Bill Douglas Trilogy
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Sun 28 September 2008 // 19:30
THE BILL DOUGLAS TRILOGY
(Bill Douglas / UK / 35mm / Cert 15/ Sun 28th/ 8pm/ £4/£3)
comprising of:
MY CHILDHOOD (1972 / 46 mins)
MY AIN FOLK (1973 / 55 mins)
MY WAY HOME (1978 / 71 mins)
Bill Douglas's reputation as a film director rests largely on three films he made in the 1970s, the total running length of which is only just over three hours. Originally intended as one film – ‘Jamie’ – the 'Trilogy' was born after
producer Mamoun Hassan realised that Douglas’ approach to filmmaking was so visionary and challenging he would never find funding to make another, and suggested that the funding from the BFI could be stretched to make three films based around the same characters and situations.
Drawn from Douglas’ own experiences of growing up in the outskirts of Edinburgh in the 1940s, the Trilogy’s austere imagery and sparse yet precise use of sound are akin to cinematic poetry – dense passages of burning intensity punctuated by moments of stillness and reflection. The films won him both critical acclaim and international recognition, and yet despite making such a major contribution to British cinema, Douglas was largely ignored by the industry and made only one more film before his untimely death in 1990. Tonight we are proud to pay tribute to this highly personal and individual talent by presenting a rare 35mm screening of the full Trilogy.
(Bill Douglas / UK / 35mm / Cert 15/ Sun 28th/ 8pm/ £4/£3)
comprising of:
MY CHILDHOOD (1972 / 46 mins)
MY AIN FOLK (1973 / 55 mins)
MY WAY HOME (1978 / 71 mins)
Bill Douglas's reputation as a film director rests largely on three films he made in the 1970s, the total running length of which is only just over three hours. Originally intended as one film – ‘Jamie’ – the 'Trilogy' was born after
producer Mamoun Hassan realised that Douglas’ approach to filmmaking was so visionary and challenging he would never find funding to make another, and suggested that the funding from the BFI could be stretched to make three films based around the same characters and situations.
Drawn from Douglas’ own experiences of growing up in the outskirts of Edinburgh in the 1940s, the Trilogy’s austere imagery and sparse yet precise use of sound are akin to cinematic poetry – dense passages of burning intensity punctuated by moments of stillness and reflection. The films won him both critical acclaim and international recognition, and yet despite making such a major contribution to British cinema, Douglas was largely ignored by the industry and made only one more film before his untimely death in 1990. Tonight we are proud to pay tribute to this highly personal and individual talent by presenting a rare 35mm screening of the full Trilogy.