Sean Connery

Hi everyone! In this article I will present you one of my favourite actor and producer: Sean Connery.  I’m sure most of you must know him because he is a very famous actor especially for his role in James bond! Hope you will enjoy this summary of his life and his career.

Firstly, Thomas Sean Connery, named Thomas after his grandfather, was born in Fountainbridge, an area of Edinburgh, in Scotland. His mother, Euphemia McBain, was a cleaning woman, and his father, Joseph Connery, was a factory worker and lorry driver. His paternal grandfather's parents emigrated to Scotland from Ireland in the mid-19th century. The remainder of his family was of Scottish descent, and his maternal great-grandparents were native Scottish Gaelic speakers.

Connery is a member of the Scottish National Party, a centre-left political party campaigning for Scottish Independance , and has supported the party financially and through personal appearances.

His career:

In 1951, to win extra money, Connery helped out backstage at the King's Theatre, he became interested in the proceedings, and a career was launched.

In 1961, the London Express organized a competition to find the new actor for the role of the secret agent James Bond. Sean Connery was reluctant to commit to a film series, but understood that if the films succeeded his career would greatly benefit. Finally, he won the competition in front of 600 candidates, and started to play the hero in seven episodes:

•   1962: D^r No, by Terence Young

•   1963: From Russia with Love, by Terence Young

•   1964: Goldfinger, by Guy Hamilton

•   1965: Thunderball, by Terence Young

•   1967: You Only Live Twice, by Lewis Gilbert

•   1971: Diamonds Are Forever, by Guy Hamilton

•   1983: Never Say Never Again, by Irvin Kershner (non-official)

All seven films were commercially successful. James Bond, as portrayed by Connery, was selected as the third-greatest hero in cinema history by the American Film Institute.

The creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming, doubted Connery’s casting, saying : « He's not what I envisioned of James Bond looks » « I’m looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stunt-man ». But, he changed his mind after the successful first presentation of Dr No.

Although Bond had made him a star, Connery eventually tired of the role and the pressure the franchise put on him, saying "I am fed up to here with the whole Bond bit" and "I have always hated that damned James Bond. I'd like to kill him".

He made his last apparition as James bond, in Never Say Never Again.

Sean Connery also collaborated with many famous film directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Richard Lester, Steven Spielberg (in Indiana Jones and the last Crusade), and many others.

In 1986, with the movie The Name of the Rose, he won the British Academy Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role

In 1987, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Untouchables.

He received critiscm because he didn’t want to break with his Scottish accent for respect to his country.

When Connery received the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award on 8 June 2006, he confirmed his retirement from acting.

Sean Connery 

Dr. No trailer

Eloïse Monel 

Braveheart

Braveheart is a historical war film directed by Mel Gibson in 1995. The story is based on Blind Harry's poem The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace. It has been described as one of the most historically inaccurate modern films. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards.

Braveheart was one of the most popular films of 1995. Nearly three hours long, it cost about $53 million to make, and has been compared to the great historical epics of the 1960s, such as Spartacus.It stars Mel Gibson as Wallace, French actress Sophie Marceau as Princess Isabella, and Patrick McGoohan as King Edward I. Gibson also directed and produced the film.

Braveheartwas shot partly in Scotland and partly in Ireland, where 2,000 members of the Irish army were used as extras in the film’s very impressive battle scenes.

It is said that Braveheart has had an effect on today’s Scottish movement for complete independence

Braveheart is based on the life of William Wallace, one of Scotland’s greatest national heroes, and took place in the 13th century. The English King Edward I invades Scotland and makes himself its ruler. Many Scots want to fight back but need leadership, and find it when William Wallace turns from peaceful farmer to rebel, after an English sheriff kills his wife. He gathers an army of a few thousand men and not only defeats the English but takes the war into their own country. But the murderous King Edward is not a man to be stopped so easily, and the Scottish nobles are too afraid of him, and too jealous of each other, to support William for long. Even though William wins the love and secret help of the King’s daughter-in-law, Princess Isabella, he cannot stand against England and his own countrymen as well. When the English return to Scotland, all William has left is his courage and integrity.

This film has an impressive effect on tourism. Fans came from all over the world to see the places in Scotland where William Wallace fought, also to the places in Scotland and Ireland used as locations in the film. In 1996, the year after the film was released, the annual three-day "Braveheart Conference" at Stirling Castle attracted fans of Braveheart, increasing the conference's attendance to 167,000 from 66,000 in the previous year. They mostly said the film was one of the main reasons for their visit in Scotland. In the same year, a tourism report said that the "Braveheart effect" earned Scotland ₤7 million to ₤15 million in tourist revenue, and the report led to various national organizations encouraging international film productions to take place in Scotland.

 

Annbut

Scottish cinema

Hello everyone! Previously, we have spoken about some famous actors and we have seen that Scotland has also been the birthplace of many film directors.

So, in this article, I will present you a little bit of the history of the cinema in Scotland.

It’s during the First World War that the cinema appeared in Scotland.

Before the arrival of the cinema, the music hall was an entertainment place particularly appreciated by the Scottish people. In fact in 1917, there were more than hundred projecting rooms in Glasgow.

Then, in 1927 the Green’s playhouse, an entertainment complex, was built in Glasgow, it was at this period the most important European cinema. The complex included a cinema, ballroom and tea rooms. It had been designed by the architect John Fairweather and built by the Cinema Building Company. However, because of the decline in audience numbers, the Green playhouse had to diversify in a music venue until the closure in 1973.

Green’s playhouse

Scotland is also famous for its festival: The Edinburgh International Film Festival.

It’s an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events which takes place each June.

It has been presented in 1947 by the Edinburgh Film Guid, and it's the world's oldest continually running film festival.

This festival presents UK and international films in all genres and lengths.

Cinema takes an important place in Scottish culture, and we can say that the history of Scotland has inspired many film directors, such as Mel Gibson with the film Braveheart.

Moreover, Scottish places have been the scene of different movies such as The 39 Steps directed by Alfred Hitchcock, in which we can see the Forth Bridge and Glen Coe, two important places in Scotland.

Eloïse Monel