Restless Natives

Last updated

Restless Natives
Restless natives poster.jpg
Film Poster
Directed by Michael Hoffman
Written byNinian Dunnett
Produced by Rick Stevenson
Andy Paterson
Mark Bentley
Starring Vincent Friell
Joe Mullaney
Ned Beatty
Bernard Hill
Cinematography Oliver Stapleton
Music by Big Country
Production
company
Distributed byThorn EMI Screen Entertainment
Release date
  • June 1985 (1985-06)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryScotland
LanguageEnglish
Budget£1.2 million [1] [2]
Box office£300,000 [1]

Restless Natives is a 1985 Scottish adventure comedy film, directed by Michael Hoffman.

Contents

Plot

The story follows the adventures of two Scottish youths from the Wester Hailes district of Edinburgh, played by Vincent Friell and Joe Mullaney, who, in rebellion to their drab lives in urban Scotland in the mid-1980s, become modern highwaymen. Donning masks of a clown and a wolf-man and riding a Suzuki GP 125 motorbike, they waylay and hold up with a toy gun tourist coaches in the Highlands, but in the process becoming a tourist attraction themselves. Having acquired substantial amounts of money, they proceed to become modern-day Rob Roys, doling it out to the poor of their city by scattering it on bike rides through its streets, attracting national media attention and pursuit by the police. [3] [4]

In the end, after escaping the police, they try to hold up another coach, but it is not driven by a woman as it first seems but by a man (Ned Beatty) who has been pursuing them. The police catch up and they are arrested. But a man representing the Secretary of State for Scotland releases them because they have increased Scottish tourism by 15%. He instead organises a fake crash to explain the highwaymen's demise, with their real identities still unknown.

Themes

Restless Natives—as suggested by its title—has underlying themes beyond its superficial presentation as a light social comedy film. It was produced at a time of high unemployment in the United Kingdom, with Scotland being particularly affected by post-industrial economic blight, and being governed from London by a Conservative party that the Scottish electorate had rejected in the recent 1983 United Kingdom general election. The main storyline's premise reflected the frustration of mid-1980s Scottish working class youth, using the freedom facilitated by a motorcycle to escape into revitalizing open vistas of the landscape of the Scottish Highlands. The production was a part of a group of small-budget cinematic productions, along with titles such as Gregory's Girl (1981) and Local Hero (1983), that brought stories of contemporary life in Scotland to a global cinema audience. The film acquired cult status, being regarded as a homemade expression of local Scottish cultural pride, becoming a minor media source of insurgent Scottish cultural identity, subliminally juxtaposed to Britishness, and feeding into the developing proto–Scottish Nationalist movement in the arts, with its distinctive soundtrack from the band Big Country, whose music dealt with the same themes. [5]

Music score

The soundtrack features music from the band Big Country. This music was not released on an album but was combined into two lengthy tracks, each featuring various pieces of music and clips of actors from the film's audio, which appeared on limited edition formats of two Big Country 12" singles. The soundtrack was released on CD for the first time on the 1998 Big Country collection Restless Natives & Rarities, where it is presented as a single 35-minute track.

Production

The screenplay won a film script writing competition held by Lloyds Bank before it was optioned for production. [5] [6]

Reception

The film performed well at the box office in Scotland, but commercially failed in other markets. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamont Dozier</span> American singer-songwriter (1941–2022)

Lamont Herbert Dozier was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit. He co-wrote and produced 14 US Billboard number-one hits and four number ones in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Goldsmith</span> American film composer (1929–2004)

Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the Star Trek franchise and three in the Rambo franchise, as well as for films including Logan's Run, Planet of the Apes, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Patton, Papillon, Chinatown, The Omen, Alien, Poltergeist, The Secret of NIMH, Medicine Man, Gremlins, Hoosiers, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Air Force One, L.A. Confidential, Mulan, and The Mummy. He also composed the fanfares accompanying the production logos used by multiple major film studios, and music for the Disney attraction Soarin'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highwayman</span> Archaic term for a mounted robber who steals from travelers

A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads. Such criminals operated until the mid- or late 19th century. Highwaywomen, such as Katherine Ferrers, were said to also exist, often dressing as men, especially in fiction.

<i>Pee-wees Big Adventure</i> 1985 film by Tim Burton

Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his feature-film directing debut. It is the first installment of the Pee-wee Herman trilogy. Starring Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol, along with E.G. Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger, and Judd Omen. Described as a "parody" or "farce version" of the 1948 Italian classic Bicycle Thieves, it tells the story of Pee-wee's nationwide search for his stolen bicycle.

