That Sinking Feeling
| That Sinking Feeling | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Bill Forsyth |
| Written by | Bill Forsyth |
| Produced by | Bill Forsyth |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Michael Coulter |
| Edited by | John Gow |
| Music by | Colin Tully |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | The Samuel Goldwyn Company GTO |
Release dates |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
That Sinking Feeling is a 1979 comedy film written and directed by Bill Forsyth, his first film as a director. The film is set in his home city, Glasgow, Scotland. The young actors in film were members of the Glasgow Youth Theatre. The film also features Richard Demarco, the Edinburgh gallery owner, playing himself. The four main actors went on to feature in Forsyth's following film Gregory's Girl.
Plot
Ronnie (Robert Buchanan), Wal (Billy Greenlees), Andy (John Gordon Sinclair) and Vic (John Hughes) are four bored, unemployed teenagers from Glasgow. One day Ronnie comes up with the idea of stealing stainless steel sinks from a warehouse and selling them. Their plan involves dressing up as girls and using a chemical 'stop-motion' potion.
Cast
- Tom Mannion as The Doctor
- Eddie Burt as Eddie the Driver
- Richard Demarco as Himself
- Alex Mackenzie as The Tramp
- Margaret Adams as Gang Girl
- Kim Masterton as Gang Girl
- Danny Benson as Policeman
- Robert Buchanan as Ronnie
- Drew Burns as Pete
- Gerry Clark as The Watchman
- Anne Graham as Computer Nurse
- Billy Greenlees as Wal
- John Hughes as Vic
- Eric Joseph as The Wee Man
- Allan Love as Alec
- Derek Millar as Bobby
- James Ramsey as Alan
- Janette Rankin as Mary
- Margaret McTear as Ward Nurse
- Douglas Sannachan as Simmy
- David Scott as Hi-Fi Salesman
- John Gordon Sinclair as Andy
- Tony Whitemore as Boy in Daimler
Locations
Filming took place on location around the city of Glasgow; scenes featured locations such as Kelvingrove Park, Dennistoun, Springburn and Bishopbriggs railway stations, Cowcaddens, Sighthill and the Butney in Maryhill.
Dubbed soundtrack
The film was released in the USA four years after the UK, following the success of Gregory's Girl and Local Hero. For the American market, (MGM) the soundtrack was re-dubbed using more mainstream accents. The MGM version cost more to re-dub than the entire budget for the film itself.
DVD Release
In September 2009, a restored copy of the film was re-released on DVD by 2 Entertain. This has generated controversy however due to the use of the re-dubbed soundtrack, which had the effect of impinging upon the delivery of the dialogue and character of the film.[1]
The British Film Institute, through their Flipside arm, will release the film on DVD and Blu-ray on April 21st 2014, with the original Glaswegian dialogue track restored. This release will also feature an audio commentary by Bill Forsyth and critic Mark Kermode, as well as other short films Forsyth was involved with.[2]
References
- ^ Jane Graham (9 October 2009). "That Sinking Feeling: The heist that stole an accent". guardian.co.uk.
- ^ "Bill Forsyth's That Sinking Feeling Detailed". 6 March 2014.