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Being Gregory: Bill Forsyth, Gregory's Girl, the lot
In 1980, a 34 year-old Glaswegian got the chance to turn his first screenplay into a feature film. With a small budget and support from a youth theatre in an area of ‘multiple social deprivation’, Bill Forsyth made a film which still holds a luminous place in the minds of audiences around the world.
This is a book about the singular, unappreciated talent of Forsyth — and the impossibility of Gregory’s Girl, how it shouldn’t really exist. There’s much more to the film's unique formula than a story about first love and football: French New Wave cinema; Vladimir Nabokov; Preston Sturges; the Glasgow Youth Theatre; the new town strangeness of Cumbernauld; and most of all, the magic of ordinary life.
“This is a fantastic read about one of the most important Scottish films ever made. We all knew we were involved in something special — but no-one knew just how special.”
Rab Buchanan (Andy)
“Fascinating…a journey over the rainbow to that magical land of youth.”
Douglas Sannachan (Billy)
“A compelling read for cinephiles, cultural historians, and, perhaps especially, those people of Scotland whose own coming-of-age experiences were echoed by the much-loved film. It grants us a tantalising wee keek into the ordinary magic of being human."
Gerry Clark, director/producer, One For The Album: The Story of the Glasgow Youth Theatre
This is a book about the singular, unappreciated talent of Forsyth — and the impossibility of Gregory’s Girl, how it shouldn’t really exist. There’s much more to the film's unique formula than a story about first love and football: French New Wave cinema; Vladimir Nabokov; Preston Sturges; the Glasgow Youth Theatre; the new town strangeness of Cumbernauld; and most of all, the magic of ordinary life.
“This is a fantastic read about one of the most important Scottish films ever made. We all knew we were involved in something special — but no-one knew just how special.”
Rab Buchanan (Andy)
“Fascinating…a journey over the rainbow to that magical land of youth.”
Douglas Sannachan (Billy)
“A compelling read for cinephiles, cultural historians, and, perhaps especially, those people of Scotland whose own coming-of-age experiences were echoed by the much-loved film. It grants us a tantalising wee keek into the ordinary magic of being human."
Gerry Clark, director/producer, One For The Album: The Story of the Glasgow Youth Theatre
370 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 11, 2023
Ok book about Bill Forsyth and Gregorys Girl, it just feels it wanders from the main story. A star lost for the use of the ridiculous word ‘woke’
September 12, 2023
After his winning book on five eighties pop albums , Tim Blanchard has turned his laser vision (both obsessive; forensic, thoughtful and nuanced) on Gregorys Girl, the film and more widely the career of Bill Forsyth. I had been looking for a book about this film for a while, but there is surprisingly little on Forsyth so this was so welcome, not only because Blanchard favours a rambling discursive narrative, often personal and oh so observant, but because the film deserves a homage. Blanchard ends up both saying what its fans usually just think and is also not afraid to tackle Forsyths later career in all its stumbling hesitant and developmental messiness. With Blanchard it's also always personal so that his feelings, emotions and sometimes not fully thought out conclusions are set out raw and ready to be digested or rejected.
There are excellent sections on The film itself; its genesis and casting and the precursor that was That Sinking Feeling. Glasgow Youth Theatre and the actors relationships, attitudes and crucially their personas at the time are all explored over and above the more familiar stories of the casting of Clare Grogan and Dee Hepburn. John Gordon Sinclair ( appropriately perhaps) is more fuzzily defined reflecting an ambivalence by him (either real or imagined) about his titular role and the less well received follow up Gregorys Two Girls.
There is also an equally fascinating section on Cumbernauld, Forsyths choice for the setting. Inevitably Blanchard visits the locations now often difficult to trace or track down after all this time and the book becomes even more of a social history which some equally great summaries of the 70s political scene and the big picture. There are inevitably to, many great anecdotes based on interviews and Blanchards forensically effective trawl through interviews; film journals and memoirs. There is also an overview of all of Forsyths output and a detailed consideration of what made the man tick at the time and later.
Blanchard also provides genuinely fascinating endnotes for chapters often detailing the careers of the cast and crew and telling the reader what they did next for better or worst. The joke told by Chic Murray about Black underwear made me laugh outloud...
Blanchard considers whether Gregory's Girl can withstand labels calling it whimsy and indeed early reviews were less than flattering criticising the inconsequential narrative and simple plotting and themes.
This is a dense thoughtful book that gives the film detailed consideration but it also serves as a biography of Forsyth- a reticent film maker who labelled himself a writer and in a meta sort of way saw filming as a wrecking ball for the written ideas and scripting he had laboured over.
Overall an excellent book about the film industry, Forsyth and local architecture in Cumbernauld that was indeed fascinating. Blanchards books are full of love and a genuine deep enthusiasm for his subject matter which comes through in the always excellent writing. Highly Recommended.
There are excellent sections on The film itself; its genesis and casting and the precursor that was That Sinking Feeling. Glasgow Youth Theatre and the actors relationships, attitudes and crucially their personas at the time are all explored over and above the more familiar stories of the casting of Clare Grogan and Dee Hepburn. John Gordon Sinclair ( appropriately perhaps) is more fuzzily defined reflecting an ambivalence by him (either real or imagined) about his titular role and the less well received follow up Gregorys Two Girls.
There is also an equally fascinating section on Cumbernauld, Forsyths choice for the setting. Inevitably Blanchard visits the locations now often difficult to trace or track down after all this time and the book becomes even more of a social history which some equally great summaries of the 70s political scene and the big picture. There are inevitably to, many great anecdotes based on interviews and Blanchards forensically effective trawl through interviews; film journals and memoirs. There is also an overview of all of Forsyths output and a detailed consideration of what made the man tick at the time and later.
Blanchard also provides genuinely fascinating endnotes for chapters often detailing the careers of the cast and crew and telling the reader what they did next for better or worst. The joke told by Chic Murray about Black underwear made me laugh outloud...
Blanchard considers whether Gregory's Girl can withstand labels calling it whimsy and indeed early reviews were less than flattering criticising the inconsequential narrative and simple plotting and themes.
This is a dense thoughtful book that gives the film detailed consideration but it also serves as a biography of Forsyth- a reticent film maker who labelled himself a writer and in a meta sort of way saw filming as a wrecking ball for the written ideas and scripting he had laboured over.
Overall an excellent book about the film industry, Forsyth and local architecture in Cumbernauld that was indeed fascinating. Blanchards books are full of love and a genuine deep enthusiasm for his subject matter which comes through in the always excellent writing. Highly Recommended.
March 24, 2024
Pretty good except for when it goes off on tangents of seemingly fictionalised conversations that members of the cast or crew would’ve had. Also the rambles about “woke” culture and snowflakes was boring and disappointing. Could’ve gone into more detail.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews