BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson

Subject: BS: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Nov 15 - 07:32 PM

Anyone here seen this film? I have not.

Just within the last few hours, Emma Thompson was awarded a Best Actress -- Film SCOTLAND Bafta for her portrayal of the female lead in this film. Robert Carlyle, who portrayed her character's son, did not receive an award for his acting performance, although he was nominated. The Legend of Barney Thomson also won the Best Feature Film Award at Bafta Scotland.

Based on the gallows-humoured murder mystery series written by Douglas Lindsay, which books I have looked at. When they are amusing, they are very funny. But when people hate them, they really, deeply hate them. The third in the series, A Prayer for Barney Thomson, has an awful lot of carrying on about Elvis Presley for my taste, but many readers find it funnier than I do.

I have seen a video of the trailer, however.

"It's Ma Bingo Night At The Barras...."

Subject: RE: BS: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Nov 15 - 04:37 PM

This year's BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Feature Film went to The Legend of Barney Thomson, a night or two ago. Apart from Emma Thompson, who won Best Actress -- Film at the Scotland BAFTAs for her performance in the female lead, a Best Feature Film award points to two people: the author of the books on which the film is based, first of all. He is Douglas Lindsay, who wrote "The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson" which is the point of departure for the film script.

More than one script treatment, according to author Lindsay, existed for an adaptation of his first Barney Thomson book (you can verify all this at Lindsay's online accounts). The more recent script circulated for years. Actor Robert Carlyle relates that the script, as it first was sent to him, had been adapted and written, not by Scottish native Lindsay, but by a Canadian writer. The script piqued Carlyle's interest because it posed a challenge, Carlyle has told the press. He kept saying no to it, and it kept turning up, for one thing; the more so when Carlyle relocated from Glasgow to Vancouver, where his career got a tremendous boost from television (first Sci-Fi channel, then the US network ABC).

Getting the project past the barrier of funding and support, was the work of a trio: producer Lenic, a Canadian; Carlyle, who had worked with Lenic and knew him; and scriptwriter MacLaren, whom Carlyle brought on board to re-work the Barney Thomson treatment. Suddenly, Carlyle looked around, he claims, and not only did the powers that be approve of the re-worked script, they said, "And we will fund the project if Carlyle directs the film." Never mind that Carlyle had never before directed a feature film.

The film has met with a mixed reception actually; some journalists trashed it completely, others cheered, and more than one writer thought it promising and confusing at the same time. No release yet in the US, although there is some version that can be viewed through online purchase if one knows how to do these things.

Subject: RE: BS: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 17 Nov 15 - 10:03 AM

I think the people behind this movie have quite bad luck. For me, for example, the killings in Paris have put me off humor about death.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Nov 15 - 01:00 PM

Emma Thompson's performance is, most writers agree, one of the most memorable things about "The Legend of Barney Thomson." (Most people who comment after seeing the film, agree!) People who dislike Emma Thompson's character, or the way she does it, will probably dislike the film as well.

Besides being "gallows-humour," there is some rather broad satire, and the name of Emma Thompson's character is proof enough of that...."Cemolina," of all things.

I can't tell you what this character does because it would spoil the whole plot! I can tell you that she dies of natural causes, however, and one of the more atmospheric scenes in "The Legend of Barney Thomson" is her wake, at the Saracen Head ("Sarry Heid"), with all her chums singing together. She is also partial to those excursions, on tour buses, to tourist locations all over Scotland.

Robert Carlyle has said that when he cast for "Cemolina," the big consideration was that the character is elderly, has lost her looks, and would require a lot of prosthetic makeup which would render the actress unrecognizable. The reason he thought of Emma Thompson, apart from the fact that he has always admired her, was her "Nanny MacPhee" performance when she went totally, bravely ugly. Also that this character requires a particularly adventurous performance.

Carlyle reports that Emma Thompson looked at the script and decided in favor of the part within one day, saying to Carlyle, "What a hoot!" She especially liked the line -- some other character's -- about Barney Thomson standing about "like a haunted tree...."

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Nov 15 - 01:03 PM

Robert Carlyle to Alan Morrison, the Herald, July 2015, about The Legend of Barney Thomson:

"You're absolutely right in saying that the stuff I knew wasn't really there any more, particularly in the East end,"   he agrees. "The Commonwealth Games was about to kick off, Dalmarnock had been flattened. I realised we could use that to our advantage and try to use places that had a slightly ghostly element to them.

"Shawfield Dog Track....I grew up there with my dad. That's where we went every Thursday and Saturday night for years and years and years. And it's empty now. The wee stand on the far side has trees growing out of it. You've also got the Barrowlands, the Sarry Heid, the Red Road flats. So, yes, they're the Glasgow that I knew....but let's see the Glasgow that I knew in that ghostly light."

