Scotland At The Movies

23 March 2009, 18:16

Heavenly Pursuits takes a satirical look at the sometimes confusing world of education and religion against a backdrop of mid-eighties Glasgow.

Sceptical remedial teacher Vic (played brilliantly by the ever-droll Tom Conti) works at a Catholic School in Glasgow which is busying itself trying to get its patron, the Blessed Edith Semple, canonised. In the process Vic is swept along a surreal adventure of education and religion, played out in the eyes of the ever tenacious Scottish media.

In reality, Glasgow has always been a battleground for the sometimes over-hyped dealings between church and school, while the tongue-in-cheek treatment of the subject is fairly typical of the Glaswegian’s reaction to the subject. For Glasgow born director, Charles Gormley, the film was a chance to take a wry, comical reflection of his own religious schooling in the city.

The churches used for the film were St Alphonsus and St Mungo Church in Glasgow while the school shots were set in Queen's Park School.

The City Chambers, Glasgow’s magnificent seat of civic power, were used for the Vatican City scenes. The Chambers’ long sweeping corridors, staircases and marble pillars have also seen the building press-ganged into impersonating the Kremlin.

For the filming of the media interest in the story, the old Glasgow Herald news rooms on Albion St were used as they were. The Herald has since moved from these buildings into a modern building at the top of Renfield Street in the city centre.

The filmmakers later dubbed the film for the international version, using actors whose accents weren't as thick as those Scots playing the students.

Heavenly Pursuits is on STV on April 19.

Last updated: 26 March 2009, 13:00