While
Im
worth
my
room
on
this
Earth,
I
will
be
with
you,
While
the
Chief
puts
sunshine
on
Leith,
Ill
thank
him
for
his
work,
And
your
birth
and
my
birth
SUNSHINE
ON
LEITH,
THE
PROCLAIMERS
SYNOPSIS
Home is where the heart is for best pals Davy (George Mackay) and Ally (Kevin Guthrie).
Returning from duty in Afghanistan to their lifelong residence in Leith, just outside Edinburgh,
the lads kindle romances old and new: Ally with Davys sister Liz (Freya Mavor), and Davy with
Yvonne (Antonia Thomas), his little siss best friend from work. Meanwhile, their parents Rab
(Peter Mullan) and Jean (Jane Horrocks) are busy planning their 25th wedding anniversary.
Everythings going swimmingly, until a revelation from Rabs past threatens to tear the family
and all three couples apart. Dexter Fletcher directs Sunshine on Leith; a jubilant, heartfelt
musical about the power of home, the hearth, family and love, adapted from the acclaimed
stage musical by Stephen Greenhorn and featuring the euphoric music of The Proclaimers.
Sunshine on Leith was produced by Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich for DNA Films, and
Arabella Page Croft and Kieran Parker for Black Camel Pictures. Dexter Fletcher directs from a
script by Stephen Greenhorn. The Director of Photography is George Richmond. The Musical
Director is Paul Englishby. The film stars Peter Mullan, Jane Horrocks, George Mackay, Freya
Mavor, Kevin Guthrie, Antonia Thomas and Jason Flemyng.
But I would walk five hundred miles, and I would walk five hundred more,
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door
IM GONNA BE (500 MILES)
eventually go see it, they admit to feeling blown away by the experience. I thought it was
fantastic, recalls Charlie. It was quite surreal and moving listening to your own stuff sung back
at you by actors. You could feel the tears rolling down a few times.
I think the secret is that Stephen really listened to the lyrics, adds Craig. He told the story
through not just what he felt about what the lyrics said, but something beyond that. Hes an artist
himself. What hes done is magical.
The Proclaimers have always told stories with their songs, which is what makes them ideally
suited to a musical. It didnt take the media to dub Sunshine on Leith MacMamma Mia for
others to spot its filmic potential, among them Glasgow-based producer Arabella Page Croft,
who runs Black Camel Pictures with her husband Kieran Parker. The show was very loved in
Scotland, she notes. We faced some competition to get the rights.
Seeking to capture any stage musicals spirit, in particular one that delivers the sense of uplift
and joy to audiences that Sunshine on Leith does, is an especially daunting challenge. Cinema
screens and DVD bargain bins have been littered with the detritus of failed attempts in recent
times, because a musical can never just be about catchy tunes, its got to start with the story
and the characters. In this regard, Page Croft wisely recognised that keeping Greenhorn on
board was of paramount importance to any successful adaptation, and the writer went through
three drafts of a script that moved Sunshine on Leith from its heightened theatrical origins into a
more naturalistic cinematic universe.
The biggest task was taking those characters and putting them in a recognisable world for a
film audience, explains Greenhorn. It was about making the leap into a gritty, dirt-under-thefingernails experience of life, Leith and Edinburgh.
As much as she was able to move the script forward in terms of storytelling and financing,
however, Page Croft still couldnt help wondering at times how I was going to sell this funny,
idiosyncratic Scottish musical that means so much to all of us to the rest of the world. Enter
Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich of DNA Films, producers of some of the most acclaimed
British films of recent years, including 28 Days Later, The Last King Of Scotland and Never Let
Me Go. DNA delivered the rocket-fuel injection Sunshine on Leith needed. It felt like we were
catching that wave again for a second time, observes Greenhorn.
Like Page Croft, Macdonald had also been alerted to the stage show by a friend and when he
found out that she owned the rights and was already developing a script, he quickly got in touch.
She sent me the script and it had what I was looking for, which was heart, says Glasgow-born
Macdonald, adding Ive always wanted to do a musical. The fact that it was from Scotland
made it all the more appealing.
Not everyone in Macdonalds circle was as smitten as he was by the notion of a Scottish
musical featuring music by The Proclaimers. That includes my wife! he laughs. His DNA Films
partner was another early sceptic.
4
I thought it was going to be the story of fantastic twin musicians making it on the Scottish music
scene, which sounded a little bit niche, admits Reich. But when I read the script, I was
completely captivated by the story and the characters. The second time I read it, I had my web
browser open to YouTube and played all the tracks at the point they came in the story. It was so
seamless that I thought The Proclaimers must have written some of the songs specifically for
the musical. I was amazed to discover that Stephen had woven it all together from pre-existing
tracks.
