Two hundred years ago, the struggle for fur-trade supremacybetween the Northwest Company and The Hudson Bay Company became Gael against Gael. The HBC’s Earl of Selkirk had a dream of settling Canada’s wilderness with immigrant Gaels, cleared from their Sutherland crofts.
The Gaelic goodfellas of the NWC – grandsons of Culloden losers, transformed by their Mafia-like instincts and the muscles of their canoe brigades into millionaire Lords of the forest – had other ideas.
The future of Canada was at stake …. wrote Douglas Eadie.
Douglas’s ability to write tempting proposals was legendary.
The Gaelic Broadcasting Channel MG Alba has always been a positive force for good and on this occasion they shared the funding of ‘ A Highland Empire’ with BBC Scotland.
This curious way of funding provided a unique challenge for me as Director. I had to make two feature documentaries at the same time, about the same subject, but in two different languages. One in Gaelic ‘Iompaireachd nan Gaidheal’ witha presenter (Iain MacPherson), the other in English – the presenter having been replaced by the wonderful actor Kevin McKidd narrating the story, one with subtitles, one without.
Andy Boyd my fabulous editor who had made such a significant contribution to our ‘Orwell: Against the Tide’ film was once again called upon to construct remarkable cohesion out of my visual excesses, add to that Jamie and Dougie MacLean’s original music and you have two compelling films for the price of one. Not quite, but it was possible to make substantial savings.
Making films is a wonderful team effort and I enjoyed making another five for the Gaelic Chanell. I was also fortunate enough to direct the photography on their first ninety minute feature film, ‘As an Eilean’ (From the Island) directed by my Pelicula Films partner, Mike Alexander and co-written by Dolina MacLennan and Douglas Eadie.
#earlofselkirk #immigrantgaels #Orwellagainstthetide #mgalba
# lompaireachdnangaidheal #ahighlandempire
This story and many others are available in my book:
‘SHAPING THE SHADOWS: A Picture Maker’s Story’ available from the National Library of Scotland:
http://shop.nls.uk/shaping-the-shadows-2798-p.asp
marklittlewood.org.uk
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