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The Flying Scotsman (film)
Encyclopedia
The Flying Scotsman is a 2006 British drama film
, based on the life and career of Scottish
amateur cyclist Graeme Obree
. The film covers the period of Obree's life that saw him take, lose, and then retake the world one-hour distance record
. The film stars Jonny Lee Miller
as Obree, Laura Fraser
, Billy Boyd and Brian Cox.
The adult Obree is married with a child and while competing in local races runs a failing cycle shop and having to supplement his income as a courier. An ex-minister turned boatyard owner Baxter (Cox) befriends Obree, which results in Obree coming up with a daring idea - he's going to try and beat the hour record.
This is unlikely as Obree has neither the funding nor the machine required to take on such a record. Obree is determined and constructs "Old Faithful", a revolutionary bicycle, designed by Obree for maximum efficiency, made up from scrap metal, and components from a washing machine. With help from his friend Malky McGovern (Boyd), who becomes his manager, and against all odds, Obree makes an attempt on the world record in Norway and though he fails initially, he tries again the following morning and actually succeeds in beating it. However, his initial victory is short-lived, when his record is broken by Chris Boardman
a week later, and the cycling sports authorities then rewrite the rules to try and make it impossible for Obree to win using his more experimental methods.
It is shown the night Obree breaks the record he is prone to crippling bouts of depression
, which is exacerbated when Boardman breaks the record and he meets up with one of his childhood bullies.
After winning the Individual Pursuit
World Championship in 1993, the authorities change the rules just as Obree tries to defend his title and he crashes after being unable to adapt a new riding position. This leads his depression to spiral out of control to the point where he attempts suicide in the woods shown at the start of the film. However, the rope snaps and with the help of his wife Anne (Fraser) and Baxter, Obree starts to receive help for his condition.
It is then shown Obree comes back and regains his world title.
The Flying Scotsman first attracted screenwriter
Simon Rose
in 1994. Along with Rob Roy
producer, Peter Broughan, and Scottish director, Douglas Mackinnon
, he based the film's script on Obree's autobiography, also entitled The Flying Scotsman. The film, however, seemed doomed to fail and was cancelled several times.
In 2002, the death of a key American
investor caused The Flying Scotsman to collapse only days before shooting was planned to commence. East Ayrshire Council, who originally gave £5000 to fund the project, refused to give further finance, stating that it didn't feel it would contribute to the community. Producer, Broughan, called the decision "a disgrace". It took three years for the project to get back on track. Broughan was joined by producer Damita Nikapota on the project who secured pre-production finance from Freewheel Productions. Peter Broughan tried to sack the director Douglas Mackinnon but Damita Nikapota refused to let this happen.
Shooting of the film began on July 7, 2006 and ended September 4, 2006. The film was shot largely in the United Kingdom
, with East Ayrshire
, Glasgow
and velodrome
s in Germany
standing in for places in the story such as Colombia
, France
and Norway
.
' s first country-wide release was in New Zealand
, where the film reached number 2 in the box office and stayed in the top 8 for the first seven weeks of its release. The film kicked off the 60th Edinburgh Film Festival, and later was given a wide-release date of June 29, 2007. Metro-Goldwyn Mayer was the main distributor in the United States
, and the film was released there firstly on December 29, 2006. It also received a limited release on May 4, 2007.
gives the film a score of 51% based on 51 reviews.
Selected top critics give the film a score of 67% based on 12 reviews.
The film gained positive reviews worldwide following its release. Russell Baillie, reviewer at the New Zealand Herald, gave the film four stars, commenting that it is "gripping, affecting and inspiring".
John Daly-Peoples also praised the film, calling it "compelling & heart-warming".
Bill Zwecker, of the Chicago Sun-Times
, said "[t]urmoil and victory meet in remarkable Scotsman".
Zwecker also called Miller's acting a "revelation". Tom Keogh also praised Miller's acting, calling him "enormously sympathetic and appealing" as Obree.
He also gave acclaim to the "terrific supporting cast", commending Brian Cox.
Total Film
gave the film a fairly negative review. The film magazine said the mesh of Obree's depression and the "Brit-flick furniture (loyal wife, rural scenery, gawky comic relief)" came off flat, "diminish[ing] rather than elevat[ing] its hero’s achievements".
