What Sir Walter Scott did for Hollywood

Summary of the Talk:

David Bruce's talk explores the lasting influence of Sir Walter Scott's works on cinema, even long after Scott's death in 1832, well before the birth of film and photography. Despite Scott being a writer whose work primarily lived on in the written word, his stories found their way into the very earliest films, even before cinema had sound. He discusses Scott's impact on the development of Hollywood and global cinema, detailing how his novels were mined for screen adaptations, particularly during the silent film era.

Key Points from the Talk:

1. Early Influence on Cinema:
2. Scott's influence was immediate, beginning with early films like Rob Roy (1911), which was the first British three-reel fiction film.
3. His works, like Ivanhoe and The Lady of the Lake, inspired numerous adaptations even in the silent film era, which often used his stories due to their broad international appeal and the ease of translating intertitles across languages.
4. Scott's Cultural Impact:
5. Mark Twain famously critiqued Scott, particularly for romanticizing the past and its influence on the Southern United States' chivalric culture, which some argue contributed to the Civil War.
6. Scott also influenced American frontiersmen and even the Mohawk people, who found similarities between his depictions of clan societies and their own cultures.
7. Photographic and Cinematic Connection:
8. Scott's influence extended to the birth of photography, with pioneers like William Henry Fox Talbot being inspired by Scott's works, particularly The Lady of the Lake, in their photography books.
9. The link between Scott's literary depictions of Scotland and the visual arts is noted, as his works were instrumental in shaping the romanticized view of Scotland that would later be perpetuated by cinema.
10. Hollywood's Use of Scott's Works:
11. Scott's stories were particularly useful for early filmmakers who needed scripts for the fast-growing cinema industry. Movies based on his works were often produced because the stories were already well-known to international audiences through translations.
12. However, these early films often treated Scott's stories as mere titles to attract audiences, with little regard for their literary depth or cultural significance.
13. Later Criticism and Tartanization:
14. Bruce also critiques the "tartanization" of Scotland in Hollywood films like Brigadoon (1954), where Scotland is depicted as a quaint, romantic land. This portrayal, which is largely rooted in Scott's idealized vision of Scotland, has been criticized for distorting real Scottish culture.
15. Films like Braveheart (1995), which borrow from Scott's romanticized vision, also fuel the idea of Scotland as a land of nostalgia and romanticized heroism, though not always in a historically accurate way.
16. The Legacy of Scott in Modern Scotland:
17. The debate continues in Scotland over the legacy of Scott's influence, particularly in films. There are concerns that Scott's romanticized Scotland still shapes modern perceptions of the nation, potentially distorting the real, more complex aspects of Scottish identity.
18. Bruce closes by reflecting on how modern Scottish cinema has attempted to move beyond Scott's influence, with films like Trainspotting and Sweet Sixteen offering a more contemporary, gritty portrayal of Scottish life.

Interesting Points:

• Scott's works were foundational in shaping the American Western genre, as elements of his medieval chivalric tales influenced the conventions of the cowboy shoot-out.
• The creation of the fiery cross in The Lady of the Lake was later appropriated by the Ku Klux Klan, linking Scott’s romanticization of clan societies to much darker uses.
• While Scott’s cultural legacy in films is often seen as a source of nostalgia and beauty, there’s a darker side in which his idealized Scotland has been misappropriated in ways that distort the nation's real history and identity.

This talk highlights the far-reaching effects of Scott's work on both literature and cinema, while also delving into the complexities of his legacy, which continues to influence both Hollywood and contemporary Scottish culture.