Chasing the Deer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chasing the Deer |
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Chasing the Deer theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Graham Holloway |
| Produced by | Bob Carruthers |
| Written by | Bob Carruthers Steve Gillham |
| Starring | Brian Blessed Lewis Rae Iain Cuthbertson Matthew Zajac Fish |
| Music by | Runrig, Fish, John Wetton. |
| Cinematography | Alan M. Trow |
| Editing by | Patrick Moore |
| Studio | Cromwell Productions & Lamancha Productions |
| Release date(s) | 16 December 1994 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Chasing the Deer (later re-titled Culloden 1746) is a 1994 British war film directed by Graham Holloway and starring Brian Blessed, Lewis Rae, Iain Cuthbertson, Fish and Mathew Zajac. It depicts the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, in which Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland, trying to claim the British throne.
The title metaphorically alludes to the Jacobites as the quarry in a deer hunt. The phrase "a-chasing the deer" appears in the refrain of the romantic Scottish poem by Robert Burns, My Heart's in the Highlands (1789).
Contents
Plot
In the time leading up to Jacobite rising of 1745, a young Highlander called Euan (Lewis Rae) and his father Alistair are press-ganged into the Jacobite army to fight for the Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Euan's group of warriors are captured by Hanoverian loyalist troops and he is forced to join the Duke of Cumberland's army as a drummer for the British. Major Elliot (Brian Blessed), a Hanoverian officer who has lost his own son, forms a protective relationship with Euan. Father and son end up fighting on opposing sides at the Battle of Culloden (1746). Euan is killed, and Alistair runs to his aid. Seeing a Jacobite soldier standing over the body of his favourite soldier, Major Elliot kills Alistair.
Production
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The budget for Chasing the Deer was limited, and in order to raise money for the production, the filmmakers crowdfunded the film by inviting individuals to invest £1000 each in the project. In return for their contributions, the 374 investors were allowed to appear in the film as extras.
For the battle scenes, notably the depiction of the Battle of Culloden, the filmmakers engaged a Scottish battle reenactment group, the Scottish Clan Battle Society, to perform historical combat. The group also performed in other Scottish historical films such as Highlander (1985) and Braveheart (1995).
Chasing The Deer was filmed on location in Scotland, including Culloden, Fort George, Kingussie, Ruthven Barracks, and the Cairngorm mountains. Some internal sequences were filmed in England at Hagley Hall in Worcestershire, and battle scenes at the nearby Wychbury Hill.
Music
The film soundtrack was scored by English rock musician John Wetton includes music by the Scottish celtic rock group Runrig and the ex-Marillion singer-songwriter Fish, and features the song "Battle Lines" by John Wetton.
Cast
- Brian Blessed as Major Elliot
- Iain Cuthbertson as Tullibardine
- Matthew Zajac (as Mathew Zajac) as Alistair Campbell
- Fish as Angus Cameron
- Brian Donald as Old Campbell
- Sandy Welch as Old Cameron
- Peter Gordon as McKinnon
- Carolyn Konrad as Morag
- Lynn Ferguson as Shonagh
- Lewis Rae as Euan
- Simon Kirk as Sgt. Kirk
- Andy McCullogh as Sgt. Monroe
- Callum McDougal as a Crofter
- Steven Cooper as a Crofter
- Michael Leighton as O'Sullivan
- Dominique Carrara as Charles Edward Stuart
- Robert McIntosh as McDonald of Sleat
- Jacqueline Pirie as Mary
- Jock Ferguson as Lord George Murray (general)
