The Battle of Culloden (TV 1964)
"Culloden" (original title)

A reconstruction of the Battle of Culloden, the last battle to take place on British soil, as if modern TV cameras were present.

Director:

Peter Watkins

Writer:

Peter Watkins

Stars:

Olivier Espitalier-Noel, George McBean, Robert Oates

Cast

Credited cast:
Olivier Espitalier-Noel	...	Prince Charles Edward Stuart
George McBean	...	Alexander McDonald
Robert Oates	...	Private Alexander Laing

Storyline

A reconstruction of the Battle of Culloden, the last battle to take place on British soil, as if modern TV cameras were present.

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Plot Keywords:

battle | butchery | death | soldier | army | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Scottish Gaelic

Release Date:

24 May 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Battle of Culloden

Filming Locations:

Inverness, Highland, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

What the film refers to as "grapeshot" is more commonly referred to as "canister"; bags full of musket balls fired from cannon, like a gigantic shotgun. "Grapeshot" is usually used to refer to much larger shot in a container that breaks up when fired; the name comes from its fancied resemblance to a bunch of grapes.

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Quotes

Narrator: They've created a desert and have called it "peace".

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Connections

Featured in Watching Ourselves: 60 Years of Television in Scotland: Other Lives (2012)

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Soundtracks

"My Bonnie Moorhen"
(trad.)
Sung by Colin Cater

User Reviews

Brilliant !!

Peter Watkins film "Culloden" is outstanding for all the reasons other reviewers have described and strips away the romanticism about Bonnie Prince Charlie,which began with Queen Victoria and Prince Alberts enthusiasm for anything Scottish. We all know war is brutal, but up until 1964 had film and TV portrayed it as such ? "Culloden" seems to have been the first film to show brutality and atrocities taking place. War films were still about the brave and upstanding allies fighting the nasty axis powers. Other reviewers have commented on the parallels with the Vietnam war, but it must be remembered that "Culloden" was transmitted in December 1964 and the only American troops in Vietnam at the time were advisor's. The full scale American troop deployments to Vietnam did not materialise until April 1965. It is an interesting parallel, but the scenes of US troops burning Vietnamese villages on the nightly news was still months away. But in a sense Peter Watkins previewed this. Quite simply an outstanding film.