DNA approached their first foray into musicals with serious intent. In particular, Macdonald was
keen that the narrative, despite embracing universal themes, be anchored as locally as possible
in its Leith setting. He asked Greenhorn to do another draft taking out any elements that had
been added in to appeal to an international audience. For instance, rather than support
Scotlands national football team, the characters are now passionate supporters of Leiths local
club, Hibernian F.C. (aka Hibs).
When you look at films like The Full Monty and Four Weddings, they are very specific to their
social and geographical setting, explains Macdonald. Id had a lot of success with that, too,
with Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, which were both set in Scotland. I knew that was
important to do.
Also imperative was a streamlining process that saw the number of songs reduced from 20
down to 13. I did feel very sentimental about losing some of the songs, Page Croft admits. But
it needed the tough love that DNA gave to it. They made some very sensible decisions. While
the musical spine of the stage show has survived largely intact for the film, each song
underwent a rigorous test about the structural role it played in the emotional arc and momentum
of the story. No space for hangers-on, however beautiful or melodic. Every tune had to earn its
place.
There wasnt a huge amount of to-ing and fro-ing about the story or the characterisation, says
Greenhorn. All the big arguments were about whether a certain song should stay or go. People
get so attached to their favourites. The survivors making up Sunshine on Leiths final track list
are: Sky Takes The Soul, Im On My Way, Over And Done With, Misty Blue, Make My Heart
Fly, Lets Get Married, Oh Jean, Hate My Love, Then I Met You, Should Have Been Loved,
Sunshine on Leith, Letter From America and Im Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Encouraged by the positive collaboration they had enjoyed with the company on their previous
production Dredd, Macdonald and Reich subsequently approached Entertainment Film
Distributors, Britains largest independent distribution company and a long-time supporter of UK
film production. Entertainment agreed to provide the financial backing to Sunshine on Leith with
additional support also coming from the BFI and Creative Scotland.
He was also enamoured by the topicality of British soldiers returning home from a modern-day
war, trying to readjust into a world that had changed since they were last there. And, of course,
he loved the songs, translating the energy and enthusiasm of a musical onto the screen while
keeping the story and characters firmly grounded in reality.
As an actor himself, Fletcher brings an intuitive understanding of people, feelings and
performance to the set. Hes a great communicator and a great presence, observes
Macdonald. Everybody likes Dexter, everybody wants to work for Dexter, everybody wants to do
more for Dexter. Thats a great talent to have on a film set.
Hes basically putting on a show with this film, adds Reich. You had to feel this energy and
electricity running through the story. It can be hard getting people to feel as energised in the
sixth hour of a shooting day as they were in the first, but Dexter has a way of doing that. Hes
just fantastic with people and he had a great relationship with George Richmond, the Director of
Photography. Theyve filmed this in a way that is properly appealing.
When were old, if they ask me, How do you define success?
Ill say, You meet a woman, you fall in love, you ask her and she says yes
LETS GET MARRIED
For Jean, the slightly bohemian woman who works in an art gallery and sings the title song, the
filmmakers felt it was important to find an actress with an accomplished singing voice. They
approached Horrocks, whose musical talents are renowned thanks to her highly praised stage
appearances in CABARET, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and, of course, THE RISE AND FALL OF
LITTLE VOICE. The latter is a role for which Horrocks is justly revered and she was lauded with
a BAFTA nomination as Best Actress for the shows 1998 film adaptation, Little Voice.
At Macdonald, Reich and Fletchers first breakfast meeting with The Proclaimers at the Balmoral
Hotel in Edinburgh, the brothers were thrilled when informed that Horrocks was in the frame,
labelling her their dream actress to portray Jean. I thought, Id better get her now! laughs
Reich, who had tracked the actress down to Greece, where she was on holiday, to pitch her the
project (she, in turn, had sung Letter To America down the line).
It was really nice to be able to sing again, says the actress. Because lots of people do ask
me, When are you going to do something with singing again? During Sunshine on Leith, the
foundation of Jean and Rabs till-death-do-us-part commitment to each other is shaken to its
core. Jean finds her vision of what her life has been shattered, and its all she can do to cope
with the trauma. The two actors relished the opportunity to play the emotional highs and lows of
Jean and Rabs story opposite each other.
I have great admiration for Peter. Hes a superb actor and very compelling on screen, says
Horrocks, who began practicing her Scottish accent with her sons maths teacher, who happens
to be from Leith. Hes a complete example of not appearing to do very much on film while being
completely magnetic.
It goes without saying that Jane is a great actress and a great singer, says Mullan, returning
the compliment. But more important to me is the fact that shes a nice person and a great
laugh. Thats important to me on a set. When they shout action, you do your thing, whether it be
heavy or light, and when they shout cut, you come back into the real world. And Janes definitely
of that school.