The Guardian
also questioned the film's comedic aspect combined with the issue of Obree's condition. Obree is an "opaque and unsympathetic figure" in the film, said reviewer Peter Bradshaw, also calling the record-breaking attempts "weirdly anticlimactic and blank".
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, based on the life and career of Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
amateur cyclist Graeme Obree
Graeme Obree
Graeme Obree is a Scottish racing cyclist who twice broke the world hour record, in July 1993 and April 1994, and was the individual pursuit world champion in 1993 and 1995. He was known for his unusual riding positions and for the "Old Faithful" bicycle he built which included parts from a...
. The film covers the period of Obree's life that saw him take, lose, and then retake the world one-hour distance record
Hour record
The hour record for bicycles is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle. There are several records. The most famous is for upright bicycles meeting the requirements of the Union Cycliste Internationale . It is one of the most prestigious in cycling...
. The film stars Jonny Lee Miller
Jonny Lee Miller
Jonathan "Jonny" Lee Miller is an English actor. During the initial days he was best known for his roles in the 1996 films Trainspotting and Hackers...
as Obree, Laura Fraser
Laura Fraser
Laura Fraser is a Scottish actress.-Early life:Fraser is the daughter of Rose, a college lecturer and nurse, and Alister Fraser, a scriptwriter who also worked in business. She attended Hillhead High School and is a former member of the Scottish Youth Theatre...
, Billy Boyd and Brian Cox.
Plot
The film starts with Graeme Obree (Miller) cycling into a wood preparing to hang himself. There is then a flashback to Obree's childhood, where he was routinely bullied, events which leave severe psychological scars. One day Obree is given a bicycle and we see Obree evading the bullies on his bike.The adult Obree is married with a child and while competing in local races runs a failing cycle shop and having to supplement his income as a courier. An ex-minister turned boatyard owner Baxter (Cox) befriends Obree, which results in Obree coming up with a daring idea - he's going to try and beat the hour record.
This is unlikely as Obree has neither the funding nor the machine required to take on such a record. Obree is determined and constructs "Old Faithful", a revolutionary bicycle, designed by Obree for maximum efficiency, made up from scrap metal, and components from a washing machine. With help from his friend Malky McGovern (Boyd), who becomes his manager, and against all odds, Obree makes an attempt on the world record in Norway and though he fails initially, he tries again the following morning and actually succeeds in beating it. However, his initial victory is short-lived, when his record is broken by Chris Boardman
Chris Boardman
Christopher "Chris" Boardman MBE is a former English racing cyclist who won an individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics and broke the world hour record three times, as well as winning three stages and wearing the yellow jersey on three separate occasions at the Tour de France...
a week later, and the cycling sports authorities then rewrite the rules to try and make it impossible for Obree to win using his more experimental methods.
It is shown the night Obree breaks the record he is prone to crippling bouts of depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, which is exacerbated when Boardman breaks the record and he meets up with one of his childhood bullies.
After winning the Individual Pursuit
Individual pursuit
The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track.The event is held over 4 km for men and 3 km for women. The two riders start at the same time and set off to complete the race distance in the...
World Championship in 1993, the authorities change the rules just as Obree tries to defend his title and he crashes after being unable to adapt a new riding position. This leads his depression to spiral out of control to the point where he attempts suicide in the woods shown at the start of the film. However, the rope snaps and with the help of his wife Anne (Fraser) and Baxter, Obree starts to receive help for his condition.
It is then shown Obree comes back and regains his world title.
Cast
- Jonny Lee MillerJonny Lee MillerJonathan "Jonny" Lee Miller is an English actor. During the initial days he was best known for his roles in the 1996 films Trainspotting and Hackers...
as Graeme Obree: The main character in the film. Jonny Lee Miller joined the project in 2002, and he and Obree spent time together, Miller keen to pick up mannerisms and speech patterns. Obree would later stand-in for Miller during some cycling sequences in the film. - Laura FraserLaura FraserLaura Fraser is a Scottish actress.-Early life:Fraser is the daughter of Rose, a college lecturer and nurse, and Alister Fraser, a scriptwriter who also worked in business. She attended Hillhead High School and is a former member of the Scottish Youth Theatre...
as Anne Obree: Obree's wife, who was once his manager. Laura Fraser had misgivings about playing Obree's wife, Anne, when she was sent Obree's autobiography from Douglas Mackinnon. "I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as I thought it would be all about sport," said Laura, "but I got into the book straight away, it was absolutely compelling." It is the first time Fraser has played a real person and before filming began, she and Miller talked with the Obrees to help show their relationship during the film. - Billy Boyd as Malky McGovern: Obree's manager. When approached to have a role in the film, Boyd knew only the "basic elements" of Obree's story. Boyd, being Scottish, felt it important to have the right script and further promote Scottish film.
