''Small Faces'' is a 1996 Scottish drama film directed by

Gillies MacKinnon Gillies MacKinnon (born 8 January 1948) is a Scotland, Scottish film director, screenplay, writer and painting, painter. He was born in Glasgow and attended the Glasgow School of Art where he studied mural painting. Following this he became an a ...

about gangs, specifically the

Tongs Tongs are a type of tool used to grip and lift objects instead of holding them directly with hands. There are many forms of tongs adapted to their specific use. Design variations include resting points so that the working end of the tongs d ...

, in 1960s Glasgow. It stars

Iain Robertson Iain Robertson (born 27 May 1981) is a BAFTA award-winning Scottish actor. He portrayed "Lex" in the cult Glasgow gang film ''Small Faces.'' Robertson is also known for his work in the long-running children's drama ''Grange Hill'' and '' The D ...

, Joseph McFadden, Steven Duffy,

Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director best known as Dr. Owen Hunt in ''Grey's Anatomy'' and Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's '' Trainspotting'' (1996). McKidd played Colin in the 2008 film Made of Hono ...

Laura Fraser Laura Fraser (born 24 July 1975) is a Scottish actress. She has played Door in the urban fantasy series ''Neverwhere'' (1996), Kate in the film '' A Knight's Tale'' (2001), Cat MacKenzie in the BBC Three drama series '' Lip Service'' (2010–20 ...

, Mark McConnochie,

Clare Higgins Clare Frances Elizabeth Higgins (born 10 November 1955) is an English actress. She is a three-time winner of the Olivier Award for Best Actress; for '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1995), ''Vincent in Brixton'' (2003), and ''Hecuba'' (2005). She mad ...

, Garry Sweeney,

Colin McCredie Colin McCredie (born 8 June 1972 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, best known for his roles as DC Stuart Fraser in the STV drama ''Taggart'' and Nick Morrison in ''River City''. His film appearances include ''Shallow Grave'' (1994) ...

and

Alastair Galbraith Alastair Galbraith (born 1965) is a New Zealand musician and sound artist from Dunedin. Career Galbraith's first band was The Rip, which he formed with Robbie Muir, and Mathew Ransome and later Jeff Harford (of Bored Games). They released two ...

Plot

Three teenage brothers – gang member Bobby, artistically minded Alan and 13-year-old Lex – are growing up with their mother on Glasgow's South Side in 1968. Events which will have consequences for all concerned start to get out of control when Lex accidentally shoots Malky, the leader of the Garaside Tongs street gang, with an air gun.

Cast

Production

The film was produced in 1995 by Skyline Productions in association with the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Film Fund. The film was shot on location at various districts in Glasgow, including

Darnley Darnley is an area in south-west Glasgow, Scotland, on the A727 just west of Arden (the areas are separated by the M77 motorway although a footbridge connects them). Other nearby neighbourhoods are Priesthill to the north, Southpark Village ...

Sighthill Sighthill may refer to: * Sighthill, Edinburgh Sighthill is a suburb in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The area is bordered by Broomhouse, Edinburgh, Broomhouse and Parkhead, Edinburgh, Parkhead to the east, South Gyle to the north, the indu ...

Partick Partick (, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and to the north Broo ...

Merrylee Merrylee is a neighbourhood in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde within the Newlands/Auldburn ward surrounded by other residential areas: Newlands, Cathcart and Muirend, and is a housing scheme consisting of ...

Mount Florida Mount Florida () is an area in the south-east of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Origins The Glasgow district of Mount Florida originated on the "Lands of Mount Floridon", which were described in detail when offered for sale at auction on 21 ...

and

Bishopbriggs Bishopbriggs (; ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the Glasgow city centre, city centre. Shires of Scotland, Historically in Lanarkshire, the area was once part of ...

and in Edinburgh.(2014) "Edinburgh the film set", Film Edinburgh, p. 9 Scenes were also shot at the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; ) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design. These are all awa ...

. The song "

In The Year 2525 "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" is a 1969 hit song by the American pop-rock duo of Zager and Evans. It reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for six weeks commencing July 12, 1969. It peaked at No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for t ...

" by

Zager and Evans Zager and Evans was an American rock music, rock-popular music, pop Duet (music), duo active during the late 1960s and early 1970s, comprising Denny Zager (born February 14, 1944, Wymore, Nebraska) and Rick Evans (born January 20, 1943, Lincoln, ...

is used as music over the closing credits.

Release

The film won 'Best British Film' at the

Edinburgh Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...

. It was released on 19 screens in the UK on 5 April 1996 and grossed £52,590 in its opening weekend. The film received a

BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works (su ...

Certificate of 15 (intended for audiences aged 15 and over) within the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Some argued that because of the violence and adult themes portrayed in this film, an 18 certificate would have been more suitable.

References

External links