Chichester Cinema at New Park
Stone of Destiny
On Christmas day, 1950, four Scottish students carried out a daring raid on Westminster Abbey in order to ‘liberate’ the Stone of Scone. A rather ordinary-looking slab of sandstone, this ancient artefact was the legendary coronation stone of Scottish monarchs and a hugely powerful symbol of Scottish pride. Taken from the Scots by the English King Edward I in 1296, the stone was fitted into a coronation chair in Westminster Abbey on which English monarchs were crowned thereafter.
Written and directed by Charles Martin Smith, ‘Stone of Destiny’ retells the compelling true story of the four students and their idealistic adventure to return the stone to its rightful resting place. Led by undergraduate firebrand Ian Hamilton (Charlie Cox), the group included his best friend Bill Craig (Billy Boyd), fellow student Gavin Vernon (Stephen McCole) and beautiful activist Kay (Kate Mara). Their audacious act, which saw them successfully outwit the British authorities, led to a resurgence of national pride north of the border, and has become a modern Scottish legend.
A rousing tale of Caledonian ingenuity and guts, this was one of the big successes at this years’ Edinburgh Film Festival. The impressive cast also includes Robert Carlyle, Brenda Fricker and Peter Mullan, while the Scottish and English locations – including rare access to Westminster Abbey itself – adds to the authenticity.
UK · 2008 · Charles Martin · 96min
