The Stone of Destiny is a movie being released today. I saw it last week at an early screening event (a local moviehouse has a breakfast/preview movie event at 10 am on some Sundays). I’ve been reading the reviews in the local papers with some surprise; they seem mildly cranky. Personally, I enjoyed the movie. I learned a little bit about Scotland and its history through a well told story about idealists who bumble their way through an extraordinary caper. They ‘retrieve’ the Stone of Destiny (also known as the Stone of Scone [scone, in this case, is rhymed with stone]) from Westminster Abbey. The stone had significance to the Scots as it was used as part of their coronation ceremonies when they had their own kings and queens. The English took the stone when they gained dominance over Scotland. They took it home to London and Westminster Abbey where It actually sat on a ledge beneath the chairseat of the chair used in English coronation ceremonies. The symbolism is hard to miss. The stone, by the way, weighs between 300 and 400 pounds.
The movie is pretty much true to the events as they transpired, according to the director. (People stayed to talk to the director, Charles Martin Smith, after the screening.) I liked it for more than just the history. The idealism and the exuberance portrayed on screen was refreshing when we are so often surrounded (drowning) in cynicism and bitterness.
As for the three professional reviewers, it’s interesting to note that two (Greg Ursic in the WestEnder and Jay Stone in the Vancouver Sun) of them tell us that the Stone of Destiny is no Braveheart. I would pretty much concur although I’m not sure why they’ve mentioned it. The movie is not Gone with the Wind nor The Lord of the Rings nor Mary, Queen of Scots, for that matter. As for Ken Eisner in The Georgia Straight, he was the most dismissive of all. I gather that he would have given the movie more political edge and tragedy if he’d made it.
One thing I should note before finishing ths, cranking out reviews is tough work. You can get very jaded and you don’t have the luxury of writing only about the shows/movies/exhibitions that move you strongly. I know because I used to review dance and I couldn’t hack it for much more than two years (roughly). That said, I stand by comments about the ‘cranky’ reviews.
Unfortunately, I missed the Blogging for Darwin event which was held (Feb. 12 – 15, 2009) to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth. It was an international event which attracted poets, artists, and scientists. You can read a bit more about it here or you can go directly to Blog for Darwin.