Stone of Destiny (2008)

The story of Ian Hamilton, a dedicated nationalist who reignited Scottish national pride in the 1950s with his daring raid on the heart of England to bring the Stone of Scone back to Scotland.

Director:

Charles Martin Smith

Writers:

Ian Hamilton (book) (as Ian Hamilton Q.C.), Charles Martin Smith

Stars:

Charlie Cox, Kate Mara, Stephen McCole

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlie Cox	...	Ian Hamilton
Kate Mara	...	Kay Matheson
Stephen McCole	...	Gavin Vernon
Ciaron Kelly	...	Alan Stuart
Billy Boyd	...	Bill Craig
Robert Carlyle	...	John MacCormick
Peter Mullan	...	Harris Hamilton
Brenda Fricker	...	Mrs. McQuarry
Juliet Cadzow	...	Ian's Mother
Alex Donald	...	London Policeman
John Comerford	...	Pub Landlord
Richard Addison	...	Tour Guide
Danielle Stewart	...	Brochure Girl
Suzanne Dance	...	Church Woman
Pauline King	...	Jen

Storyline

The Stone of Destiny retells the fascinating and true story of four young Glaswegian students who, in 1951, outwitted the British authorities in their successful attempt to take back the Stone of Scone - a beloved symbol of Scottish pride, back to its country of origin.

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Plot Keywords:

20th century | stone of scone | year 1950 | year 1951 | year 1926 | 

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Taglines:

A heist 600 years in the making

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and some incidental smoking

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ian Hamilton: sour-faced English businessman who passes Ian Hamilton and Gavin Vernon as they get out of the car shortly before their first attempt to remove the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey (36 minutes).

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Goofs

The group is shown being arrested by the police at the end of the film, however in reality they were not arrested until some time later. The curator of Arbroath Abbey allowed the group sufficient time to make their escape before calling the police.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ian Hamilton: It was only a rock, a big lump of sandstone, you might pass right by it, but to us, it was symbol of our freedom, of our independence. We all knew about it of course, we learned as children how it was the Scottish stone of kings, but they took it from us. And as a nation is suppose we'd forgotten about it. Time does that. It was history.

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Soundtracks

I've Got You Under My Skin
Written by Cole Porter
Performed by Michael Bublé
Published by Chappell & Co.
Courtesy of Warner Music Canada Co.

User Reviews

Stirring and fun: and a terrific true adventure story

Stone of Destiny is stirring and while it never claims to be Braveheart it does capture a lot of what Scotland's quest to be free is all about; and is surprisingly moving.

A fun film about the true theft of the very potent symbol of Scottish heritage also known as Jacob's Pillow (As Jacob was meant to have slept on it after wrestling the angel in Genesis): the Scottish coronation stone.

It is simply told with old-fashioned values - it reminded us of 1950s cinema - something about a good story well-told, a caper with moral vision, if you will.

Above all it was fun. The time whizzed by and it really is an entertaining watch. The attempts to capture the 50s are good, there are some slight anachronisms here and there but overall it holds good. The actors all give it their all and there is a real sense of fun to be had here.

If you want a great adventure story and like true stories then this will definitely be your cup of tea.

Details

Country:

Canada UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 December 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Stone of Destiny

Filming Locations:

Arbroath, Angus, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

EUR6,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$347,045

Company Credits

Production Co:

Infinity Features Entertainment, The Mob Film Company, Alliance

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color