Euphoria #32: small boys

Edinburgh Filmhouse habitué David Watson (ever notice how everybody is called David?) nominates this little slice of grin-making cinema from the bottom of his heart:

It’s from Billy Forsyth’s classic GREGORY’S GIRL, and may be the most perfect example of a Little Moment to Induce Happiness that we’ve yet had. Tiny and jewel-like in it’s simple beauty, it has brought pleasure to literally plomzillions of people.

More like this, please! (And more Scottish films like this, too.)

The actor playing the ivory-tinkling headmaster is Chic Murray, a music-hall comedian of long standing. (Sample material: ”I had a tragic childhood. My parents never understood me. They were Japanese.”) My late friend Lawrie once ran an organsiation called Films of Scotland, the first official body for the promotion of Scottish cinema, and the worst job he ever had. At once point he was brought a proposal for a short comedy starring Mr. Murray.

‘”He’s the Coming Man,” they told me. I said, “Chic Murray has been the Coming Man since I was in short trousers.”‘

Despite his great popularity in Scotland (and we’re a tough crowd: after a hostile reception at the Glasgow Empire in 1918, comedian Mark Sheridan walked to Kelvin Grove Park and shot himself), Murray remained largely an unknown quantity elsewhere until the end, save for THIS MOMENT — proof that immortality can strike randomly, when we least expect it, like a moonlit rapist. All we can do is keep busy and await the moment.

Will I be saying more about this film? Yes, starting TOMORROW.

 

“It’s a small world, but I wouldn’t want to have to paint it.” ~ Chic Murray.