<i>The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert</i> 1994 Australian film by Stephan Elliott

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian road comedy film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot follows three drag queens, played by Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terence Stamp, as they journey across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named "Priscilla", along the way encountering various groups and individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ealing comedies</span> Ealing Studios films, 1947 to 1957

The Ealing comedies is an informal name for a series of comedy films produced by the London-based Ealing Studios during a ten-year period from 1947 to 1957. Often considered to reflect Britain's post-war spirit, the most celebrated films in the sequence include Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), Whisky Galore! (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Man in the White Suit (1951) and The Ladykillers (1955). Hue and Cry (1947) is generally considered to be the earliest of the cycle, and Barnacle Bill (1957) the last, although some sources list Davy (1958) as the final Ealing comedy. Many of the Ealing comedies are ranked among the greatest British films, and they also received international acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road movie</span> Film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip

A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienation and examining the tensions and issues of the cultural identity of a nation or historical period; this is all often enmeshed in a mood of actual or potential menace, lawlessness, and violence, a "distinctly existential air" and is populated by restless, "frustrated, often desperate characters". The setting includes not just the close confines of the car as it moves on highways and roads, but also booths in diners and rooms in roadside motels, all of which helps to create intimacy and tension between the characters. Road movies tend to focus on the theme of masculinity, some type of rebellion, car culture, and self-discovery. The core theme of road movies is "rebellion against conservative social norms".

<i>The Seer</i> (Big Country album) 1986 studio album by Big Country

The Seer is the third studio album by the Scottish band Big Country, released in 1986. The album featured very traditional Scottish musical settings, reminiscent of the band's debut album The Crossing (1983). Kate Bush worked on the title song in a duet with lead singer and lyricist Stuart Adamson. The album's first single, "Look Away", was an Irish number one, and was also the group's biggest hit single in the UK, reaching number 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Faltermeyer</span> German musician

Hans Hugo Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, composer and record producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingrid Pitt</span> Polish-British actress (1937–2010)

Ingrid Pitt was a Polish-British actress and writer, best known for her work in horror films of the 1970s.

<i>Desperately Seeking Susan</i> 1985 film by Susan Seidelman

Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn and Madonna. Set in New York City, the plot involves the interaction between two women – a bored housewife and a bohemian drifter – linked by various messages in the personals section of a newspaper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo Friedhofer</span> American composer (1901–1981)

Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer was an American composer and cellist best known for his motion picture scores.

<i>The 39 Steps</i> (1959 film) 1959 British thriller

The 39 Steps is a 1959 British thriller film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Kenneth More and Taina Elg. Produced by Betty Box, it is a remake of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film, loosely based on the 1915 novel The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan.

Duncan Duff is a British stage, television and film actor who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London 1985 - 1987. He is best known for His role in Not Going out as Pete and for A Quiet Passion (2016), Wild Target (2010), Big Kids (2000), and Hamish Macbeth (1997).

Scotland has produced many films, directors and actors.

<i>Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure</i> 1989 film by Stephen Herek

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the Bill & Ted franchise, it stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin. It follows Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves), who travel through time to assemble historical figures for their high school history presentation.

<i>The Tourist</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

The Tourist is a 2010 American romantic thriller film co-written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, and Timothy Dalton. It is a remake of the 2005 French film Anthony Zimmer. GK Films financed and produced the film, with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions releasing it in most countries through Columbia Pictures. The $100 million budget film went on to gross $278.3 million at the worldwide box office.

<i>The Fruit Machine</i> (1988 film) 1988 film by Philip Saville

The Fruit Machine is a 1988 British film thriller starring Tony Forsyth, Emile Charles, Bruce Payne and Robbie Coltrane in the role of "Annabelle." The film, which was directed by BAFTA-winner Philip Saville, is about two gay teen friends who are running from an underworld assassin and the police. It was produced by UK TV company Granada Productions. The film showcases the rising careers of actors Coltrane and Payne, as well as a future Academy Award winner, composer Hans Zimmer, who wrote the soundtrack.

<i>Sir Billi</i> 2012 British animated adventure comedy film

Sir Billi is a 2012 British animated comedy adventure film directed by Sascha Hartmann and written by his wife Tessa Hartmann, based on an original story they developed together. Produced by Billi Productions, the film stars the voices of Sean Connery, Alan Cumming, Patrick Doyle and Kieron Elliott. Set in the Scottish Highlands, the film follows Sir Billi, an elderly veterinarian who, with the help from his friend Gordon the Goat and the townspeople of Catterness, embarks on an adventure to rescue a beaver named Bessie Boo, while also helping her escape from a corrupt police officer. The film is Scotland's first computer-animated feature film. Connery had actually retired in 2006, but eventually joined the film's cast as a favour to the Hartmanns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Teacher (song)</span> 1986 single by Big Country

"The Teacher" is a song by Scottish rock band Big Country, which was released in 1986 as the second single from their third studio album The Seer. It was written by Stuart Adamson and produced by Robin Millar. "The Teacher" reached No. 28 in the UK, and No. 14 in Ireland. A music video was filmed to promote the single.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Alexander Walker, Icons in the Fire: The Rise and Fall of Practically Everyone in the British Film Industry 1984-2000, Orion Books, 2005 p35
  2. "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 28.
  3. "Our Top 10 Most Scottish Films - Number 7: Restless Natives". 4 March 2015.
  4. Canby, Vincent (12 September 1986). "FILM: COMICAL STRIVINGS IN 'RESTLESS NATIVES'". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  5. 1 2 "Cult Movie Column - Restless Natives | The Skinny". www.theskinny.co.uk.
  6. 'On the side of the Angels', Malcolm, Derek. The Guardian , 27 June 1985.