Semple approach to Traditional Highland Dress

[Allan Thomson]

That's beautiful Peter. I'm glad you were able to get that included in the film.

I've been around Hollywood enough to have seen that process several times with my own eyes:

1) hire an expert to be an "advisor" on the film.

2) ignore most or all of what they advise you to do.

The most puzzling thing to me about the Rob Roy costumes is that they created a completely ahistorical mashup of the breacan-an-feileadh and the long plaid.

Didn't they notice that all the old portraits of men in kilts don't have a length of tartan wrapped diagonally across the torso?

I'm assuming the costumer got that idea from old portraits of men in trews.

Or, Victorian (and later) images of men wearing modern (detached) kilts with the long plaid.

About Hollywood people not noticing what might be thought obvious, after Braveheart came out every composer in Hollywood wanted the sound of the uilleann pipes on their projects, and for the duration of that fad I was very busy.

Whenever they called me I gave my little speech about exactly what the uilleann pipes could, and couldn't, do. Rarely did any of my information sink in.

One of those times happened when, despite my clear instructions, I arrived to find that the composer had written my part in the wrong key.

I spied the Braveheart soundtrack CD on his desk.

"I see you have Braveheart. Did you listen to it?"

"Yes I listened to it over and over to get a feel about what the uilleann bagpipes do."

"Did you notice that every single thing that the pipes play is in one or two sharps?"

No, he hadn't. One would think a professional composer would have an awareness of keys, no?

One thing about Rob Roy that makes me a little bit in disagreement with your comments is the way that Neeson's plaid was during the film.

For example in the Fight Scene he removed the plaid and kept a phillabeg on.

The film is set within the period accepted for the evolution of the Phillabeg in some Quarters.

Rob Roy is depicted as being a man with some means slightly elevated amongst his community. He also wears a jacket in some scenes (albeit slashed leather style).

Therefore my interpretation was that what Neeson was wearing represented a man with a Phillabeg and separate plaid which to me isn't actually a massive leap of fantasy regarding the time period. As I recollect the slightly less elevated members of the cast seemed to be depicted in plaids

[OC Richard]

One thing about Rob Roy that makes me a little bit in disagreement with your comments is the way that Neeson's plaid was during the film.

For example in the Fight Scene he removed the plaid and kept a phillabeg on.

Interesting, I hadn't recalled that.

In Old Irish and Highland Dress the author mentions a number of vague and inconclusive 17th century accounts which may or may not refer to the little kilt. The consensus seems to be around the second quarter of the 18th century, but this is plausibly close to Rob Roy's time.

AFAIK having a kilt with plaid going across the body didn't appear until the early 19th century.

What strikes me is the general look of the kilt/plaid, which doesn't resemble any of the extant 17th and 18th century images in the slightest. The costumer is trying to eat their cake and have it too.

The sporran is good. But there's a Victorian plaid brooch! And the enormous buckle looks preposterous to me.

(This is said to be Liam Neeson's actual costume from the film.)

[Pleater]

Interesting, I hadn't recalled that.

(This is said to be Liam Neeson's actual costume from the film.)

He seems to have cloven hooves.

Anne the Pleater