Cause I never seem to know the time when youre with me,
You can tell it to the birds, Ill tell the bees
MAKE MY HEART FLY
Yvonne is a nurse who has been living in Scotland for two years, explains Thomas. Shes a
bit jaded about love after breaking up with her previous boyfriend, so doesnt think she wants to
meet anyone. But when her best friend Liz introduces her to Davy, they immediately hit it off. Its
a whirlwind romance.
While Yvonne and Davy enjoy the honeymoon phase of their new romance, Ally is eager to take
his relationship with Davys sister Liz to the next level. Liz, played by newcomer Freya Mavor,
isnt nearly so sure. Star of the fifth and sixth seasons of E4s BAFTA-winning series Skins and
scion of a Scottish arts dynasty (her father is an award-winning playwright while her grandfather
once ran the Scottish Arts Council), 19-year-old Mavor sang a Celtic folk ballad at her audition
that mesmerised the filmmakers. It was one of those moments where your jaw drops and a tear
forms in your eye, recalls Fletcher.
Although now resident in Paris, Mavor was born in Glasgow and raised in Edinburgh, and had
gone with her drama class to see the third production of SUNSHINE ON LEITH. Me and my
friend were particularly obsessed with Oh Jean because of the dramatic way the actor
performed it, Mavor enthuses. It really stuck in our minds. She was the first person I told when
I got the job and she was so thrilled.
Like her friend Yvonne, Liz is also a nurse. Shes also the most bubbly, energetic and ambitious
member of the Henshaw clan. When Ally re-enters her life, Liz is at a proverbial fork in the road,
wondering whether to venture forth from the warmth and protection of Leith into the wider world,
namely a nursing job in Florida. Shes craving this idea of travel and of experiencing something
new, something unknown, explains Mavor. Shes never had that whereas Ally has, even
though it did come in the army. Hes been to all these places and she envies that a little bit.
Guthrie is the other young Scot in the cast and originally hails from the village of Neilston, south
of Glasgow. Its very much like Leith in the sense that its community oriented, people are very
friendly, everyone knows each other, says Guthrie, who arrived on set as the biggest fan of The
Proclaimers amongst the younger cast. Guthries credits include performing at the Trafalgar
Studios in London in an acclaimed production of MACBETH this year, playing Lennox opposite
James McAvoy as the titular Scottish lord. Sunshine on Leith is the actors second film after a
part in Harmony Korines Trash Humpers, and his director credits him with a fantastic energy
and a glint in his eye. He just felt right straight away.
Early in the auditioning process, Guthrie was reading to play Davy while MacKay was reading
for Ally. One crazy night Dexter phoned me and said, We need to flip the roles around, says
Guthrie. He thought our energies were more in tune with the other characters and I think he got
it absolutely right: I sit better in Allys skin and Georgie-boy sits better in Davys skin.
Guthrie describes Ally as a lovely guy with a wild-eyed determination to get everything right.
He is rocked by what happens on tour in Afghanistan, and returns to Scotland determined to
11
settle down with his childhood sweetheart. Hes completely besotted by Liz, says Guthrie.
Allys a great part in this story. I really thrive on coming to work every day.
All of Sunshine on Leiths main cast adored working with Fletcher. He is the coolest guy on the
planet, says Guthrie. He brings this energy and charisma and charm and fire hes buzzing
the whole time to the set. Hes a great team player but he also appreciates that he needs to
rely on the strengths of his individual actors. He likes every take to be slightly different so you
were never repeating yourself.
Hes such a people person, adds MacKay. He enjoys trying to understand peoples motives,
emotions, feelings and relationships. Id describe his directing as social, in that its a study of
people and their interactions. Dexter always wants to know whats natural and whats real,
whether its during the songs or in between them.
Hes made the whole experience a joy, echoes Mavor. His energy is contagious, which is
great when youre working long hours on a film set. Hes like this firecracker walking around,
oozing this aura of positivity!
The younger cast the four kids! laughs Mavor all lived in the same Glasgow apartment
block, forming a tight bond, partaking of the citys active nightlife and launching their own
rendition of Come Dine With Me during the shoot. Georges was brilliant, says Thomas. He
made a creamy chicken pasta with vegetables, which was delicious, and pineapple with ginger
and mint for dessert. Kevins is next; Ive got some ideas up my sleeve but Im waiting to see
what he pulls out of the bag before I plan my menu. I go last but Ive already got my whole
evening planned, chimes Mavor. Got to go out with a bang.
