The second of our podcasts concentrating on Glasgow and film sees Ali and Ian joined by writer, film critic and blogger Nicola Balkind to talk about World Film Series: Glasgow, a fantastic book which she has edited and which does what it says in the title, but so much more.
The conversation mirrors the book as they take a wander through the city talking about the well known and the more obscure films that have used Glasgow and the surrounding area as their backdrop.
From the 1970s to 2011, and from Greenock to Cumbernauld, this is an inclusive and informative book and the podcast reflects this. There are a lot of ‘did you know’ moments, chat about Malcolm McDowell, Morgan Freeman, Charlie Sheen, Bertrand Tavernier and Alexander Trocchi and many more, and plenty of mentions of must see movies that had certainly passed Ali by.
But World Film Locations: Glasgow is more than just a list of films and places. There are six fascinating essays in the book which include explorations of Glasgow comedy, the history of the city’s cinemas and Glasgow’s rebirth as a set for the rest of the world. It would also work brilliantly as an alternative tour guide to a city you may, or may not, think you know very well; either way this offers new insight on every page.
You can get a copy of World Film Locations: Glasgow at Amazon as well as the better book shops that are still around. You should also check out Nicola’s fantastic Uncultured Critic blog and learn more about the other interesting stuff she does here.
And to listen to what Nicola has to say you should, if you haven’t already, subscribe to the Scots Whay Hae! podcast on iTunes or by RSS where you can also catch up with all the previous pods.
Join us soon for more chat about matters cultural but in the meantime here are three trailers of films featured in World Film Locations:Glasgow which show off different images of Glasgow on film:
On A Clear Day
Death Watch
Perfect Sense
And as promised on the pod, here’s a still from The House of Mirth which used Kelvinbridge as part of its set: