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Title: DONALD OF THE COLOURS

Reference number: 3020

Date: 1975

Director: d. Ron Miller

Production company: Group 5

Sound: sound

Original format: 16mm

Colour: col

Fiction: fiction

Running time: 50.05 mins

Description: Following the bloodbath of Culloden field, one young boy, Donald, attempts to return to his clan with their colours intact. On his journey he encounters two other children, a brother and sister, left to fend for themselves after arriving in Scotland from France with the Prince and their father. Their journey is fraught with danger as Cumberland's orders to wipe out the clans are put into practice by the Redcoats.

Print held by IAC Library [Institute of Amateur Cinematography]

Credits: ass. d. Robert Stephen
ward. Sheila Law
sd. Robert Stephen, Stuart Bruce
m. Norman May
cam. John MacGregor , Clif Stroud
w. Ron Miller.
cast James Forbes, Judith Lea, Kenneth Lea, James Buchan, Kate Rawles, Stephen Robertson, Donald Stewart, Roger Houghton, Brian Simpson, Robert Baxter, Neil Blair, Stuart Bruce, Graham Buyers, Pat Calder,Ronald Cameron, Brian Davison, Andrew Fairfield, David Fraser, Andrew Fourbister, Iain Gordon, Steve Haley, Alasdair Milne, Alec MacKenzie, Frieda Morrison, Alan Nairn, Stewart Nairn, Bob Smart , Robert Stephen, Willie Turner, Bob Urquart, Richard Wood.

Shotlist: Culloden, April 1746.Battle scenes, v/o gives details of the battle and its aftermath (1.01) Titles over scenes of a small group of soldiers preparing to go into battle (2.07) Raising their standard they go into battle, Donald is hit and when he later awakes he views the destruction surrounding him (3.47) He escapes across country, scenes of which are intercut with contrasting scenes of the English discussing Cumberland's orders over the dinner table (8.37) Donald takes the clan colours and a sword from a dead kinsman (10.06) On his journey he first meets and kills a Redcoat then comes across two well-dressed children in the woods and takes them under his wing (12.18) The children explain their situation over the campfire which they then have to leave in order to cover their tracks (14.07) END OF FIRST REEL.
The children are spotted by a Redcoat, a fight ensues and he is beaten (2.56) They plan to reach a nearby church but upon reaching it see Redcoats slaughtering the Clansmen in the graveyard before setting the church alight (6.19) They wander through the moors (7.49) Another encounter with Readcoats goes in the childrens' favour (10.05) The journey continues (14.00) Noises are heard followed by the children escaping with a sack of stolen food which they devour before carrying on their way (15.39) Donald is shot rescuing the girl from a Redcoat (18.01) She takes the colours from him as he dies and she and her brother carry it off into the sunset (21.43) The blood-splattered colours fly aloft. The End (22.00)