Rounding out the cast is Jason Flemyng as Harry, Jeans boss at the art gallery, who holds a
torch for her and expresses his feelings in the showy, up tempo number, Should Have Been
Loved. I love Jason we have a deal that he has to be in every film I do, says Fletcher. His
song is a hard one to pull off. I needed somebody who could bring a larger-than-life personality
to that moment without it feeling too far out there.
Jason turned up with such energy and excitement and a decent Scottish accent, says
Greenhorn. The number he sings plays an important role in the last third of the film. It lifts the
energy when everythings started to get a bit sombre. Jasons the perfect man for that. He
brightens up the screen.
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When the inspiration is above my station, thoughts are melancholy and I let them
pass,
I tend to view this nation through the condensation on a dirty glass
MISTY BLUE
SHOOTING IN SCOTLAND
Befitting a film with Sunshine in its title, the goal was always to create a visual warmth and
upbeat mood. Helping Fletcher achieve this was Director of Photography George Richmond,
who had also helped the director make his first film, Wild Bill, look far grander than its modest
budget.
I remember George saying to me, I know its called Sunshine on Leith but do you think well
really get sunshine in Edinburgh in November? says Macdonald. I said, Of course we will!
And fortuitously, during the week the production scheduled to shoot exteriors in Edinburgh, the
sun shone every day.
Despite being set in Leith and Edinburgh, for reasons of financing most of the shoot took place
in the neighbouring city of Glasgow. I loved spending proper time in Glasgow, says Horrocks.
The people are fantastic, really friendly. Ive been put to shame, actually, how unfriendly I am
living in London! You come here and everyones so helpful and the architecture is superb. I did
a Rennie Mackintosh weekend last weekend.
Shooting in Scotland was a homecoming of sorts for Macdonald, having shot his first two films,
Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, in that part of the world, and he wanted to make sure it looked
appealing and inviting. Native son Greenhorn found himself very impressed when he saw the
results. It makes me homesick for Scotland watching the film, says Sunshine on Leiths
originator. I wrote it partly as a love letter to Leith and to Edinburgh, and I think that shines
through in the way that George has photographed it. I think its going to be a pleasant surprise
for people used to darker film portrayals of Scotland.
13
as construct scenes around songs, record vocals and work out choreography. Macdonald
describes the rehearsal process as almost like putting on a show. Every week they would put
on this show in a church and we could all see how the characters were developing within the
films musical set-pieces. It was a fulfilling process.
Anyone expecting the jazz-hands-style dance numbers often associates with the musical genre,
not typically in a positive way, will be disappointed by Sunshine on Leith. Until the last
sequence, the choreography in each musical number ranges from fairly simple and un-showy to
virtually non-existent. Some of the dancing was very choreographed and some of it was just
what we felt in the moment, explains Guthrie. It was a living-breathing entity every day. It
changed, wed try different things, we turned the volume up and down.
Depending on where a song fit into the narrative and the mood it was required to evoke, the
tempo of the bands songs were sometimes altered for Sunshine on Leith. Hate My Love, for
instance, is traditionally an aggressive, hard-hitting number but has been slowed down to
become a tender ballad sung by Jean in her bedroom, when shes feeling heartbroken by her
husbands perfidy. Englishby pared the song right back to its minimalist roots, using only two
guitars and Horrocks voice.
The Proclaimers have such a visceral sound that its nice to perform the songs in a softer way,
says Horrocks. I think female voices bring out their lyrics in a very different way.
In a climactic sequence at the heart of the film, Mullan belts out Oh Jean to his wife at a
raucous ceilidh celebrating their silver wedding anniversary, shot at a working mans club in
Glasgow decorated by thousands of fairy lights and colonised by 120 extras. By all accounts,
Mullans emotive crooning, played during takes, made more than a few eyes glisten on set. I
watched all their faces on the playback and nobody stuck their fingers in their ears or pretended
to have a migraine so they could run off set, the actor jokes. I didnt want to let the side down
but I dont see any record producers saying, Peter, could you sing Val Doonicans greatest
hits?
Horrocks rendition of Sunshine on Leith was also tipped by several cast and crew as a tearsin-the-eye moment. Some of the actors were more out of their comfort zone than others; many
had singing lessons to guide them through the process. It was a massive challenge but I love a
challenge, Guthrie grins. Its about thinking that youre acting through the song rather than
performing it as a number. But the music of The Proclaimers is so brilliant that its very much
storytelling.
The stories The Proclaimers wanted to tell might not always match the films interpretation. But
Greenhorns genius in playing the Proclaimers songs against expectations has already been
praised by the brothers. For instance, Sky Takes The Soul, the films intense, fearful opening
number, features Davy and Ally singing about the imminence of death as their troop carrier
trundles along a dusty road in Afghanistan. When Fletcher asked the Reid brothers the
15
inspiration behind the songs resonant lyrics, they explained it had been written in support of the
Tamil Tigers.
