Stone of Destiny

Vancouver-based writer-director Charles Martin Smith (The Snow Walker) directs a prominent British cast in this good-natured adventure comedy, based on actual events, that has budding Scottish nationalists embarking on a bumbling plan to reclaim an important national symbol. In 1296, as part of the spoils of conquest, Edward I of England seized the Stone of Scone, a 300-pound block of sandstone used for centuries in the coronation of Scotland’s monarchs. The Stone was taken to Westminster Abbey in London, where it became part of the throne upon which subsequent English sovereigns were crowned. In 1950, a small group of Scottish students set out to bring the Stone home. "A charming, witty and atmospheric film" (Vancouver I.F.F.). Colour, 35mm. 96 mins.