Rob Roy to open HippFest 2019

Coming up for its ninth year, the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival (HippFest) has established itself as one of the highlights of Scotland’s vibrant film calendar. The 2019 edition – which takes place from 20-24 March – will open with a rare screening of Rob Roy (1922), which will be accompanied by a new score by multi-instrumentalist David Allison.

Of scoring the film, Allison says: "I'm really looking forward to coming back to this wonderful festival at the Hippodrome which is truly an extraordinary venue. Rob Roy is an ambitiously staged tale of romance and nationalist pride and it’s an honour to get to write and perform music to one of Scotland’s most iconic figures." Not to be confused with the 1995 film of the same name starring Liam Neeson, the silent epic was shot entirely on location in the Trossachs and nearby Stirling Castle, with David Hawthorne starring as the titular Scottish folk hero. 

"We are delighted to be opening the 2019 Festival with this impressive early film version of the life of Rob Roy. Stand aside Liam Neeson," says Festival Director (Falkirk Community Trust) Alison Strauss. "David Hawthorne cuts a very fine figure as the outlawed romantic hero – striding across the glens, fighting injustice and confounding his enemies. This wasn’t the first film version of the subject but it is certainly the most epic, and it hasn’t been screened since it took Scottish picture houses by storm in 1922. Now, and with the added wow-factor of David Allison’s new score, we are sure people will experience all the thrill and excitement of seeing this significant Scottish production on the big screen, just like the audiences one hundred years ago."

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HippFest runs 20-24 March 2019. Tickets for Rob Roy (1922) are available now from Falkirk Community Trust’s Box Office on 01324 506850, or via hippfest.co.uk