The reality of what each song is for Charlie and Craig might be a million miles away from how it
connects to our film, says Fletcher. Stephen took those songs and made them very personal
moments for these characters. The song Misty Blue is really talking about what it means to be
Scottish, and we use it as a love song. Its interesting using songs that are written as big
statements in this very personal and detailed way. It adds so much texture and gravitas to the
storytelling, which is great for a musical.
Lets Get Married plays out as a cheeky, all-male declaration of how to propose to your
intended in a Hibs-supporting pub. The deeply political Letter To America, which touches on
everything from the ethnic-cleansing Highland Clearances episode to the Thatcher-era
decimation of Scotlands heavy industries, becomes a heartfelt ballad sung after Liz has left for
Florida, while Make My Heart Fly is given a tender, folky rendition by Guthrie and Mavor. And
Should Have Been Loved, which was filmed in Glasgows Kelvingrove Art Gallery and
performed by Flemyng, Horrocks and two other women, is delivered as a straight-up folk-rock
standard.
When you hear Make My Heart Fly, your heart really does fly, observes Horrocks. I was
struck by how fantastically poetic their songs are. Theyre amazing folk songs.
And, of course, theres the Reid brothers most anthemic and globally recognisable tune, Im
Gonna Be (500 Miles), which provides Sunshine on Leith with a magnificently upbeat finale.
Determined to deliver a big emotional pay-off for the audience, Fletcher pushed to make it the
productions one added element: a large-scale musical number that was shot outdoors on the
streets of Edinburgh, featuring MacKay, Thomas and 500 extras all belting out The Proclaimers
iconic ode to romantic devotion.
That song has got a power and a life beyond the band, says Craig Reid. Theres the song and
then theres the band. That song is so much bigger than anything else weve ever done, and
probably ever will do.
16
socialism, and they still tour for, on average, six months of every year, performing at concert
venues and music festivals all over the world.
As soon as you tell a taxi driver in Glasgow youre doing The Proclaimers musical, they all burst
into song, 500 Miles or Misty Blue or whatever, says Thomas. Theyre a huge part of the
cultural fabric in Scotland. Horrocks got to experience their local popularity first-hand when she
attended the halftime draw at a Hibs game with Allon Reich, listening as 30,000 supporters
belted out the teams anthem, Sunshine on Leith. It was very evocative, say Reich.
Macdonald recalls going to see the Celtic soul brothers at the Town & Country Club in Camden
in the 80s and 90s. The NME was still popular and they were still young, he smiles. They
started out cutting edge, they probably went through a period where they were considered a bit
naff, and now theyve become classic. Some people did raise their eyebrows when I said I
wanted to do Sunshine on Leith but when people see it, I think theyre going to fall in love with
The Proclaimers all over again.
This film covers big themes: family, love, relationships, bereavement, he continues. But its
also full of humour and joy. It has a very big heart.
For all its downbeat moments, its an upbeat story, concludes Reich. We want people dancing
out of the cinemas.
18
its 2011 spring/summer campaign. She also won the Fashion Icon of the Year Award at the
2011 Scottish Fashion Awards, beating Tilda Swinton! In 2012 Freya was nominated for the
Best Actress award at the TV Choice Awards. And in 2013 Freya was named as one of Screen
Internationals Stars of Tomorrow.
KEVIN GUTHRIE (ALLY)
Kevin was born and brought up in his hometown of Neilston, Paisley in Scotland. He trained at
the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, graduating in 2011. He was granted permission
to leave his training early to perform the title role in John Tiffany's National Theatre of Scotland
Production of PETER PAN (2010), also starring Cal MacAninch as Hook. This provided the
platform for the body of work Kevin has built now, including major credits with National Theatre
of Scotland, Frantic Assembly, Royal Shakespeare Co., as well as TV credits with BBC, ITV,
Endor Productions among others including Restless (2012), Case Histories (2011) and Field
of Blood (2011).
JASON FLEMYNG (HARRY)
Prolific in his output, Flemyng juggles a hugely successful career both in the UK and the US.
He has worked repeatedly with Matthew Vaughan and Guy Ritchie on the box office smash
X:Men: First Class (2011), the critically acclaimed Kick Ass (2010), Stardust (2007), Layer Cake
(2004), Mean Machine (2001), Snatch (2000) and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998).
He has worked on David Finchers award winning The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(2008). Flemyng has also starred in Mike Newell's Great Expectations (2012), Joe Wrights
Hanna (2011), Clash of the Titans (2010), Eran Creevys Shifty (2008), The League of
Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), From Hell (2001) opposite Johnny Depp and Rock Star
(2001) with Mark Wahlberg.
