Kidnapped

Kidnapped is a historical drama, produced in 1971 and set in Scotland after the battle of Culloden. To set the scene it’s back to school for a brief history lesson! The year is 1746 and the final battle of the Jacobite Rising took place on Culloden moor. The Jacobites sought to restore the House of Stuart to the British throne. In their eyes the young Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) was the rightful heir to the throne and so they tried to overthrow King George II. The culmination of this was the battle of Culloden, the last battle to be fought on mainland Britain, which saw the British victorious and dealt a blow to the uprisers that the Jacobites never recovered from.

Directed by Delbert Mann and based on the novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the film is set in the immediate aftermath of the battle of Culloden. The opening scenes show the bloody remains of a battlefield with the merciless British soldiers butchering the wounded Scots where they lay. Inexplicably we cut from this scene of devistation to a relatively well-to-do 18 year old David Balfour, who is on his way to his uncles’ dreary highland house to claim his inheritance. Not keen on loosing his house, the uncle unsuccessfully tries to murder Davy and later convinces a sea captain to sell him into slavery in the Carolina’s.

During the sea voyage Davy becomes cabin boy to the villainous captain. Not long into the voyage the ship picks up an additional traveller after they run-down and sink a row boat. The traveller turns out to be a prominent member of the Stuart clan, Alan Breck, who after surviving Culloden is trying desperately to find a ship to France where he intends to raise arms and money for the Stuarts’ glorious return. The captain, upon seeing Alan’s belt full of gold, decides to kill him and make a tidy profit. Davy overhears the captains plan and decides to side with Alan against a ship full of cut-throats. During the ensuing fight the ships’ rudder is left unattended and the ship runs aground back on the shores of Scotland. The only survivors from the crash, Alan and Davy set off across the highlands to Edinburgh, Alan to get more gold and arrange for another ship to take him to France and Davy to confront his treacherous uncle to find out why he tried to murder him and having failed that have him enslaved. After Culloden the Scottish highlands were not a safe place, Alan and Davy must traverse 100 miles of countryside crawling with British redcoats, all trying to root out and kill Stewarts not be loyal to the King.

From the initial scenes of the aftermath of battle you get the impression that the film is to be full of action as the defeated Stewarts try to evade the pursuing British. When the film cuts to Davy, it takes a change of pace and introduces us to a character that is far removed from the battlefield of Culloden. He is a ‘lowlander’ not used to fighting and definitely not the usual hero type. When he eventually meets up with Alan, who is the swashbuckling hero type, they make a bit of an odd, but interesting, pair.

The film is split into three main acts. The first introduces us to the characters and sets up the meeting of Davy and Alan. The second is their trip through the highlands to Edinburgh and the third is their time in Edinburgh. The second act runs at a good pace, has some action interspersed with some nice character development. Along the way they pick up a niece of Alan’s, Catriona, who becomes the love interest for Davy. The second act, for me, was all too short and the bits of action that there were, on too small a scale. On reaching Edinburgh the film changes pace again, changing from a film of musket and sword play to one of political manoeuvring as Davy tries to free Catriona’s father, captured by the redcoats and falsely accused of murder.

At this point it's probably worth mentioning the cast, which is pretty stellar. The names you’ll probably recognise are Michael Caine (playing Alan Breck), Trevor Howard (Lord Advocate Grant), Gordon Jackson (Charles Stewart), Jack Watson (James Stewart) and last but by no means least Donald Pleasence (Ebenezer Balfour). The acting, on the whole, is top notch, save for a slightly dodgy Scottish accent from Michael Caine (a bit of the true cockney sneaks through sometimes!) and, in my opinion, some slightly wooden acting from Lawrence Douglas (Davy Balfour).

The settings and scenery are first class. There are some spectacular shots of the Scottish highlands, which make you realise why the Stewart highlanders feel so passionately about the country and are prepared to fight and die to defend it from the British. The transfer to DVD is excellent, the picture was sharp, even if the colour palette was towards the drab side (entirely in keeping with its settings though, people didn’t wear bright vibrant colours in the highlands). The sound was clear but is only a dolby digital mono soundtrack so if you’ve got a surround sound setup don’t expect too much in the sound department.

Extras

Production Featurette – This 5 minute behind the scenes view of the production centres on the young actor who plays Davy, Lawrence Douglas. It’s entirely voiced over by Lawrence and the director Delbert Mann and the visuals are behind the scenes shots as they set up the initial shots of the battle of Culloden. Michael Caine isn’t so much as mentioned never mind makes an appearance. The picture quality is pretty dire and the sound OK. It was obviously filmed before DVD extras were contemplated and it shows it. Not very interesting.

Michael Caine Interview – Russell Harty 1973
Michael Caine Interview – Russell Harty 1977
Michael Caine Interview – Sunday Sunday 1984

Very interesting interviews that give an insight into Michael Caine over an 11 year period, but nothing whatsoever to do with this film.
 
Trailer – Good to see that nothing’s changed when it comes to trailers. This makes the film out to be on a par with Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. They must’ve included every action shot in the entire film in one trailer!

Image Gallery – A series of stills taken from the film.

Overall

In these modern times when you hear the term swashbuckling you probably think of something along the lines of Pirates of the Caribbean. This term has been used in conjunction with this film in the past, but by today’s standards it’s a poor showing. Where this film excels is in telling a story (something that modern day filmmakers all too often forget!). In-between the, all too sparse for me personally, action is real character development. You learn and feel Alan Brecks’ passion for his country and admire Davys’ dedication to his moral beliefs (whilst also wondering why he doesn’t get Alan to teach him how to fight!). The story isn’t one dimensional either, the film transitions from action romp in the highlands to political intrigue in Edinburgh. If you like action films by modern standards then don’t bother with this. However if you like a good story, which manages to impart some history along the way, with good characterisation combined with beautiful Scottish scenery then this might be the film for you.