Movies Set in Scotland

Buy at AllPosters.com

The Story

Mrs Brown is the story of Queen Victoria's retreat to the royal castle and estate of Balmoral and her regrard for a faithful servant, a Scotsman by the name of John Brown. Her reliance on him as a friend, who was permitted more liberties than many felt appropriate for a man of his status, as much as an attendant led to critics calling the widowed Queen Mrs Brown. Some feared this was indeed literally the case, with whispers of a secret marriage.

It is said that Queen Victoria was truly happy in Scotland, and Brown had been liked and trusted by her late husband Prince Albert. But at a time when social class was everything, the friendship of a Monarch with an ordinary Scotsman who had forgotten his place threatened the established standards. And both political enemies and the media stand to profit from a scandal involving the Queen herself.

Locations in Scotland

The Scottish countryside is at the very heart of this film. It is Brown's own environment, and part of his appeal for Queen Victoria, who clearly felt some kind of respite from the stuffy life of royalty in the hills surrounding Balmoral. Today this most lovely estate is still the jewel in the crown of the British royal family and continues to be a beloved refuge for the current Queen.

Balmoral Castle and Estate is a private residence that is completely closed to the public while the Royal Family is in residence. The gardens are open during the rest of the year and there are guided tours during winter.

The movie itself was filmed on a similar estate, Ardverikie Estate in Inverness-shire. This was also the setting of the TV series Monarch of the Glen.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Buy at AllPosters.com

The Story

Widow Frances is trying to escape the past, but her mother Elspeth turns up and a rocky reconciliation begins in a bitter cold Scottish winter landscape. At the same time, Frances' teenage son is being pursued by the girl next door; two elderly ladies spend their time going to funerals; and a pair of schoolboys play truant. Each pairing represent a different stage of life, and each of these has its transitions, like the winter that seems eternal with its frozen sea, but will inevitably thaw and give way to spring.

Locations in Scotland

The coastal setting plays a central part in this quiet and intense film. The frozen seaside village is Pittenweem on the east coast of Fife, with beach and seashore scenes filmed at nearby Elie. The snow was fake and no the ocean was not really frozen at the time of filming -- I have this information from a resident! It only goes to show what a great job was done of making this 'Winter' so believable.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Buy at AllPosters.com

The Story

This is a fantasy action movie involving an Immortal Warrior who must fight to the death with other Immortals until he is the last one standing. This dark and lonely journey through the ages begins when as a young man Connor MacLeod, a Highlander in Scotland of centuries ago, recovers from fatal injuries he received during clan warfare.

At this time of witchcraft (1536) he is feared and brutally driven from his Highland village into exile, where he falls in love with a young woman and has a chance encounter with a mysterious Spanish swordsman who teaches him to master his great power.

However, the enemy is never far behind and though all Connor loves is mortal, that which he must battle against is not. He is pursued through the ages, the final battle taking place in modern day New York.

Locations in Scotland

The wild and windswept beauty of the Scottish scenes was entirely real. The Scotland part of the movie was filmed on location in places famed for their natural beauty, including Glen Coe (first Scotland battle scene; the tower and cottage), Rannoch Moor, Loch Shiel, Loch Kishorn, and Eilean Donan Castle at Kyle of Lochalsh.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Buy at AllPosters.com

The Story

Scottish schoolboy Frankie writes letters to the father he has never met. The trouble is, the letters he gets back, supposedly from his dad away at sea, are written by his well-meaning mum. When the ship finally returns to dock, Frankie's mum Lizzie is obliged to take the deception to a new level to avoid hurting her son.

In hiring a stranger to act as the returning father, Lizzie introduces into their life an unlikely father and husband figure, at the same time keeping the unsuitable biological father of her boy hidden.

Locations in Scotland

Although this is an emotionally moving film, it is not as pristine fairytale, and neither is its Scottish setting. These characters have been knocked about by life and have washed ashore in the working class districts of Glasgow and the nearby industrial coastline of Greenock. If you are looking for modern day urban Scotland, without the drug themes of Trainspotting, this is it.

Buy at AllPosters.com