Stars in St Andrews

Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman have been spotted around St Andrews this week, and The Stand has even casually bumped into Col (that’s right) both in The Seafood Restaurant and on the Old Course. Some hoped for a rendition of the endearing, stuttering, King George speech (don’t worry, Georgie, we’ll help you through it) while others longed for him to tear off his jacket, unbutton a bit, un-tuck and stride while the West-Sand-winds fling his locks off his rugged face – Oh, Mr. Darcy!

Another major movie (see the Chariots of Fire recreation above) is also being shot in St Andrews, although the stars for this film are proving far more allusive.

Hopefully there won’t be a repeat of Hugh Grantesque scandals this time around (although if there is, do let us know), and it seems as though Nicole Kidman is keeping a low profile. One source has reported she’s been seen drinking coffee and reading The Stand in Taste… probably true.

The stars are in St Andrews filming The Railway Man, a film based on an autobiography of the same title, and they are set to be in Scotland until late May. Firth plays the heroic Scot, Eric Lomax, a Prisoner Of War during World War II, who was sent to help build the 258 mile long Burma Railway connecting Japanese forces from Thailand to Burma. Eric Lomax was one of 240,000 labourers forced to work on what has also been named the ‘Death Railway’; some 12,000 POWs died doing so.

The film follows Mr. Lomax back to Scotland, where he struggles to live with harrowing memories until he decides to travel back to Burma in order to face his torturers and finally move on. Nicole Kidman plays the role of Mr. Lomax’s wife, Patti, the first person able to bring a smile to his lips since the war. The audience will share their experiences through Mr. Lomax’s monumental journey.