Star of the silver screen
SUSAN NICKALLS LOOKS AT THE RICHNESS OF THE SCOTTISH LANDSCAPES AND
CITYSCAPES THAT HAVE PROVIDED THE BACKDROP TO MANY FAMOUS FILMS
Films are big business nowadays, not just at the box office, but at the tourist office. Given the fantastical quality inherent in films, it isn’t surprising that an increasing number of people want to visit the locations to experience for themselves something of this magical dream world.
With its breathtaking natural scenery and romantic castles, Scotland has provided a spectacular backdrop for many films, and these locations in turn have attracted tourists from all over the world.
The ‘Braveheart factor’, as VisitScotland calls it, contributes between £15m and £20m ($24m – $32m) a year to the Scottish economy.
But even before Braveheart, Scotland was on the film-making map with classics such as Hitchcock’s 1935 version of The 39 Steps with its dramatic shots of the Forth Rail Bridge and Compton Mackenzie’s 1949 comic masterpiece Whisky Galore!, which transformed the island of Barra into a whisky-lover’s paradise.
Hollywood created its own take on Scotland in Gene Kelly’s 1954 musical Brigadoon without shooting a frame of film outside America. However, the romantic tartan and heather image was a powerful one, and although Brigadoon has since been eclipsed by Braveheart, there are still some tourists that come in search of this contrived chocolate-box nirvana.
While these films generated a steady trickle of interest in Scotland, it was Bill Forsyth’s 1983 film Local Hero starring Burt Lancaster that really captured the imagination of tourists, particularly Americans, who .....
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By Susan Nickalls
Section : Scotland on film
Page number : 24
