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William Gerald Douglas (17 April 1934 – 18 June 1991) was a Scottish film director best known for the trilogy of films about his early life.


Biography

Born in
Newcraighall Newcraighall (, ) ttp://www.gaelicplacenames.org/databasedetails.php?id=535 Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba ~ Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland/ref> is a South-Eastern suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. A former mining village, its prosperity was based on th ...
, a mining village on the outskirts of
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
. He was brought up initially by his maternal grandmother, Jean Beveridge; following her death, he lived with his father and paternal grandmother. He undertook his National Service in
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, where he met his lifelong friend, Peter Jewell. On returning to Britain, Douglas moved to London and began a career of acting and writing. After spending some time with
Joan Littlewood Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 – 20 September 2002) was an English theatre director who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and is best known for her work in developing the Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of M ...
's '
Theatre Workshop Theatre Workshop is a theatre group whose long-serving director was Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company, many of its productions were transferred to theatres in the West ...
' company at the
Theatre Royal Stratford East Stratford East (formerly known as Theatre Royal Stratford East) is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with di ...
, he was cast in the Granada television series, ''The Younger Generation'' in 1961 and had a musical, ''Solo'', produced in 1962 at
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
.


Filmmaking career

Having been interested in film-making all his life, in 1969 Douglas enrolled at the London School of Film Technique, where he wrote the screenplay for a short autobiographical film called ''Jamie''. After initial difficulties in finding support for the project, he eventually found a champion at the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
in the newly appointed head of Production,
Mamoun Hassan Mamoun Hassan (12 December 1937 – 29 July 2022) was a Saudi-born British screenwriter, director, editor, producer and teacher of film who held prominent positions in British cinema during the 1970s and 80s, frequently backing experimental work. H ...
, who secured funding on the basis that ''Jamie'' should form part one of a trilogy – echoing the great childhood trilogies of Ray and Gorky. The film was renamed ''My Childhood'', and its success on the international festival circuit paved the way for the second and third instalments of the trilogy of Douglas's formative years: ''My Ain Folk'' (1973) and ''My Way Home'' (1978). The ''Bill Douglas Trilogy'' recounts the harrowing experiences of a young boy, Jamie, growing up in material and emotional poverty with his brother and grandmother; followed by incarceration in a children's home, and then living in a hostel for down-and-outs. Eventually the call-up for national service allows Jamie to find freedom through his friendship with Robert, a young middle class Englishman who introduces him to books and the possibility of a more optimistic and fulfilling future. The austere black and white images of the films embody a stillness and intensity reminiscent of silent cinema and this visual style is augmented by the equally spare and precise use of sound. Just as the stillness of the image forces the audience to look, so the relative silence encourages greater attention to specific sounds – boots scraping on asphalt, the chirping of birds and the timbre of voices – granting an emotional power that many considered lost in the aural bombardment characterising much contemporary cinema. The ''Trilogy'' gained a wealth of critical plaudits but Douglas struggled to raise financing for his next project, and was forced to find other ways of earning a living.
Mamoun Hassan Mamoun Hassan (12 December 1937 – 29 July 2022) was a Saudi-born British screenwriter, director, editor, producer and teacher of film who held prominent positions in British cinema during the 1970s and 80s, frequently backing experimental work. H ...
, the former head of BFI Production, invited him to teach at the National Film and Television School from 1978 and he proved to be an inspiring presence. Hassan was also able, in his role as director of the National Film Finance Corporation to help realise the project of ''
Comrades In political contexts, comrade means a fellow party member. The political use was inspired by the French Revolution, after which it grew into a form of address between socialists and workers. Since the Russian Revolution, popular culture in the ...
'', Douglas's film about the '
Tolpuddle Martyrs The Tolpuddle Martyrs were six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, England, who were arrested and tried in 1834 for swearing a secret oath as members of a friendly society. Led by George Loveless, the group had ...
', six
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
farm labourers who in 1834 were arrested and tried for forming a trade union and subsequently transported to Australia. Even so, the film did not appear until 1986, six years after the screenplay had been completed. Dubbed a 'poor man's epic', ''Comrades'' continues Douglas's interest in the perseverance of the human spirit in the face of material adversity. It also brings to the fore his fascination with the world of optics and image-making, through a number of references to various forms of Victorian optical entertainments such as the
magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...
, the
zoetrope A zoetrope is a Precursors of film#Modern era, pre-film animation device that produces the illusion of motion, by displaying a sequence of drawings or photographs showing progressive phases of that motion. A zoetrope is a cylindrical variant of ...
, the
peep show A peep show, peepshow, or, a peep booth is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the devel ...
and the
camera obscura A camera obscura (; ) is the natural phenomenon in which the rays of light passing through a aperture, small hole into a dark space form an image where they strike a surface, resulting in an inverted (upside down) and reversed (left to right) ...
. The story itself is mediated by the character of an itinerant magic lanternist who reappears in a number of roles. ''Comrades'' was to be Bill Douglas's last film. He died of cancer and is buried in the churchyard of
Bishop's Tawton Bishop's Tawton is a village and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. It is in the valley of the River Taw, about three miles south of Barnstaple. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,176. Des ...
in Devon. He left behind him two unmade screenplays: ''Justified Sinner'', an adaptation of
James Hogg James Hogg (1770 – 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots language, Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a ...
's celebrated novel ''
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner ''The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner: Written by Himself: With a detail of curious traditionary facts and other evidence by the editor'' is a novel by the Scottish author James Hogg, published anonymously in 1824. The p ...
'', and ''Flying Horse'', based on the life of pre-cinema pioneer
Eadweard Muybridge Eadweard Muybridge ( ; 9 April 1830 – 8 May 1904, born Edward James Muggeridge) was an English photographer known for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, and early work in motion-picture Movie projector, projection. He ...
. Another posthumous script, ''Ring of Truth'', written during a fellowship to
Strathclyde University The University of Strathclyde () is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal charter in 1964 as the first techn ...
in 1990, was produced by
BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...
in 1996.


