IN mourning the death of Sir Sean Connery, it was sad that so much attention was devoted to his personification as the definitive James Bond. Connery grew to detest this role and encouraged people to watch his performance in The Hill. That film discloses how fine an actor he was and can be seen as an allegory for the Scottish circumstance.
Connery plays a distinguished Scottish warrant officer who has defied an arrogant and stupid commanding officer and been sentenced to military imprisonment in North Africa. Under a brutal regime the prisoners are given the entirely pointless task of constructing a hill of sand which they will then have to demolish. Connery’s nemesis is played by that other great Scottish actor, Ian Bannen, and between them they express just about everything that needs to be said about British imperialism now that Sir Sean has gone.
Sean Connery never gave in to the purportedly greater imperial powers, either as player or patriot. Neither should we.
KM Campbell
Doune
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