The Flying Scot [DVD]

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The Flying Scot is a 1957 British second feature [1] crime film produced and directed by Compton Bennett and starring Lee Patterson, Kay Callard and Alan Gifford. [2] The film was released in the U.S. as Mailbag Robbery. [3] A gang plans to steal a half-a-million pounds' worth of banknotes from an express train.

Billy Boyd as Malky McGovern: Obree's manager. When approached to have a role in the film, Boyd knew only the "basic elements" of Obree's story. [6] Boyd, being Scottish, felt it important to have the right script and further promote Scottish film. The Flying Scot' is a justifiably good example of the genre. Well crafted and cheap to make! The story is quite simple. Ronnie, a young impetuous American crook, played by Lee Patterson, is looking for 'the big one', and proposes to rob the Mail Train by drilling through the compartment walls whilst the train travels from Glascow to London. COMMENT: "The Flying Scot" starts off most ingeniously with not a word spoken for the first 15 or 20 minutes. Of course, the idea was stolen from "Rififi" but it's still a suspenseful one even in this grade "B" work-out. The sequence turns out to be a neat joke on the audience, and thereafter the film follows a more predictable course. Daly-Peoples, John. "Flying Scotsman". National Business Review. Archived from the original on 3 May 2007 . Retrieved 28 June 2007.Brian Cox as Douglas Baxter: A minister who helps Obree chase his demons and concentrate on his goal. Cox, a seasoned actor, had been working in Europe before returning to Scotland to shoot the film. He commented that the story is one of "perseverance and passion". He said, since seeing the film, "[t]he end result is even better than I hoped – it's a masterpiece." [6] a b c d e " "The Flying Scotsman" production notes" (PDF). Verve Pictures . Retrieved 28 June 2007. This is a film I recall seeing a few times as a 'B' movie in the cinema. It concerns an attempt to rob a train of cash. It's a pretty poor movie to be honest. but quite good fun... so when it came up in the listings for the 'Talking Pictures' channel .. I recorded it. I've just watched it and noticed that the train pulls out being hauled by what looks a bit like a 'Scot' or similar engine.. though not seen too clearly. A little later the same train is being hauled by a fully streamlined 'Coronation' class and yet later by a rather indistinct thing which might be a B1.. Later still another loco, this time with smoke deflectors. And when the train finally pulls into the station for the last scenes, it is very clearly being hauled by a Great Western engine.. possibly a Hall or a Castle.. I'm not 'up' on such things. Wade, Mike (19 October 2002). "Obree's life story gathers momentum with Miller". The Scotsman . Retrieved 28 June 2007.

a b c d e Dawtrey, Adam (23 July 2006). " 'Flying Scotsman' defies gravity". Variety . Retrieved 28 June 2007. The bonus features are an alternate opening sequence – merely 78 seconds revealing a title card for the American release – and a non-interactive still gallery running to 46-seconds. The main two extras are interviews. First is a near-17-minutes talk with Steve Chibnall, Professor of British Cinema, titled ‘The Flying Scot and the history of the British B-movie’. The second is around 13 minutes with writer and journalist Barry Forshaw, who, we are told, has written about British crime films. These are worth dealing with together, as they are both very standard examples of the talking head interviews seen on such legacy releases, and they cover the same ground without covering the same facts. Both contextualise the B Movie, much as summarised above, talk about the film itself, and look at the career of Compton Bennett (best known for 1950’s King Solomon’s Mines). The cast were perhaps less well-known (this was a low-budget picture after all) featuring a confusing mix of American’s and English actors which had the net effect of making some of the noirish dialogue a bit out of place on occasion. This genre has now been overtaken by the TV cop programme. Not surprisingly, in the 1970's companies like ITC snapped up many of the people who had once worked in 'B' movies.The Flying Scot is a compact, claustrophobic British B-movie gem directed by Compton Bennett ( The Seventh Veil, Man-Eater) and written by Norman Hudis ( Carry on Nurse, The Duke Wore Jeans) and Ralph Smart ( Always a Bride, Bush Christmas). Bradshaw, Peter (15 August 2006). "The Flying Scotsman". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006 . Retrieved 28 June 2007. Shooting of the film began on 7 July 2006 and ended 4 September 2006. [3] The film was shot largely in Galston, Scotland, with East Ayrshire, Glasgow and velodromes in Germany standing in for places in the story such as Colombia, France and Norway. [8] Release [ edit ]