Personal life

Bill Douglas lived with Peter Jewell (on whom Robert of the ''Trilogy'' was based) for much of his life. Of their relationship, Peter Jewell said in 2006:


Legacy

Douglas's legacy was not confined to his films. Along with Peter Jewell, he was a voracious collector of books, memorabilia, and artefacts relating to the history and prehistory of cinema. This core collection formed the basis of the
Bill Douglas Cinema Museum The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum (formally the Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture) is a public museum and an academic research facility on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter in England. Founded in 1994 a ...
(formerly The Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture), housed at the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...
, when it opened six years after his death. The museum contains an exhibition on Bill Douglas's life and work and holds his working papers, which can be accessed by researchers. In 2012, the Glasgow Short Film Festival announced the inaugural ''Bill Douglas Award'' for their International Short Film Competition, named in his honour.


Filmography


As director


Student films (London Film School)

*''Charlie Chaplin's London'' (1969) *''Striptease'' (1969) *''Globe'' (1969/70) *''Come Dancing'' (1970)


Feature films

*The Bill Douglas Trilogy: **''My Childhood'' (1972) **''My Ain Folk'' (1973) **''My Way Home'' (1978) *''
Comrades In political contexts, comrade means a fellow party member. The political use was inspired by the French Revolution, after which it grew into a form of address between socialists and workers. Since the Russian Revolution, popular culture in the ...
'' (1986)


As writer

As Co-Writer: *''Home and Away'' (A BFI Production, directed by Michael Alexander, 1974) Unproduced scripts: *''Confessions of a Justified Sinner'' (1988), based on
James Hogg James Hogg (1770 – 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots language, Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a ...
's 1824 novel, ''
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner ''The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner: Written by Himself: With a detail of curious traditionary facts and other evidence by the editor'' is a novel by the Scottish author James Hogg, published anonymously in 1824. The p ...
'' *''Flying Horse'' (1990), based on the life of English photographer
Eadweard Muybridge Eadweard Muybridge ( ; 9 April 1830 – 8 May 1904, born Edward James Muggeridge) was an English photographer known for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, and early work in motion-picture Movie projector, projection. He ...
*''The Ring of Truth'' (1990) (Produced by BBC Scotland in 1996)


Documentaries about Bill Douglas

*''Arena'' (1979) BBC TV documentary on Douglas after he had completed the Trilogy *''Bill Douglas: On Stony Ground'' (1992) BBC Scotland documentary *''Bill Douglas: Intent on Getting the Image'' (2006) Documentary on Douglas's life and work by 400Blows Productions/Andy Kimpton-Nye *''Visions of: COMRADES'' (2009) by 400Blows Productions/Andy Kimpton-Nye *''Lanterna Magicka: Bill Douglas & the Secret History of Cinema'' (2009) Documentary on Douglas's fascination with pre-cinema optical devices, and how he integrated them into Comrades. By Sean Martin and Louise Milne *'' Peter Jewell Remembers Bill Douglas'' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcV7QKPpSuQ). A documentary short on Bill Douglas, the man and his films, as remembered by his longtime friend Peter Jewell. Made in 2013 by Andy Kimpton-Nye/400Blows Productions. *'' Pre-Cinema in COMRADES'' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLEgNiGAizM). Peter Jewell, Bill douglas's longtime friend, on the importance of pre-cinema artefacts in COMRADES. Made in 2014 by Andy Kimpton-Nye/400blows Productions. *'' The Lanternist's Account'' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP9Ug9W-omQ). A documentary short: Alex Norton recalls playing 13 different roles in COMRADES. Made in 2014 by Andy Kimpton-Nye/400Blows Productions. *'' Mamoun Hassan on the Bill Douglas Trilogy'' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0MtElXPnk0). A documentary short: former Head of the BFI Production Board, Mamoun Hassan, discusses Douglas's masterpiece, The Trilogy. Made in 2013 by Andy Kimpton-Nye/400Blows Productions.


Bill Douglas on DVD

*''The Bill Douglas Trilogy'' (BFI, 2008, Blu-ray: 2009; in the US the trilogy was released on DVD by Facets) – Also includes Douglas's graduation film, ''Come Dancing'', a brief 1980 interview with Douglas, and Andy Kimpton-Nye's documentary. *''Comrades'' (BFI, also Blu-ray, 2009) – Also includes ''Home and Away'', Martin/Milne's ''Lanterna Magicka'', and interviews with Bill Douglas from 1978 and the ''Comrades'' shoot.


References


External links


Bill Douglas Museum
*

at
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
's
Screenonline Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and tele ...

Honor for forgotten star"Glasgow Short Film Festival 2012 award winners announced (13/02/2012)"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Bill 1934 births 1991 deaths Scottish film directors Film people from Edinburgh Alumni of the London Film School