Please read Understanding catalogue records for help interpreting this information and Using footage for more information about accessing this film.

Title: LOOK OF THE PLACE, the

Reference number: 3704

Date: 1981

Director: filmed by Margaret Tait

Production company: Ancona Films

Sound: sound

Original format: 16mm

Colour: bw

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 16.28 mins

Description: Part 5 in Margaret Tait's 'Aspects of Kirkwall' series. A tour around Kirkwall, covering the years 1969 - 1976. Places featured include St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall harbour, Victoria St, Broad St, Kirkwall Grammar School (at School Place), dumping in the Peedie Sea.

Year of production 1969-1976. Year of release 1981.

See also refs 3705, 6212, 6225 and 6238 for other titles in the series.

Margaret Tait described this film as follows: 'The film, which was finally completed in April 1981, aims physically to describe the town as it eventually became, using material filmed between 1969 and 1976 ... Spoken comments are few. Sounds of the place accompany the look of it. The whistling of 'The Streets of Laredo' (or perhaps an older tune on which that is based) echoes through the streets like something much more ancient"

Subtitled 'a related group of townscapes' this documentary is about Kirkwall, a town in Orkney with a cathedral, a pier and a power station [Source: Programme for 3rd International Festival of Film and Television in the Celtic Countries, Wexford, Ireland 28th March 28 March - 2nd April, 1982]

See also Additional Information file at 11/1/455. Paper Archives 4/5/119, 4/11/651, 4/5/92.

The Tait papers are deposited in Orkney Archives. Currently being catalogued. For any enquiries please contact Principal Archivist.

The British Artist's Film and Video Study Collection at http://www.bftv.ac.uk/avantgarde based at Central St. Martin's College of Art and Design holds an artist's file on Margaret Tait.

The British Film Institute National Library http://www.bfi.org.uk holds many of the published articles on her and her work.

In 1979 Margaret Tait was the subject of a BBC Scotland 'Spectrum' arts programme.

Shotlist: ocs (.14) aspects of Kirkwall no. 5 with no. 1 (0.21) Title (.26) 1969-1976 (0.31) waves lapping fishing boat and harbour. Slow pan across to reveal exts Kirkwall Harbour Office (0.47) adjacent, fishermen relax and chat at what was 'Kiln Corner', now demolished - they sit on piled up sacks (0.56) view looking out to harbour again and road (1.11) repeated shot fishermen sitting followed by gvs boats lined up in harbour (1.33) shot of boat setting sail, gvs harbour featuring buildings, traffic etc [fast editing, rather shaky camera] (2.07) fishermen chatting (2.15) sea lashing against harbour wall, shot of road (2.47) two women trudge along road as heavy snow falls, a car passes by (3.00) Kirkwall street, exts houses. A small boy holding his mother's hand falls into the snow and has to be helped up during this sequence (3.31) shot overlooking children sledging in snow (3.50) view over snow covered rooftops of Kirkwall to reveal snow covered fields beyond (4.07) shot looking over the sea (?) to Kirkwall, exts power station in shot [Margaret Tait's commentary 'no chimney's yet on the power station'](4.23) c/u rubbish dumped causing pollution at waters edge in 'Peedie Sea' (4.30) pan over muddy flats (4.40) shot now shows these covered by tide with people standing on raised bed. Shot of model boats at sail (5.07) gvs yachting regatta (?) boats at sail (5.39) gvs primary school playground where children play games such as piggy back and 'Ring a Ring a Roses' (6.18) exts school gates at Kirkwall Grammar School (at School Place). Teenage pupils walk into school grounds, the girls wear mini skirts (6.44) bin men collect refuse at school gates, throwing bags into lorry (6.49) secondary school children enter gates and walk along (7.12) ints cattle auction where farmers make bids and look on (8.41) c/u cattle 'weighbridge' behind man seated at desk (8.51) continued gvs ints market as sheep are put in caged area in preparation for transportation (9.13) shot of washing line with clean linen bollowing in wind, pan across back garden where woman cleans washing line with cloth (9.50) gvs building site with cement mixer, sand and rubble, paving slabs and finishing with exts open back door of house (10.25) exts church and street with cars (10.33) gvs streets, including traffic, church, paths and closes and stone wall (11.27) 'No Parking' written on wall, shot of narrow street with woman walking along, various other pedestrians (12.00) exts Shell BP plant, panning across to exts wall of house (12.22) shot looking down narrow close then up to reveal tree branches above (12.51) gvs field, l/s to show housing in distance (13.20) busy street scenes including a digger, a mini van, people sitting on bench in town square and roadside, includes shot of War Memorial where floral tributes lie (13.49) exts St. Magnus Cathedral, gvs Rememberance Day Procession as people gather and enter Cathedral (14.24) marching pipes and drums and general procession (15.51) procession enters Cathedral, pan left to reveal more people in line, including Girl Guides and Boy Scouts (16.27) exts St. Magnus Cathedral. A few cars pass but the scene is quiet (16.54) ecs (17.00)