Movies

A documentary about the life and works of Margaret Tait.

In 1990s Edinburgh, Barbara Thorburn reflects on memories of her poet mother, Greta, and her tragic death.

Another early experiment in portraiture from Tait. In filming her mother she asks the wider question of how much the camera can reveal of the person.

Drawing on a wealth of unseen archival material and unpublished notebooks, the film weaves a complex and personal portrait of Margaret’s life,...

A film interpretation of the poem 'The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo' by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Margaret Tait speaks the poem throughout the film.

Second of the 'Aspects of Kirkwall' films about the changing face of Kirkwall over the years. Filmed in 1974, it features the primary school, various...

"Starting with a six-line script which just noted down a kind of event to occur, and recur, my aim was to construct a film with its own logic, its...

A set of three 'film poems' composed around the theme of the garden - the central one featuring hand scratched animated drawings. Margaret Tait...

In Aurand’s signature diaristic form, roses in bloom, farm animals, Orkney landscapes, and scenes of the late filmmaker Margaret Tait having...

A portrait of poet Hugh MacDiarmid.

A short piece of film recording general views of Edinburgh's Royal Mile in the 1950s.

A picture of East Sutherland in 1966.

Excavation of the Broch at Bu of Cairston by John Hedges in 1978. The broch is located in Stromness, Orkney.

Affectionate observational shots of toddlers, school age girl and very new baby.

A palindrome created on film. Features interaction between a couple with the recurring line 'Madam I'm Adam'.

'Titles within the film are: Numen of the Boughs, Old Boots, Speed Bonny Boat, Lapping Water, Incense, Aha, Brave New World, Things, Terra Firma. A...

Chinese Geese in Orkney.

Poles, presumably to be used to carry electricity wires, are seen being carried over a wintry landscape by helicopter in Sandwick, Orkney.

The streets of Kirkwall, Orkney come to a standstill as the "Down the Gates" and the "Up the Gates" battle it out in this traditional Norse ball...

Interiors of Margaret Tait's room when she stayed at 21 Via Ancona, Rome, Italy. Brief shots of her belongings (shoes, films, teacup) and then views...