About the climactic scene with Emma Thompson:
"Her character is falling apart, the Red Road flats are about to die, Glasgow is dying to a certain extent round about it, so it was important to get those wee dying flickers of flame."

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Nov 15 - 06:23 PM

http://robertcarlyledaily.tumblr.com

Scroll to the bottom of page 1....or it might move to the top of page 2.... for

The Legend of Barney Thomson Blooper Reel

might help you decide whether or not to see the film. Lots of "adult" language. And if you can watch three actors sliding down to the floor of an elevator without laughing along with them, you are made of sterner stuff than I.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Nov 15 - 07:55 PM

North American premiere on December 5, 2015.
Location: Whistler Film Festival, British Columbia

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Nov 15 - 02:51 PM

February 2, 2016;   and March 11, 2016.

Those dates refer to the United States distribution. "The Legend of Barney Thomson" will have its title shortened to "Barney Thomson", according to deadline.com, when distributed by Gravitas Ventures.

The theatrical/cinema release date in the US is March 11 of next year.

The 2nd of February refers to the video on demand (VOD) availability.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Feb 16 - 06:37 PM

From The Guardian:

the Evening Standard film awards were revived after a three-year hiatus.

"Meanwhile Emma Thompson won the comedy award for her turn as Robert Carlyle's foul-mouthed, chain-smoking 78-year-old prostitute mother in The Legend of Barney Thomson. In her speech, Thompson paid tribute to her late friend and colleague, Alan Rickman, "who many of us still miss deeply."
"He always predicted I would end up looking like my mother after a lifetime of Guinness, fish suppers, and untipped Players. So thank you. "

Subject: United States: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Feb 16 - 01:54 PM

For United States distribution, the title is being shortened to:
"Barney Thomson"
and will debut on March 11, as per Gravitas Ventures, in:

Atlanta -- AMC Sugarloaf Mills
Berkeley -- Rialto Cinema
Chicago -- AMC Woodridge
Denver -- AMC Westminster Promenade
Detroit -- Cinema Detroit
Evansville -- AMC Evansville 16
Fayetteville -- AMC Fiesta Square
Fort Myers -- AMC Merchants Crossing
Grand Rapids -- AMC Grand Rapids 18
Houston -- AMC Studio
Los Angeles -- Laemmle Music Hall
Madison -- AMC Desert Star
Milwaukee -- AMC Johnson Creek
Minneapolis -- Mall of America Theatres
New Haven -- Cine 4
New Orleans -- Chalmette Movies
Omaha -- AMC Oakview
Palm Desert -- Palm D'Or
Philadelphia   --   AMC Cherry Hill
Phoenix -- AMC Arizona Center
Pittsburgh -- Southside Works
Seattle -- Varsity Theatre
Sebastopol -- Rialto Cinema
Simi Valley -- Studio Movie Grill   
West Palm Beach   --   AMC Indian River

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Mar 16 - 02:00 PM

from the Toronto Sun:
The movie opens March 4 in Toronto at the Yonge-Dundas Cineplex and in Vancouver at the Cineplex International Village.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Mar 16 - 02:59 PM

LA Weekly reviews this film, which opens Friday March 11 across the USA. The review claims that the film has subtitles.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: akenaton
Date: 11 Mar 16 - 10:36 AM

Haven't seen the film, but agree with Robert about Shawfield Dog Track it is still in operation but the huge crowds no longer attend.
Still full of characters tho'...and Big Billy King....bookmaker supremo; on Derby night he takes £5000 bets without batting an eyelid.
I still have dogs running there.

Robert Carlyle had a house just down the road from me about ten years ago....did some work for him.
Best Scottish actor for years......watch "Looking after Jo Jo" on Youtube for the real flavour of the Edinburgh Underclass.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 11 Mar 16 - 02:40 PM

Within the past twelve months, "Looking After Jo Jo" came out on DVD for the first time.

Akenaton, did you see "Stone of Destiny"?

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: akenaton
Date: 11 Mar 16 - 05:59 PM

Thanks bud, I'll try to get a copy.
Watched the TV series long ago..Blew me away!

Haven't seen "Stone of Destiny", but one of the guys who liberated it was a friend of mine...Ian Hamilton.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: akenaton
Date: 11 Mar 16 - 06:18 PM

Strangely enough, Emma, her sister and mother (Phillida Law) lived in a little village called Ardentinny after the Death of her father Eric Thompson....creator and narrator of the "Magic Roundabout". It's very close to where I live.
Emma has a holiday house there and I see her quite often in the local supermarket.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 12 Mar 16 - 02:49 PM

Emma Thompson has remarked that she was close to her mother's relatives.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Mar 16 - 03:18 PM

The Barney Thomson film is based on a Douglas Lindsay murder mystery, "The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson." Lindsay has his own website and weblog. After viewing "The Legend of Barney Thomson," Lindsay posted a lengthy blog entry with a whole laundry list of opinions; here are a few of them.

