Cinema

New Films
The Happy Lands
Sun 5 May, 12:00
It’s 1926 and the General Strike is underway. Only eight years
after the end of the First World War, many of the survivors of
trench warfare have a new fight on their hands – this time
against the coal companies that have an economic
stranglehold on miners and their families across the nation’s
coalfields. Set in the Scottish village of Carhill in the heart of
Fife, The Happy Lands follows the journey of one mining
community as they are pushed into an increasingly brutal
conflict with the Kingdom Coal Company during a seven
month lock out. “Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the
day” is the miners’ cry as the coal company demands longer
hours for less pay. Inspired by true stories from local families
in Fife, The Happy Lands follows the journey of law-abiding
citizens who become law-breakers in an increasingly bitter
battle against the state.
Seeking to ensure an accurate vision of life in Fife’s mining
communities during the 1920s, director Robert Rae and his
team spent four years interviewing 1,000 people, uncovering
stories and memories handed down through the generations.
Taking 88,000 hours of recalled history, blending it with original
newsreel footage and featuring a cast of largely nonprofessional
actors (many of whom were discovered during
the interview stage), The Happy Lands stands as a testament
to the early days of trade union solidarity and the ongoing fight
for a decent wage.
Dir: Robert Rae
UK 2013 / 1h48m / Digital / 12A
12 www.dca.org.uk
Tambo & Juliet
Wed 22 May, 20:45
Glenn Millar, the Dundonian filmmaker
responsible for Bored of the Rings and Godsend
departs from his previous fantasy-style
adventures with Tambo and Juliet, a
contemporary reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s
enduring story of star-crossed lovers.
Set against the backdrop of modern day Dundee
and spoken in full local dialect and idiom, the film
lends a new perspective to the much-loved tale
as Tambo Mackenzie (Mathew Reilly), an
optimistic yet ill-fated young lad from Pentland,
falls hopelessly in love with the headstrong Juliet
Campbell (Melissa Paterson) from the Hilltown.
She is determined to defy her parents’ wishes for
her to find a nice local lad with a "wee bit o'
money". Not satisfied with her parent’s choice of
lad for her she takes up with bad boy Tambo.
With a bit of help from their confidante Lawrence
(Chris Scott), Tambo and Juliet plan to start a life
together. Their plans are shattered when their
relationship is discovered, and with old grudges
remembered and emotions running high,
escalating conflict leads to murder on both sides.
Their worlds falling apart, the desperate lovers
make one last bid for escape.
Gritty, funny, melancholy and poignant, this is
a captivating story which is both classic and
contemporary, giving new relevance to
Shakespeare’s timeless tale. Dundee's
landscapes, city centre, allotments, parks,
'backies' and living rooms are transformed to
become the stage upon which the plot unfolds,
making the city one of the stars of the show.
Tickets £5.
Dir: Glenn Millar
UK 2013 / time tbc / Digital / 18