- Brian Cox as Douglas Baxter: A minister who helps Obree chase his demons and concentrate on his goal. Cox, a seasoned actor, had been working in Europe before returning to ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to shoot the film. He commented that the story is one of "perseverance and passion". He said, since seeing the film, "[t]he end result is even better than I hoped – it's a masterpiece." - Morven ChristieMorven Christie-Life and career:Morven Christie grew up in Glasgow and Aviemore. She studied acting at the Drama Centre London, under Reuven Adiv, an associate of Lee Strasberg. She graduated in 2003. Christie has worked on stage, film and television drama since...
as Katie, a friend of Anne and within the film, Malky's girlfriend
Production
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Simon Rose
Simon Rose (journalist)
Simon Rose A former BBC Radio researcher for BBC Light Entertainment programmes including Weekending, The News Quiz, News Huddlines and Not the Nine O' Clock News...
in 1994. Along with Rob Roy
Rob Roy (film)
Rob Roy is a 1995 historical drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Liam Neeson stars as Robert Roy MacGregor, an 18th century Scottish historical figure who battles with feudal landowners in the Scottish Highlands. Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, and Jason Flemyng also star...
producer, Peter Broughan, and Scottish director, Douglas Mackinnon
Douglas Mackinnon
Douglas Mackinnon is a British film and television director. He made his feature film directorial debut with The Flying Scotsman , which was the gala premiere at the Edinburgh Festival in 2006 and was consequently picked up for worldwide distribution by MGM.He directed the first three episodes of...
, he based the film's script on Obree's autobiography, also entitled The Flying Scotsman. The film, however, seemed doomed to fail and was cancelled several times.
In 2002, the death of a key American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
investor caused The Flying Scotsman to collapse only days before shooting was planned to commence. East Ayrshire Council, who originally gave £5000 to fund the project, refused to give further finance, stating that it didn't feel it would contribute to the community. Producer, Broughan, called the decision "a disgrace". It took three years for the project to get back on track. Broughan was joined by producer Damita Nikapota on the project who secured pre-production finance from Freewheel Productions. Peter Broughan tried to sack the director Douglas Mackinnon but Damita Nikapota refused to let this happen.
Shooting of the film began on July 7, 2006 and ended September 4, 2006. The film was shot largely in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders on to North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
s in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
standing in for places in the story such as Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Release
The Flying ScotsmanNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where the film reached number 2 in the box office and stayed in the top 8 for the first seven weeks of its release. The film kicked off the 60th Edinburgh Film Festival, and later was given a wide-release date of June 29, 2007. Metro-Goldwyn Mayer was the main distributor in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the film was released there firstly on December 29, 2006. It also received a limited release on May 4, 2007.
Reception
Review aggregation web site Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives the film a score of 51% based on 51 reviews.
Selected top critics give the film a score of 67% based on 12 reviews.
The film gained positive reviews worldwide following its release. Russell Baillie, reviewer at the New Zealand Herald, gave the film four stars, commenting that it is "gripping, affecting and inspiring".
John Daly-Peoples also praised the film, calling it "compelling & heart-warming".
Bill Zwecker, of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, said "[t]urmoil and victory meet in remarkable Scotsman".
Zwecker also called Miller's acting a "revelation". Tom Keogh also praised Miller's acting, calling him "enormously sympathetic and appealing" as Obree.
He also gave acclaim to the "terrific supporting cast", commending Brian Cox.
Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
gave the film a fairly negative review. The film magazine said the mesh of Obree's depression and the "Brit-flick furniture (loyal wife, rural scenery, gawky comic relief)" came off flat, "diminish[ing] rather than elevat[ing] its hero’s achievements".
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
also questioned the film's comedic aspect combined with the issue of Obree's condition. Obree is an "opaque and unsympathetic figure" in the film, said reviewer Peter Bradshaw, also calling the record-breaking attempts "weirdly anticlimactic and blank".