Brigadoon , Braveheart and the Scots: Distortions of Scotland in Hollywood Cinema

The films Brigadoon and Braveheart have an enormous resonance both for Scots throughout the world and the wide audience of non-Scots for whom such films provide general impressions of Scottishness . This provocative book discusses the films’ representations of Scotland and the Scots, looking at that cluster of images and stories whereby Scotland is (mis)recognized and yet often comes to be known . Colin McArthur explores Brigadoon and documents the contempt the film has elicited, particularly from the Scots intelligentsia. He succumbs to Brigadoon’s charm, but finds no such mitigating features in Braveheart . Tracing the film’s appropriation by political, touristic and sporting figures, he argues that, far from being about Scottish history, it is primarily about Hollywood and its cinematic traditions. He looks at the way film distorts history and examines Braveheart’s sinister appeal to the proto-fascist psyche.