Please read Understanding catalogue records for help interpreting this information and Using footage for more information about accessing this film.

Title: Fir Chlis

Reference number: 21230

Date: 1979, October

Sponsor: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; Scottish Film Council; Gulbenkian Foundation; Highlands and Islands Development Board

Production company: Cinema Sgire Project

Sound: sound

Colour: bw

Fiction: fiction

Running time: 32.28 mins

Description: Gaelic drama performed on-stage by Fir Chlis drama group starring Simon MacKenzie.

Fir Chlis, the first professional Gaelic repertory drama company, operated between 1977 and 1981. See also refs. N0406 and 16524 Fir Chlis is Gaelic for 'Northern Lights'.

This video was digitised with support from Bòrd na Gàidhlig and The Gaelic Language Promotion Trust.

The Cinema Sgìre Project was a community project set up by Comhairle nan Eilean in 1977 - 1981 and was largely supported by the Scottish Film Council (a forerunner of the Moving Image Archive), the Gulbenkian Foundation and the Highlands and Islands Development Board. The Project operated throughout the Uists and Barra. In addition to the operation of a mobile cinema the Project also recorded everyday life in the islands.

Cinema Sgire was a community project using early video technology. Any inherent defects such as signal loss, drop-out, visual / audio disturbances, interruptions or incompleteness will be present in the recording.

Shotlist: Drama group Fir Chlis perform Gaelic drama on stage starring Simon MacKenzie as a Patrick Sellar in court. A woman comes in and takes the oath. She's asked if she remembers the 18th March when the stranger (Sellar) came. The two start conversing and arguing, he is a representative of the Duke and is telling her she has to be evicted from her house for sheep. [The audio is hard to make out due to echo and image unclear in places]. The judge (Donald Ruadh Smith) and Sellar begin to argue. Then the woman begins to describe opening the door to someone else called MacRae and inviting him in thinking he might help. The woman pleads for help to stop her being evicted and forced to emigrate. The woman is finally dismissed. (00:26:30) the play fades out and camera cuts to a man on stage telling jokes. Then Simon MacKenzie sings 'A' Mhairead Òg', though image keeps rolling throughout.