Quotes:
Robert Carlyle is bang on as Barney. Everyone will recognize the type, or at least part of him. The character is every bad barber, every bad haircut and every uncomfortable barbershop scene that you've witnessed, stitched together. He's a Frankenbarber.

The timelessness of the movie is perfect. The book was based on barbershops I'd been to all my life, from the late '60s onwards. I don't know how many shops there are like that anymore, but the all-male barbershop seems much rarer. Forty years ago, if you got your hair cut in Glasgow by a woman, it was your mum. Nowadays, not so much.

I have this brilliant idea. No really. Should they film any more books in the series, they should use the actors from this film as a kind of repertory cast, bringing them back in different roles.
endquote

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Sep 16 - 04:44 PM

The made-for-BBC film "Go Now" is to be released on DVD this month. This film combines the talents of Michael Winterbottom, Jimmy McGovern, and Robert Carlyle, who has confessed that it was excruciating for him to interview real-life Multiple Sclerosis sufferers in preparation for his role.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Aug 17 - 01:29 PM

The film "[Legend of] Barney Thomson"
is now available from Amazon Prime Video.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Oct 18 - 08:00 PM

Then there are the Douglas Lindsay books, on which the film was based.

The books are very Glaswegian, very dark humor. They polarize readers into fans and haters.
I don't always get what's going on,
but when they make me laugh, they Really make me laugh.

These books have been written over a couple of decades by now.
There are Kindle/Internet versions with varied titles,
as well as the ink-and-paper type. The publishing has been
a challenge, and to his credit,
Douglas Lindsay won't give up, even when the business is frustrating.

The film was largely based on
"The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson,"
which is book number 1.

The other books, in order, are:
The Cutting Edge of Barney Thomson, also known
as The Barber Surgeon's Hairshirt.    a lot of FITBA' in that one

A Prayer for Barney Thomson, also known
as Murderers Anonymous.          Farewell to Glasgow, a lingering farewell, and a cliff-hanger ending kind of.

The King was in his Counting House, also known
as The Resurrection of Barney Thomson.          an Edinburgh caper.

The Last Fish Supper.                Scottish Riviera, island of Millport.

The Haunting of Barney Thomson.      Still on Millport.

The Final Cut.               mostly in London.

and now:
there is a book, just out, called
"Aye, Barney." So new there are no reviews.
I will let you know what I make of it
after my order shows up in the post.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Oct 18 - 01:14 PM

My apologies, I confused island and town.

Here's the correction:
The island of Cumbrae has a town, plenty of tourism,
named Millport.
I was wrong when I said that the island was named Millport.

Book No. 8 is said to take place in Millport, on Cumbrae.
Knowing how wild Douglas Lindsay's plotting can get, though,
a number of things are possible:

the story may take place entirely on the island,
or the plot may travel to other spots and return to the island.

Whatever, it would surprise me no end
if Barney Thomson ever went back to Glasgow,
which has too many bad memories for him.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Oct 18 - 03:59 PM

My order of "Aye, Barney" is expected this week.
Will report back.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Oct 18 - 06:49 PM

Decades ago,
"The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson" , Douglas Lindsay's first BT book,
was published by an existing publishing house.
By the time "The Long Midnight" was adapted for cinema and actually filmed,
with the film variously titled
"The Legend of Barney Thomson" or, more brief, "Barney Thomson" ,
Lindsay had published six sequels, and his publishing company
(at least on ink and paper -- online might be different)
was titled Long Midnight Publishing.

It is LMP which has published, under copyright,
"Aye, Barney."   My paperback copy sits to my left at the moment.

So what I quote is, of course, under copyright:
"... look, in 546 AD, Ailsa Craig was its own realm with a king and tax-raising powers, or whatever, until it lost the battle of Turnberry Beach,
which was started illegally by sleeper agents of Pope Pious the whateverth."   
&Ccopy; 2018 Douglas Lindsay

The preceding is part of a consideration of "micro-independence."
This is relevant to "Aye, Barney," as the book (288 pages) takes place
on the island of Cumbrae, and some particularly daft persons
are thinking of going micro-independent
and ruling the island regardless of Scotland or the UK.

Finally, a hint, which may serve as a warning,
given that this is one of a series of serial-murder mysteries:   

Flesh-eating.          Caveat emptor. (I liked it.)

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Dec 20 - 02:48 PM

Re: Mudcatter pfr's recent viewing of the film
in the thread title.

Two factors, and you identified one of them:
a low budget.

The other thing there was little of, was time.

