Soft Top Hard Shoulder (1993)

Director:

Stefan Schwartz

Writer:

Peter Capaldi (writer)

Release Date:

15 January 1993 (UK)

Plot:

Eight years ago, Gavin artistic son of an Scots/Italian ice-cream dynasty, turned his back on Glasgow...

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Peter Capaldi	...	Gavin Bellini
Frances Barber	...	Miss Trumble
Catherine Russell	...	Animal Rights Activist
Jeremy Northam	...	John
Richard Wilson	...	Uncle Salvatore
Elaine Collins	...	Yvonne
Peter Ferdinando	...	Homeless Youth
Sophie Hall	...	Nancy
Scott Hall	...	Mr. Young
Simon Callow	...	Eddie Cherdowski
Phyllis Logan	...	Karla
Robert James	...	Campbell
Andrew Downie	...	Brodie
Ann Scott-Jones	...	Mrs. Tutty
Lindy Whiteford	...	Peggy

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15

Filming Locations:

Coalburn, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company:

Gruber Bros

Trivia:

Co-stars Peter Capaldi and Elaine Collins are husband and wife in real life.

It started with a bit of very familiar scenery

What drew my attention to this film was the fact that a place where Gavin was trying to hitch a lift was in fact a place that was VERY close to where I lived at the time. I don't know how you add to the filming locations on this site, but I can tell you that the scene where Gavin gets a lift from the Skinhead with the luton Transit Van is none other than the old A74 road at Coalburn,Lanarkshire,Scotland that was the main route south before the motorway was built parallel to it, and in fact I was taken on that very road to learn to drive, and the café he goes into I know very well,too! but after this I really concentrated on the film and watched it again and found it is actually a well written film with two leading Scottish actors in it (Who incidentally live in Hamilton,Scotland!) who as someone pointed out are really married. The film consisted of some good scenes using a lot of British places such as where I've already mentioned but it takes you up through the M6 motorway, Tebay services (The big tower on the motorway) and a fair bit of scenery from the Scottish borders as well as Morecambe. The 1971 Triumph Herald that Gavin drove in the film is roughly one of the last made and was quite fitting for the character, although a couple of bits with the scenery here annoyed me such as when they break down, Karla the mechanic doesn't exactly turn the engine over for long, and if the Dynamo had gone(Watch the film!) you wouldn't be turning anything over cos the battery would be flat! Overall it was a good film using a lot of instantly recognisable scenery which for me is a bonus instead of places in America that I wouldn't recognise if you stood me there.