Mark Furse
by Tracey McCallum
Mark Furse, Former Head of Law at Glasgow University has spent his retirement busier than ever, compiling a comprehensive guide to Scottish Films – here we find out more about this wonderful endeavour.
Tell me a little bit about yourself-what’s your background?
I was born in a hospital since demolished, in a country which no longer exists. My father was in the army – I was born in what was then Aden (later South Yemen before becoming the current Yemen; which, by the way, is not a useful thing to have on your passport when it comes to visa applications). As a result I grew up in a state of constant flux and constant movement, and had been in nine schools by the age of 11. I have also as an adult spent significant time working abroad. I came to Glasgow in September 2003; the 21 years I have spent here is by far the longest I have spent in one place, and I now feel very much that this is home.
You were head of Law at Glasgow University, tell me a little about your career.
I finished my first degree with no idea what I wanted to do, and unfortunately was still in the same position after taking my (scholarship funded) masters degree. I then spent three years doing manual labour and temporary jobs (travelling on the side), but also doing some part time teaching in a London University. At the age of 29 I realised that is what I wanted to do full time, and was lucky to be able to move from a job in a London publisher to the University of Westminster. I got a second masters degree, and a PhD, and established a reputation in my subject but was unhappy at that University and left with no job to go to.
I spent time running a pub in a small village in the Cotswolds, and then was offered work at a Polish University. It was from there that I moved to Glasgow, coming as a Senior Lecturer in Law in 2003. I developed a global reputation in my subject, was the author of one of the standard student textbooks, and did all the stuff academics have to do (books, articles, conferences etc). I was also a visiting member of staff at Melbourne University, and taught courses in Hong Kong, Korea, and China – holding two visiting Professorships at Chinese Universities).
Have you always been passionate about films?
I always enjoyed being taken to the cinema by my parents, but those were rare occasions – the new James Bonds, and perhaps one in the summer holidays. We moved to the UK from Hong Kong in 1975, and at that point I was able to go by myself to the local cinema. By the age of 15 I was utterly hooked and have remained so ever since.
Some love the popcorn buzz of a multiplex and others prefer the intimacy of a small independent cinema – what’s your ideal movie viewing experience?
Popcorn is an absolute no-no, unless it’s finished by the end of the trailers. I prefer my cinemas to be quiet – although expect some noise when there is a loud crashy bangy film – and really don’t like being distracted by the lights of someone’s mobile phone. Add to this the fact that I am well over 6’, and I often gravitate to the front row where distractions are minimised and leg room is maximised.
I like the immersion in the screen, which expands to fill your world if you are closer; I really don’t understand people who sit in the second row on the basis that the front row is weird – why be just a bit further back with heads in front of you and none of the leg room? I split my time probably 60% GFT, 40% commercial cinemas, but it depends purely on what’s on. In the GFT I barely fit in many of the seats, so there it’s very much front row.
The idea for Scottish Films came to you in Shetland. Was it a lightbulb moment?
It was a lightbulb, early in the morning, second can of Coke Zero and third cigarette, beautiful view moment, while my wife was still sound asleep upstairs in the hotel (I’ll always be grateful to the Magnus Bay Hotel). I was very much determined to leave my job. I’d been teaching for 35 years, had nothing left to prove, but was concerned about what I was going to do in its absence. I wanted to seek more engagement with film than simply watching them (lots of them – my record is 208 in a year at the cinema). As I’d even been turned down as a volunteer at the GFT taking tickets (or rather they didn’t get back to me) I figured the route might not be easy. Then I had the lightbulb moment.
This isn’t your first book but it is your first book about film, I suspect not your last?
Books are not quite what they were in terms of securing engagement, but the careful curating of information and knowledge I think perhaps has even more value given the dominance of the online world. I found mistakes repeated again and again in respect of some of the films I looked at – and was determined to correct these, which meant I had to watch every film I wrote about.
A well set out book, which tells you who it was written by, what their qualifications are, what their method is, for me still has value. I actually like the process of organising information and writing. And yes, I’d like to do more. The really positive news for me is that a Scottish publisher has expressed interest in taking on a revised edition of the book as a paperback, and I’ll be talking to them about that. This would give me a chance to tidy some stuff up, and to add more films. First, I really need an agent. Getting one is not easy.
The book covers an impressive 376 films – where do you even start and what was your criteria for selection?
The very first thing I had to do was to work out what, for me, counts as Scottish. The definition I adopt is one which I would hope resonate with viewers: the films may not be filmed in Scotland; they may not be made by Scottish crew with Scottish actors, but they claim to show Scotland, and tell us ‘this story (or documentary) is set in Scotland’. This is not the same as the definition would be of an ‘indigenous’ Scottish film, which would be entirely Scottish with Scottish funding.