When the financing finally, finally came through to produce the film, Robert Carlyle, who says that this possible project had been stalking him through his agents/management for years,

had predictably gone on to secure employment elsewhere.
In fact, he had been cast as Rumplestiltskin in
ABC-TV's Once Upon A Time and this weekly television series
was well into its multi-season run.

Therefore, he had to direct, play the title role, and more or less
produce Barney Thomson
in the summer months in between shoots for the US television series.

Having completed shooting the film,
Robert Carlyle worked out an arrangement with his bosses at Once Upon A Time.
He returned to the shooting location -- actually not in the States
but in Vancouver, British Columbia,
where his family has been relocated
and his children continued going to school --
with all the film footage in his bags.

And at the studio near Vancouver, he would proceed
from his trailer to one of two working areas:
to the set or location for shooting the TV series;
or,
to a specially set-up editing area,
where he would spend his spare hours editing Barney Thomson.

He HATES HATES HATES editing.
(So he stated in numerous interviews.)

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: robomatic
Date: 18 Dec 20 - 09:14 PM

Well, I had started to watch this movie before and apparently lost interest. Last night I watched it through, and I sort of enjoyed it as a 'depth of despair' run with a cheery end, such as it is.

I'm an admirer of Carlyle and Thompson. I bought into the accents of the characters to the point that I understood 80% of the dialog at best.

Yeah. It's Scottish gallows humour, which is pretty gallows. I think the Brits, the Irish and the Scots can all go pretty low and disastrous. They are all part of what makes those islands and their inhabitants such a loud noise in world history.

Thompson's character and to a lesser extent that curly haired frenemy of Barney added what passes for a lighter humorous frisson which, if it hadn't been there, would've made the movie impossible for me to get through.

I can by no means swallow that four-sided cops in a glade scene. That was right over the top.

I don't recommend the movie by any means, but having seen it, I don't mind talking about it!

In the back of my movie-going unconscious I'm looking for American analogs to the characters and situations. One that slightly rhymes is Ruth Gordon's take as Clint Eastwood's raucous mother in the "Every Which Way" series, but that was lighthearted American yucks compared to this Scottish dark bodycount.

Emma Thompson definitely earned her award for that...she's a gutsy good-looking wonder of an actor. She can do anything.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Dec 20 - 09:35 PM

American analog, you say?
I'm no cinephile, and
the moviegoers here can no doubt think of a whole bunch.

The only that comes to mind from the few movies I have seen,
is that
"Lake Placid" horror movie with Bridget Fonda,
about these ginormous crocodiles. In Lake Placid, obviously.

Betty White, that wholesome yet exuberant personality of an actress,
plays the old lady who feeds the ginormous crocodiles ...
on one occasion,
she fed her husband to them.
At the end of the film,
she is seen barefoot sitting at the edge of the dock,
feeding the tiny little baby crocs floating around.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: robomatic
Date: 20 Dec 20 - 12:08 PM

LOL
I'd forgotten that hideous flick. It had some good actors with expiring careers. And was named after one of my favorite areas on earth, though of course not THE Lake Placid that I'm familiar with which is New York and would not be hospitable to water going reptiles of any size.

The humour is blacker in Barney Thompson and Emma gets to try on a few great expressions both facial and audible. She gave the piece most of its 'laughs'.

It's been a long time since I saw Ruth Gordon's angry 'Ma' from the Any Which Way movies. But those movies were cheerful and upbeat, she just 'took no truck' and I have an image of her with a shotgun that I can't pin down to an actual memory. She sure didn't kill anybody.

There is a famous American screwball comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace" that I remember with real affection. It was not the same kind of humour, a hint at gallows but either overplayed or so subsumed with real laughs that it had a completely different take.

The end of 'Barney Thompson' has an actual message indicating that 'death sells'. But to get there it takes a less tasteful path.

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Dec 21 - 08:58 PM

I just met a pair of Glaswegian sisters who have spent their adult lives pretty much in the United States,
and haven't seen Scotland since the 1960's, so they are getting on in years.

I told them/warned them about "Barney Thomson."
"Oh," exclaimed Maureen (if I got her name right),
"if there's killing in it, I don't want to."
Then I told her about Emma Thompson hollering
IT'S MA BINGO NIGHT AT THE BARRAS
and that got the two of them reminiscing about that enormous place
back in their day.
You can take the sisters out of Glasgow, but . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Film: The Legend of Barney Thomson
From: robomatic
Date: 22 Dec 21 - 02:40 PM

We need more Scots in Alaska.

By the way, interesting side facts: When I was back east I visited a local historic spot, one of the earliest smelters in the colonies in Saugus, Massachusetts not far from Boston. Their first pool of workers were basically slaves, Scots prisoners of war from the late battles with Parliament in Bonnie Old England.