TV credits include Black Mirror: The Waldo Moment (2013), Primeval (2007), Losing Gemma
(2006), Ghost Squad (2005), Quatermass Experiment (2005), Alice in Wonderland (1999),
Tess of the DUrbervilles (1998), Stephen Spielbergs Young Indy (1992) and Danny Boyles
For The Greater Good (1991).
Highlights of his theatre career include CORIOLANUS (1990), AS YOU LIKE IT (1990),
MOSCOW GOLD (1990), BARBARIANS (1990) and ALLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL
(1990) all at the RSC Barbican.
21
(2002)and Stephen Frears' Dirty Pretty Things (2002). Previously at Film Four, he worked on
many productions including Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Shallow Grave (1994), The
Madness of King George (1994), Brassed Off (1996) and Trainspotting (1996).
ARABELLA PAGE CROFT AND KIERAN PARKER (PRODUCERS)
Arabella Page Croft and Kieran Parker run Glasgow based Black Camel Pictures. The
company currently have two feature films in post-production including their first musical
Sunshine on Leith (2013) a coproduction with DNA, starring Peter Mullan and Jane Horrocks.
They are also just finishing Kierans directorial debut Outpost 3: Rise Of The Spetsnaz (2013)
which is the their third feature film in their action horror Outpost trilogy. Their recent credits also
include: Outpost (2008) starring Ray Stevenson, Outpost 2: Black Sun (2012) starring Richard
Coyle and Catherine Steadman and psychological thriller Legacy starring Idris Elba. This year
they also released Outpost Defence an iphone app and a graphic novel Outpost Projekt
Unbesiegbar. They are married with two children.
DNA FILMS
DNA is run by Andrew Macdonald and his producing partner Allon Reich and is one of the UKs
most successful production companies. Productions include Dredd (2012), Never Let Me Go
(2010), The Last King of Scotland (2006), Notes on a Scandal (2006), 28 Weeks Later (2007),
28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), The Beach (2000), Trainspotting (1996) and Shallow
Grave (1994).
BLACK CAMEL PICTURES
Black Camel Pictures is a successful Scottish based feature film and multi-platform company
run by producer duo team Arabella Page Croft and Kieran Parker. The company has built their
reputation around their low budget action horror series Outpost (2008), Outpost 2: Black Sun
(2012) and Outpost 3: Rise Of The Spetsnaz (2013) and they also produced the psychological
thriller Legacy (2010).
CREATIVE SCOTLAND
Creative Scotland is the national development agency for the arts, screen and creative
industries. We will invest almost 83m of Scottish Government and National Lottery funding
during 2012-2013. Our vision is: That Scotland is recognized as a leading creative nation one
that attracts, develops and retains talent, where the arts and the creative industries are
supported and celebrated and their economic contribution fully captured, a nation where the arts
and creativity play a central part in the lives, education and well-being of our population.
www.creativescotland.com
23
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In television he has designed both small and large-scale productions including the critically
acclaimed Cambridge Spies (2003) and God On Trial (2008) through to Robin Hood (2006)
and the Bletchley Circle (2012).
Awards have included 2 BAFTA nominations for television and Film with a win in the category of
Best Film Craft for the film Late Night Shopping (2001).
Mike won the Golden Arrow award for Commercial Design for his work on the Robinsons
commercial for the miniature set of a birdhouse interior.
As well as working in Film and Television, Mike has taken his work into colleges and schools
giving tutorials at Newcastle University and working in Glasgow schools teaching the principles
of film production design.
GEORGE RICHMOND (DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY)
In 2008 George picked up the Best Cinematography award at both the Syracuse and Monaco
Film Festivals for his work on Marek Loseys stunning debut feature, The Hide (2008), which
marked the beginning of his move into lighting. His extensive Camera/Steadicam operator
credits include War Horse (2011), Quantum of Solace (2008), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
and Children of Men (2006), for which he received the Society of Camera Operators Historical
Shot Award. George went on to shoot Dexter Fletchers BIFA nominated directorial debut, Wild
Bill (2011) and Nick Murphys Blood (2012) starring Paul Bettany and Mark Strong. He is
currently lensing The Great Train Robbery: A Robbers Tale (2013) for director Julian Jarrold.
ROSIE KAY (CHOREOGRAPHER)
Rosie Kay trained at London Contemporary Dance School and formed Rosie Kay Dance
Company in 2004. The company regularly tours the UK and Internationally with dance theatre
productions. Theatre based works include ASYLUM (2013), THE WILD PARTY
(2012), DOUBLE POINTS: K, SUPERNOVA (2009) and 5 SOLDIERS- THE BODY IS THE
FRONTLINE, THERE IS HOPE (2010) for the company as well as dance films 5 Soldiers, The
Wild Party (2012) and 22 (2010). Outdoor works include THE GREAT TRAIN DANCE which
took place on a steam train on the Severn Valley Railway and BALLET ON THE BUSES created
with Birmingham Royal Ballet. Rosie Kay Dance Company was nominated as Best Independent
Dance Company by the National Dance Awards, Critics Circle 2012. Currently Rosie Kay Dance
Company is touring nationally with THERE IS HOPE (2013), a work that explores religion, faith
and belief.
