following the ship's foundering were the basis for Mackenzie's novel. The novel is a good read, if you can find it. It should still be in print.

The remake was filmed primarily in the Aberdeenshire village of Portsoy, although other East Coast filming locations were used.

The best thing to do is to watch the two movies in chronological order, to see which one you prefer. Again, the Ealing Studios' version is still my favourite.

Enjoy both movies! Now that we're hearing that Scotland may require mask wearing for at least the next few months, Scottish films may be as close to Scotland as we can comfortably get for now!

Best wishes to all.

Mike (Auchterless)

Enjoy both movies! Now that we're hearing that Scotland may require mask wearing for at least the next few months, Scottish films may be as close to Scotland as we can comfortably get for now!

My mask is a scene from the Bayeux Tapestry. One of the things I have done since Work From Home is go on StreetView for a look around different places, and YouTube videos of theme parks. My other mask is black, and came free from my employers. Comfy, but boring, and I have a beard.

The real problem of the second Whisky Galore is it ignores some of the funnier things. An Eileann nan Siar have both very Wee Free areas and very Catholic areas and the island was meant to be split between the two, so in reality North Uist.

Hi, MC,

Good thing it's not the whole Bayeux Tapestry! That would certainly keep you safe. Although breathing would be a bit of a problem! :)

Slainte!

Mike (Auchterless)

This was great ! Thanks , Mike , for posting it . Since MC brought up " Whisky Galore " ( the original , also another of my favorites . After all . how does one resist Joan Greenwood ? ) , I would like to add another - " Tunes of Glory " 1960 I first saw this when it came out , and I was fourteen . I am seventy five now , and have watched it more times than I can count . Set at Stirling Castle , shortly after the end of the Second War , with a stellar cast , it's one of the greatest films ever made - https://youtu.be/nS4HrDImcn4

Hi, Steven,

Who indeed could resist Joan Greenwood? Although I have a personal preference for Gabrielle Blunt! But it's a close call.

You're absolutely right about Tunes of Glory. That is one of the classic Scots movies. Guinness and Mills are at the top of their form, but some of the supporting actors are terrific as well, including Gordon Jackson and Duncan MacRae.

The first few times I saw Tunes of Glory, it was in black and white. It's amazing in color, especially the Criterion transfer, and especially on a television larger than 21 inches!

I know the topic has been visited on this website before, but there are many excellent movies filmed in Scotland. They may have to tide us over until we can safely return.

Happy viewing!

Mike (Auchterless)

Hiya, everyone,

The Scottish film bug has bitten me all over again! I just finished re-watching the charming and little known this side of the Pond Restless Natives. This one has some of the best Scottish scenery, as well as a really funny plot. Two Edinburgh lads, looking for a way to make money, hatch a scheme to rob tour buses in the Highlands. How they accomplish this provides the humor.

The movie was released in 1985, so Edinburgh has changed considerably in the intervening 46 years. But the Highlands haven't changed that much.

Restless Natives stars Vincent Friell, Joe Mullaney, Teri Lally, and the late Ned Beatty. It also has a cracking great soundtrack by Big Country.

The movie is available for rental on Amazon Prime and YouTube for $3.99. The NTSC DVD is currently out of stock on Amazon. But don't take my word for how good this movie is - check out some of the brief scenes on YouTube, and check out the reviews on Amazon.

As they used to say on Siskel and Ebert, "Save me the aisle seat."

Happy viewing!

Mike (Auchterless)

I'll take your word for it ! I just watched the trailer on youtube and ordered a copy from Amazon UK . This really looks good , and since I have a region free , code free DVD player , I can watch a great deal of British work that is otherwise unavailable in the States . I'll have it in about two or three weeks , And I'll write back . I noticed that Bernard Hill is in this film , I remembered him as one of the removal men in " The Chain " also from 1984 . This is one of my favorites from the late , great writer , Jack Rosenthal .

Thanks for the recommendation! We watched it over the weekend - loved the music and the story. Since our September 2020 trip to Scotland was cancelled, we've been looking for movies filmed there, so we don't feel like we're missing out quite so much (we're hoping for May 2022, fingers crossed!)

BTW, 1985 was only 36 years ago, not 46! I graduated in 1986, and you almost gave me a heart attack, thinking I was a decade older than I am! :D