Films are slippery suckers in terms of nationality. So my criteria is that the film is set in whole or substantial part in Scotland (which again meant watching them all to be sure – sometimes with a stopwatch running); be at least 70 minutes long, and be shown in a cinema (ie, I excluded TV movies unless these also had cinema exposure). Then, with a lot of help, I had the much harder job of identifying films which met the criteria, and then the very long slow job of getting hold of as many of them as I could.
What would be your top 3 favourite Scottish films?
I Know Where I’m Going, The Bill Douglas Childhood Trilogy, and Trainspotting + T2: Trainspotting
And your favourite Scottish actor?
I had to be very careful in the book about identifying someone as Scottish or not. We do it all the time, but perhaps too casually. Obviously we have no problem saying Martin Compston is Scottish – I’m 100% certain he’d agree. Am I Scottish? I was born in Yemen and only moved here 23 years ago; my wife was born in China. We’d both say we’re Scottish – but someone else might not agree. Short answer – if Tilda Swinton is Scottish, then she would be my favourite Scottish actor. Kate Dickie would come a close second.
What do you think makes a film loved by an audience?
If it were easy to say, everyone would do it! I remember watching Dirty Dancing when it was first shown. I think it’s safe to say that no-one knew then that it would become the beloved staple it now is, whereas it was obvious when I saw Star Wars on release that it would. I saw Gregory’s Girl when it first came out. At the time we all probably thought ‘well that’s a nice sweet independent Scottish film which is going to disappear without trace’. There’s some indefinable element that comes into play, although I think respect of the audience by the films’ creators, and a generosity and warmth help.
How did you come up with the thistle scoring system to indicate how Scottish a film is?
This one’s all me. I wondered early on in the writing if there would be a difference in what I will carelessly label authenticity depending on who was involved in a film’s creation. Would a Scottish director, using a script by a Scottish writer, insist on showing highland cattle, a dude with bagpipes, and a lonely glen to prove we’re in Scotland? I got so sick of these images. If you watch a film set in London it’s going to show Big Ben, and a red bus, and a black taxi – but the difference is that Londoners encounter these things all the time. How often have you gone for a walk in the highlands to encounter a bloody bagpiper stuck up a hill surrounded by highland cattle? This is very nicely lampooned in Trainspottingand The Angels Share.
So I decided to break things down: is the film set in Scotland – 1 thistle. Was it actually shot here (naughty Braveheart!); does it feature significant Scottish actor input, and are the creators (writers and/or directors) Scottish? If you have all four thistles you have something I hope is likely to be more authentic. The more thistles, the closer the film is to a Scotland that we Scots might actually recognise.
A tremendous amount of work has gone into this project, the research must have been all consuming?
I figure 2,500 – 3,000 hours in total. If I’m lucky I might make about 30p per hour by the end of this! But doing it was more fun than not, and I clearly did not write the book for money.
Tell us about films set in the West End? There might be a couple our readers don’t know about.
The West End is an attractive location: the University is impressive, as is Kelvingrove museum (Balance, Not Symmetryhas a long scene there. The combination of the architecture, the open space, and the dramatic plunge in the streets around Hyndland and Partick all help. The University has gone out of its way to facilitate filming, and where I live, on the edge of Park Circus, we often see location shoots underway. A relatively early film to make good use of the West End is 1952’s You’re Only Young Twice, in which the University of Glasgow becomes the University of Skerryvore! It’s a faintly ridiculous farce, but there’s some fun to be had. I quite like The Girl in the Picture from 1985, which is very heavy on the West End locations. More recently Stuart Murdoch’s God Help the Girl and Only You with Josh O’Connor are West End focused.
Scotland as a location seems to be growing in popularity – do you think the same can be said for Scottish Films?
There’s no doubt that Scotland’s increased use as a location brings money into the economy, and is good for Scottish crew and actors. But little of that is reflected in Scottish output. Scottish directors have struggled to break through – many have made one or two films, but most readers would be hard pressed to name a director with consistent success.
What would you like to see change for the Scottish Film Industry?
Better support and funding for new filmmakers, and for those moving into second/third films, with structured support to make the breakthrough. More support for distribution beyond the few Scottish independent cinemas left.
What’s next for you and this project?
I’m still trying hard to get this book in front of people. I cannot afford to distribute it through the large commercial booksellers, who take a very high percentage from each sale. The reception from those who have a copy has been very positive, but I would like there to be more! (And thanks to the Hyndland Bookshop for stocking it). As I mentioned there’s talks about a revised edition in paperback, perhaps for late next year, but we’ll see. I’m certainly not going to stop watching films and talking about them. Any agents out there – please get in touch!
Mark Furse book Scottish Films is available from Waterstones, Byres Rd and all good bookshops.
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