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

Gillies MacKinnon Gillies MacKinnon (born 8 January 1948, Glasgow) is a Scottish film director, writer and painter. He attended the Glasgow School of Art where he studied mural painting. Following this he became an art teacher and cartoonist, and about this time ...

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. The first pair of tongs belongs to the Egyptians. Tongs likely started off as b ...

, in 1960s

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

. It stars

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

, Joseph McFadden, Steven Duffy,

Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director. Before playing the role of Dr. Owen Hunt in '' Grey's Anatomy'', for which he is widely known, McKidd appeared as Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's ''Trainspotting'' ...

, Laura Fraser, Mark McConnochie,

Clare Higgins Clare Frances Elizabeth Higgins (born 10 November 1955) is an English actress. Her film appearances include '' Hellraiser'' (1987), '' The Worst Witch'' (2017 - 2020) '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988), ''Small Faces'' (1996) and '' The Gold ...

, Garry Sweeney,

Colin McCredie Colin McCredie (born 8 June 1972 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as DC Stuart Fraser in the STV drama '' Taggart'', Nick Morrison in the BBC Scotland Soap Opera '' River City'' and in the films '' Shallow ...

and Alastair Galbraith.

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 spiral out of control when Lex accidentally shoots Malky, the leader of the Garaside Tongs street gang, with an air gun.

Cast

as Lex Maclean * Joe McFadden as Alan Maclean (Credited as Joseph McFadden) *Steven Duffy as Bobby Maclean * Laura Fraser as Joanne Macgowan *

Garry Sweeney Garry may refer to: Names * Gary (given name) or Garry * Garry (surname) Places *Cape Garry, South Shetlands * Fort Garry, Winnipeg, a district in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada * Garry Lake, Nunavut, Canada * Rural Municipality of Garry No. 245 ...

as Charlie Sloan * Claire Higgins as Lorna Maclean *

as Malky Johnson * Mark McConnochie as Gorbals *

Steven Singleton Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

as Welch *David Walker as Fabio *

Ian McElhinney Ian McElhinney (born 19 August 1948) is a Northern Irish actor and director. He has appeared in many television series in a career spanning more than forty years; notable appearances include ''Taggart'', ''Hornblower'', ''Cold Feet'', and ''Th ...

as Uncle Andrew * Paul Doonan as Jake * Colin Semple as Dowd *

as Doug *Debbie Welsh as Rebecca

Production

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

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

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

, 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, a district of the city of Edinburgh ** Sighthill Stadium, a proposed stadium in Sighthill, Edinburgh * Sighthill, Glasgow Sighthill is a neighbourhood in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situ ...

Partick Partick ( sco, Pairtick, 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 t ...

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 ...

Mount Florida Mount Florida ( gd, Cnoc 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 a ...

and

Bishopbriggs Bishopbriggs ( sco, The Briggs; gd, Achadh an Easbaig) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the city centre. Historically in Lanarkshire, the area was once part of th ...

and in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

.(2014) "Edinburgh the film set", Film Edinburgh, p. 9 Scenes were also shot at the Glasgow School of Art. The song "

In The Year 2525 "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" is a 1969 in music, 1969 hit song by the American pop-rock duo of Zager and Evans. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for six weeks commencing July 12, 1969. It peaked at ...

" by

Zager and Evans Zager may refer to: *Bruce B. Zager (born 1952), American justice of the Iowa Supreme Court *Michael Zager Michael Zager (born January 3, 1943) is an American record producer, composer, and arranger of original music for commercials, albums, ...

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) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...

. 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, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organization, non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national clas ...

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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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

References

External links