Chasing the Deer

I watched parts of this movie on television - it was always shown at times when I could not sit down and watch it all, so I bought it on DVD. The DVD is German but with an English language option, and seems to be the only available source.

Historically, it's well written - NOT, as some other reviewers have claimed, the poor old Scots versus the evil English, but a Polish / Italian Prince who, after years of peace, lands in Scotland and bribes, coerces and threatens the Scots Lords into war on his behalf. With no army, weapons, strategy or planning, and no real idea of what Scotland actually is, he chases a dream, doomed to failure from the start, and only succeeds in destroying the Scots way of life before he flees back overseas. Lord against Lord, family against family and friend against friend, the war was Scot against Scot and neither would win.

As for the film itself... watch it on a very small screen. Large screen television only helps magnify the out of focus shots, the grainy texture and the poor production. Too many long shots of chewing deer, flowing rivers and mountains; many of the outdoor shots, in rain and fog, are harshly lit by production lighting which reflects off the wet weapons.

I like it - I find it historically accurate, the costumes are accurate, and the sentiment is more realistic than many. Were all the anti-Jacobite Scots traitors, or were they just realists? No-one wins here, and that's a refreshing and very brave portrayal. It's just a pity the production wasn't better.. but I'd say: watch it with an open mind.

Chasing the Deer is a very fine film - for those acquainted with the historical background of the Scottish civil war in 1745-46, the last attempt to restore the old Stewart royal line in place of the new Hanoverian dynasty, whom the Jacobites regarded as usurpers. Every nuance of the film is historically correct - unlike Braveheart, which is a first-class film but a historical disaster. I can understand the incomprehension of viewers - probably most viewers - who know nothing of Scottish history in the mid-18th century and are therefore unable to appreciate Chasing the Deer's first-rate qualities. The characters of the two main protagonists, Prince Charles Edward and the Duke of Cumberland (both 25 and second cousins) are very accurately portrayed. The film brings out the wide divisions in Scottish (and especially Highland) society between those loyal to the old royal line and those who have already come to terms with the new. Charles Edward won his battles against the government forces at Prestonpans and Falkirk, but the final one at Culloden (the last land battle fought on Scottish soil) ended in disaster for the Jacobite cause and marked a watershed in the history of modern Scotland. Nothing was ever the same again. This film sweeps away all the romantic glamour that has surrounded the name of Charles Edward Stewart. It demolishes the legend that Culloden was a Scottish-English conflict; members of one and the same family could be found fighting on both sides at the battle at Culloden. Of the major historical films about Scotland, Rob Roy probably comes closest to historical accuracy, albeit with Hollywood icing. One could quibble about details of film technique in Chasing the Deer, but for me it remains the best-ever portrayal of a major watershed in Scottish history and the personal motivations of those caught up in the conflict.

'Chasing the Deer' is a worthy achievement in British film. It is blessed with a script which is concise enough to maintain a pace, whilst full enough to emote and explain. The cast, hardly block-buster names, is fortunate enough to contain some genuine talent and convincing accentuation. Battle scenes are sensitively managed, lacking the gore and brutality of films such as Gibson's Braveheart, but surpassing such films in the authority of the history. The use of experienced re-enactors of the period, noticeably the Charles Edward Stuart Society, allows an unusual reality into the ranks.

This film truly makes the grade in its balance. No judgement is pronounced on the rights or wrongs of either side in the conflict, and the sense of tragedy transcends the politics. Far from the romanticised Niven performance in Bonnie Prince Charlie - a green and pleasant distraction - this portrayal of the Jacobite rising both unfolds its history and presents its raw emotion. Do not expect big budget epic, but enjoy this stirring and credible treatment.

Chasing The Deer was also released as Culloden 1745 - the last major battle fought between the rival Houses of Hanover and Stuart, the last British Civil War, and the last battle to be fought on Scottish soil.

I'll say that Chasing The Deer certainly has faults - and it suffers from the same drawbacks that all labours of love have - but it compares favourable to absurd, overblown Hollywood retellings like Goldwyn - Korda - Niven's 'Bonny Prince Charlie'...or Mel Gibson's Braveheart.

The production values and direction are surprisingly high - some scenery is spectacularly well photographed - but the script is overburdened with characters and stodgy dialogue. Moreover, Brian Blessed deserves praise for a good performance as the conflicted Hanoverian loyalist Major Elliott. Scots rocker Fish is in there too but good luck spotting him with all the dirt and camouflage.

Still, it a worthy attempt to tell a complex story with a bit more heart than the shortbread tin imagery. And, more importantly, I think, like The Bruce, it stimulates interest and debate on otherwise neglected areas of Scottish history.

There were English Jacobites. Some Scots declared their loyalties (for various reasons - not always noble ones) while others remained neutral. The '45 split clans, cities, communities and families. As for the cliche of opposites on the battlefield - that's what happens in civil war, and that's what happened at Culloden. And it didn't stop Ken Loach capitalising on the same clichés did it?

Quite a decent effort notwithstanding the devices used to obscure the paucity of the budget.However as someone who is hard of hearing subtitles would have been a real help to understanding the dialogue.