The Bridal Path

The story of a simpleton being sent from an island to the mainland to look for a bride who is not a Catholic nor a Campbell and has a good pair of legs for climbing the hills does not sound very promising. But the story works fairly well.

In the chase by the police across a midgeless Highlands, one is minded of the police chasing Hannay in Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. But as this is a comedy, the chase lacks any tension.

However, the performances are pretty good. George Cole came across well as a Scotsman.

Some of the humour is quite amusing; and even if the comedy situation is a bit silly, the dialogue is not.

The scenery is beautifully shot, and coupling it with the choir from Campbelltown is a masterstroke.

The film is enjoyable and well worth watching.

This film deserves to be better known. If you liked Local Hero or Gregory's Girl, you will probably enjoy this one as well. It has the same quirky charm and unbelievably good weather to display the beauties of the Celtic fringe of Scotland. Some of the accents sound more Irish than Scottish, Bill Travers particularly, but he does make valiant efforts.

Not a deep film but a real delight, and well worth keeping to put in the VCR on a miserable winter's night.

This is a little gem of a movie, made in more innocent times. It's about a man who leaves a small island and travels to the Scottish Mainland in search of a bride. A succession of unfortunate events befall him, and a number of well-known British character actors make appearances. Bill Travers is a square-jawed, handsome devil, but his character has a certain amount of smug machismo that would not play well nowadays. The small town Scotland of the 1950's is very well captured, and the ending is pure Judy Garland Wizard of Oz. Don't go looking for happiness - it's back home where you left it.

This time, Bill Travers' wife, Virginia McKenna, doesn't appear. To see them at their best in black and white 50's England, watch their superb movie "The Smallest Show on Earth", also starring Margaret Rutherford and a young Peter Sellers, who plays an elderly projectionist with a penchant for silent moves and the bottle.

A whimsical and thoroughly enjoyable film that only the British could have made and then, only in the 1950s. The gentle giant hero; the stereotypical and yet reassuring secondary characters; and the most beautiful scenery combine to make this charming film well worth the look.

No blood; no special effects; no nudity (we do get a glimpse of a woman changing at the beach which was probably pretty racy in 1950s Britain); and no improbable explosions. Just a peculiar reliance on something called 'story'. There aren't any real baddies in the film just a crowd of Englishmen and some incompetent but well meaning policemen.

Well written and very funny. Most of the gags still work very well. Even my teenage son sat through this film and laughed.

Heart-warming, comforting and, in the end, highly moral film that depicts Island life with it's minor prejudices (Catholics and Campbells) with a beautiful understanding and deeply affectionate approach. Nigel Tranter, the author of the original book, wrote many great stories about Scotland and I can recommend both this film and his books wholeheartedly.

A very funny film depicting the exploits of a Hebridean Scotsman and his search for a wife on the Scottish mainland. Though the dialog and comments by the characters often made me feel that you had to be either a Scottish Highlander or from Cape Breton Island in Canada to get some of the jokes (which are hilarious), I found the depiction of the locals to be both truthful and exaggerated, depending on the character. A previous commenter made reference to the "Irish" sound of the characters' speech. It is my experience that the Hebredians DO speak English in a rather Irish sounding way and not with the "burr" of the mainlanders. This to me makes the film easier to understand. I recommend the film highly.