Rosie Kay is a former Rayne Foundation Fellow which has led to secondments with Anthony
Minghella in Africa and an attachment with the 4th Battalion The Rifles which lead to the work 5
SOLDIERS. Kay has just completed choreographing the musical feature film, Sunshine on Leith
(2013). Kays new work, Acts of Possession will premiere at Edinburgh festival this year. Rosie
Kay is the Leverhulme funded Artist in Residence at the School of Anthropology and Museum
25
Paul's talent at successfully delivering a broad and exciting range of scores is also
demonstrated in his previous film and television work, which includes Hamlet (2009) a movie
adaptation of the RSC's hugely successful stage; An Englishman In New York (2009), The Peep
Show team's 'Magicians'; Brit comedy Confetti (2006), and the film Ten Minutes Older (2003)
featuring works from award winning directors Spike Lee, Werner Herzog, Bernardo Bertolucci,
Claire Denis, Mike Figgis, Jean Luc-Goddard and more.
Pauls current projects include the third series of 'Luther' (2010) and Sunshine on Leith (2013).
Coming up are the two follow up films to Page Eight.
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The Observer
Review by Mark Kermode
**** (4 stars)
Dexter Fletcher's Sunshine on Leith is a sprightly and unabashed adaptation of the Dundee
Rep's much-loved stage show, spinning a Mamma Mia!-style narrative around the songs of the
Proclaimers. Anyone familiar with the Brothers Reid's back catalogue will be able to figure out
several key plot points in advance; someone will go to America in order to send back a letter;
someone else will promise to walk 500 miles, and indeed 500 more; a central character called
(Oh) Jean should very probably have been loved; there will be a boisterous proposal of
marriage; and everyone will venture from misery to happiness today (aha, aha, aha). As always
with such jukebox jamborees, part of the pleasure is in seeing how inventively the writers can
string together a coherent story from a random selection of song titles and lyrics, and the cheeky
creakiness of some of Stephen Greenhorn's more jarring key changes merely adds to the
overall sense of stupid pleasure.
It helps that the Proclaimers' songbook is every bit as sturdily flexible as Benny and Bjrn's
uber-text. We open in an armoured vehicle travelling through Afghanistan in which the
assembled squaddies sing Sky Takes the Soul a surprisingly effective overture ending
inevitably in earth and clay. From here we move to Edinburgh where our battle-worn heroes
(George MacKay and Kevin Guthrie) attempt to rebuild their lives and loves, picking up the
pieces of relationships with friends and family in inevitably circumlocutious fashion.
Hearts are broken and mended, tears cried and dried, children lost and found, secrets and lies
kept and revealed. It's easy to sneer at the level of cheesy contrivance with which the dots are
joined, but actor-turned-director Dexter Fletcher brings the same gutsy oomph to the
proceedings that characterised his previous film, Wild Bill, giving this movie real down-to-earth
charm.
The cast are game, too, leading on the front foot as they hop, skip and jump their way across
picturesque cobbles and scenic streets, always ready to have a go. Some are accomplished
musical theatre veterans (Jane Horrocks voice of an angel), others not so (Peter Mullan
Tom Waits on meds), but everyone gives it their all. As for me, I shed a tear within the first 10
minutes, and spent the rest of the movie beaming like a gibbering, love-struck fool. By the time
Horrocks launched into a hospital bedside rendition of the title song, I was quivering like a jelly
on a plate.
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The Telegraph
****
(4
stars)
Sunshine
on
Leith,
a
film
based
around
13
Proclaimers
songs,
will
give
you
tingles
of
happiness.
countrys ongoing struggle to keep its sons and daughters close: Youre a Scot. Weve always
had to travel to get work, Rab laments, when Liz moots the possibility of taking a hospital job in
Miami.
Two years ago, in his first film Wild Bill, Fletcher proved that he is adept at finding an
authentically cinematic, feel-good airiness in habitats more suited to soap operas so perhaps
it should come as no surprise that the whole thing ends with a large crowd roaring their way
through Im Gonna Be under blazing blue skies. But by then I had lost track of how many times
Fletchers film had made me break into a grin that could span the Firth of Forth. Five hundred
smiles would be a conservative guess.
