13 May 2008

Funded by the British Film Institute and earning their place in cinema history as three of the most acclaimed British films of the 1970s, the autobiographical trilogy of films made by Scottish filmmaker Bill Douglas have remained remarkable and compelling viewing.

The storyline follows Jamie (played with heart-breaking conviction by Stephen Archibald) as he grows up in a poverty-stricken mining village in post-war Scotland. In these brutal surroundings, and subject to hardship and rejection, Jamie learns to fend for himself. We see him grow from child to adolescent – angry and bewildered, but playful, creative and affectionate.

In My Childhood (1972), eight-year old Jamie lives with his granny and elder brother in a Scottish mining village in 1945. With his mother in a mental home and his father absent, he is subject to the hardships of poverty. In My Ain Folk (1973), Jamie is sent to live with his paternal grandmother and uncle; a life full of silence and rejection. My Way Home (1978) sees Jamie's ultimate victory over his circumstances; after a spell in foster care, and a homeless shelter, he is conscripted into the RAF, where he embarks on a redemptive friendship with Robert, which allows him to emerge from his ineffectual adolescence to pursue his artistic ambition.

With its minimal dialogue, monochrome cinematography and sometimes bleak sense of place, the films are nonetheless brimming with humanity and are often cited as three of the finest films about childhood ever made.

The Bill Douglas Trilogy is to be released on UK DVD in June by the BFI as a 2-disc set containing all three films and the following extra features:

• Bill Douglas: Intent on Getting the Image (2006, 63 mins), a new documentary about Bill Douglas's life and work;
• Come Dancing (1970, 15 mins), Douglas's remarkable, rarely-seen student short;
• Rare archive interview with Bill Douglas (4 mins);
• Illustrated booklet containing newly commissioned essays, notes and credits

The Bill Douglas Trilogy will be released on 23rd June 2008 at the RRP of £22.99.