Originally released on 11th May 1927, the historical drama stars silent icon Lillian Gish in the titular role. Writing credits go to oscar nominated screenwriter Josephine Lovett; the film was directed by John S. Robertson, director of Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde (1920); and the film was well edited by William Hamilton, editor of classics Suspicion (1941) and Top Hat (1935).
The story itself was inspired by a scottish folk song which in turn was inspired by a poem by William Douglas. In typical Hollywood fashion it is a love story set in the Scottish highlands; only all scenes were filmed at MGM Studios, with sets built from scratch. The crew did a great job in creating the 17th century in a studio but it is a bit of a shame that nothing was filmed on location.
The initial story is of a young woman named Annie Laurie who falls in love with Ian MacDonald of Clan MacDonald, rivals of Clan Campbell whom she is affiliated with. This leads to a love triangle with Annie and her two suitors, both of who are from rival clans. What makes it interesting is that it takes place in the lead up to the massacre of Glencoe, an infamous Scottish tragedy where Clan Campbell soldiers massacred many MacDonalds on the orders of King William III.
The build up to the final act is well put together, with some interesting scenes involving Annie looking to help secure Clan MacDonald's safety. But the question is how much of the film is fact and how much is fiction?
The Fiction:
And then Campbell's treachery in not telling the MacDonald's the full facts behind the oath that they are to swear to the King. The MacDonalds would have received their original lands as a token of appreciation, but Campbell's desire to be rid of his rival causes the chain of events leading to the massacre.
As a result it is up to Annie Laurie to race to Glencoe to warn her love of the betrayal which leads to the chief races against a heavy snow storm to make it by the first of January to sign the oath of allegiance to the King. This is based on fact as the MacDonalds were delayed by snow storms.
And it is shown in the following scene that it doesn't matter when the oath was signed. Campbell wants blood. So the Campbell soldiers, led by their chief's son, arrive at MacDonald's home seeking shelter. It's a scenario that is somewhat reminiscent of a storyline from current TV drama Game of Thrones involving a certain 'Red Wedding'.
Of course such a scene never took place as far as we know for the real leader of the Campbell party, Robert Campbell lived on for another four years. But for a sword fighting drama it is a good scene to satisfy the audience. It's not reality, but back then especially, the movies were a way of escaping reality. So in the tradition of Hollywood our heroine survived and went on to marry Ian MacDonald, new chief of the MacDonald clan.
The Players:
The movie's heroine is inspired by the Scottish folk song Annie Laurie which in turn was inspired by a poem by William Douglas based on his love for the real Annie Laurie who was born on 16th December 1682 so would have been almost 10 years old when the Glencoe Massacre took place. so in fact she would never have been there when the fued reached its conclusion. The real woman went on to marry an Alexander Fergusson in 1709. But the song itself features in several inter-titles in the film as Donald Campbell attempts to woo her.
As for Donald Campbell, no such man led the attack on Glencoe. The Campbell soldiers were led by Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, a soldier who looked to clear his gambling debts. A man of roughly sixty years old, he in no way resembles the antagonizing Douglas Campbell, son of the Campbell Chieftain, in the film.
The other man after Annie's affections in the film is Ian MacDonald, played by Norman Kerry, who succeeds his father as clan chief at the end of the film. The character's name is actually a shortened version of the real successor John MacIain Macdonald, 13th chief of Glencoe.
The Massacre:
The attack resulted in risings in several settlements in Glencoe, with homes destroyed and burned. As a result many more people perished in the mountains from hunger or the cold, including many women and children. Indeed, in one scene during the film this horror is alluded to when a child is picked up by a soldier and then his lifeless body is placed on top of his dead father. It is a subtle but harrowing way of showing just how monstrous an attack this was.
The Result:
And with the recent musical score by Shona Mooney and her band, it made the film so much more memorably entertaining, the soundtrack featuring some beautiful examples of Scottish music at its best. Hopefully a DVD with this soundtrack accompanying it is in the works. A great combination.
Links:
http://www.shonamooneymusic.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017632/
http://glasgowfilm.org/glasgow-film-festival/shows/hollywood-dreams-of-scotland