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The Guardian
Review by Catherine Shoard
**** (4 stars)
Only whales can hear Peter Mullan sing. Or, at least, truly appreciate it. To be sitting in front of
the Scot as he rasps out 'Oh Jean' to his conveniently-named missus on their 25th wedding
anniversary, is to feel your bones shake, the cinema quiver and your eardrums desperately
scramble to adjust. Mullan makes a noise almost off the register, a rich, sonic product of years
of grizzly living and fearless acting that'd make Johnny Cash feel a little reedy.
In fact, knowing Peter Mullan was in this had thrown me off track. Not being a Proclaimers nut,
I'd assumed that title of Dexter Fletcher's second film should be read with grim irony, probably
superimposed over a shot of a bloated corpse surfacing downstream at day-break. Mullan is still
most associated with raging turns in Neds and Tyrannosaur, while Fletcher's first film, Wild Bill,
was a council estate coming of age tale in which bars are for knife fights and fathers for
forgetting, if you can.
So this counts as quite the change of pace: a remorselessly rousing attempt to do for the
Scottish pub rock twins what Mamma Mia! did for Abba or Tommy for The Who. The story is
moulded to the setlist, the plot a jukebox algorithm. Two squaddies return from Afghanistan,
head to the pub ('I'm On My Way') to forget their troubles ('It's Over and Done With'), hook up ('I
Met You'), consider proposing ('Let's Get Married'), then deal with the pain of separation ('I'm
Gonna Be (500 Miles)') when one of them expresses an intention to emigrate to an inevitable
destination ('Letter from America'). Meanwhile, Peter Mullan, the dad of one of the boys, finds
his marriage to Jane Horrocks tested by ill-health and a secret daughter.
Full-throttle is only viable option for this, and Fletcher keeps his foot on the pedal throughout,
save, perhaps, during one too many Horrocks sniffathons. The leads, in particular George
MacKay as Mullan's son, are charming, perky yet palatable (no High School Musical here), and
the overall ratio of grit to jazz hands is well-judged.
This is both a no-holds-barred knees-up and an unabashed ad for Edinburgh, with barely a note
being sounded without a landmark hurrying into shot (Horrocks works at the National Gallery,
whose exterior also gets a lot of airtime; climactic scenes are played out on Arthur's Seat and
the Royal Mile). Even the hospital looks pretty swank. But it also doesn't quite airbrush the city,
nor the experience of struggling to live there if you're broke or, like Paul Brannigan's fellow
squaddie, disabled in the line of duty.
Originally a Dundee Rep production, Fletcher's decision to pick this up for the movie treatment
was an inspired one, and the idea of premiering in Toronto, though it may have ruffled feathers
in the Scottish capital, also a brainwave. For, in Canada, this counts almost as foreign language
fare. Meat and potatoes for one nation is exotic veg for another. And over here, this is being
lapped up accordingly.
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Total Film
**** (4 stars)
Following a near-fatal tour of duty, squaddies Davy (George MacKay) and Ally (Kevin Guthrie)
return to Edinburgh with a song in their hearts and rockets in their pockets.
On the eve of their 25th wedding anniversary, Davys parents Rab and Jean (Peter Mullan no
menace, just soft centre and Jane Horrocks) welcome them home; Liz (Freya Mavor) is thrilled
boyfriend Allys safe and well, so fixes brother Davy up with pretty pal Yvonne (Antonia Thomas)
to celebrate.
Yet into every life some rain must fall (even if, in this alternate Edinburgh, the heavens only
open to make the cobbles gleam by moonlight): Rabs past comes back to haunt him, and nurse
Liz has her sights set far from the Firth of Forth...
Essentially, the narrative of this Proclaimers jukebox musical is just a stretched-out soap
episode. The dialogues sparse (writer Stephen Greenhorn has deftly adapted his own stage
production), but thats all the better for putting the songs to the fore. Theyre simple but soulful
and require no previous knowledge to enjoy, with even the least well-known lodging in your
brain like youve always known the refrains.
The arrangements courtesy of Paul Englishby make the most of The Proclaimers
harmonies, adding in third and fourth parts to really make things sing.
But its the direction thats essential here. Aged nine, Dexter Fletcher began his career under
movie-musical maestro Alan Parker, as Baby Face in Bugsy Malone, and in this follow-up to
feature debut Wild Bill he puts that summer of splurge guns to great effect.
Theres such spirit on show, such dare we say it glee, youll gladly forgive the odd not-sosmooth segue into song, wobbly accent or cheapo aerial shot.
You can probably predict what the last song will be, but the fabulous flashmob finale is
something Parker himself would be proud of. Because like every good musical should, it leaves
you elated.
Verdict:
Pitched perfectly between microbudget miracle Once and all-star Aegean romp Mamma Mia!
What these songs lack in recognition they make up for in feelgood factor.
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