Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home Culture

THE FLYING SCOTSMAN – Struggling to beat the odds

byStaff writers
26 August 2007
Reading Time: 2 mins read
AA
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Starring: Jonny Lee Miller, Laura Fraser, Billy Boyd and Brian Cox
Director: Douglas Mackinnon
Rated: M

THIS is a welcome Scots film. They will know the story of Graeme Obree, the 1990s cycling champion and be pleased that it has now been brought to the screen.

Members of the other countries of the United Kingdom will welcome him as British. But, it probably helps to know a little of his career and his hard-fought victories and some of his personal struggles.

This is a film that one could recommend for a general audience but, sadly, Graeme Obree has suffered from depression that made him feel suicidal.

In fact, the film opens (powerfully but discreetly) with his main depressive episode and returns to it later.

However, back we go to his childhood and then his career from 1993-1995.

Graeme was bullied when he was at school which undermined his self-confidence and his self-esteem.

However, his policeman father gave him a bike for Christmas and it made all the difference. He could outride his tormentors by riding fast. But it also gave him a sense of exhilaration and he discovered a talent.

The film moves quickly to 1993 when his heyday of winning was over. He is lovingly married to Anne and has a small child. He works as a bike courier in Glasgow.

However, his mind keeps ticking over about how to improve his riding technique with the laws of thermodynamics. His mind also keeps ticking over about how to improve the structure of his bikes by the laws of physics.

Related Stories

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview

Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

Called to share the message of Jesus at mission school

He was fortunate to find supportive friends. Those in the film are composites of several real characters in his live. One is his friend and manager, Malkey. Another is a supportive older man, Baxter, who he discovers is a minister of the church of Scotland.

History records that Obree tried to break the hour cycle ride, failed and tried again the next morning and succeeded. His bike was built from scratch – and included many scrap parts, along with the ball bearings from the home washing machine. When his record was soon broken, he tried again and succeeded as well as breaking some shorter race records.

The World Cycling Federation took dim views of his winning and altered rules constantly to try to mean-mindedly exclude him.

One of the strengths of the film is that Graeme and Anne Obree were on the set, Graeme doing some of the riding and the couple coaching the actors who portray them.

Jonny Lee Miller trained powerfully to be able to ride and act the part of Grame Obree. Often a sullen-seeming and taciturn performer, he fits this role particularly well and communicates the torment of his depression. Laura Fraser is sensible and vigorous as Anne. The role of Malky is played by an actor who engaged world audiences as a hobbit friend of Frodo, Billy Boyd. Another pleasant surprise is Brian Cox as the sympathetic minister who has experienced sadness in his life but who is able to make an emotional breakthrough that enables Graeme to enter counselling and gain more control of his life.

This is a modest film. Everyone of us has ridden a bike so we can identify with the cycling even if it is in categories way above our competence. But it is a human drama with strong positive values.

ShareTweet
Previous Post

SICKO

Next Post

Inspired to help Peru’s needy

Staff writers

Related Posts

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview
Vatican

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview

5 July 2022
Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy
News

Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

5 July 2022
Spirit of Mission: A group of young people including university students, seminarians and ministry workers present at the Xavier School of Mission held June 20 to 24. The mission school hosted guest speakers and workshops to encourage people to go out and proclaim the Word. Photo: Joe Higgins
QLD

Called to share the message of Jesus at mission school

4 July 2022
Next Post

Inspired to help Peru's needy

Missal comment goes down well

The challenge of fatherhood

Popular News

  • Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

    Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mass with signs of indigenous respect launch historic Plenary Council assembly

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Called to share the message of Jesus at mission school

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Future First Nations teachers honoured with Rome scholarship

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview
Vatican

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview

by Catholic News Agency
5 July 2022
0

POPE Francis has said he has no plans to resign soon and that his knee injury is...

Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

5 July 2022
Spirit of Mission: A group of young people including university students, seminarians and ministry workers present at the Xavier School of Mission held June 20 to 24. The mission school hosted guest speakers and workshops to encourage people to go out and proclaim the Word. Photo: Joe Higgins

Called to share the message of Jesus at mission school

4 July 2022
Cathedral green packed with families for festival day

Cathedral green packed with families for festival day

4 July 2022
Fr Mike Schmitz’s next podcast Catechism in a Year starts New Year’s Day

Fr Mike Schmitz’s next podcast Catechism in a Year starts New Year’s Day

4 July 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping