Red Rose Film

A feature film about the life of Robert Burns, concentrating on his last years in Dumfries. The film was made in 2004 by Palm Tree Films.
The writer and producer, Mairi Sutherland, was born in Dumfries and she will lead a Q&A session after the screening in the Theatre Royal.

This film portrays the events of the infamous C’a ira Riot, when Burns was caught up in a disturbance in the theatre, between those loyal to the Crown and those who, like him, supported the ideals of the French Revolution.

Today’s audience will be seated just as Burns was that night. This event threatened to end his livelihood as an Excise Officer and he had to appear before his superiors to answer the charges. It’s a less well known story and quite fascinating. Many of the scenes were shot in the actual locations, such as Burns House, Ellisland Farm and of course, the theatre. The evening will conclude with some Burns songs, performed by Dumfries born soprano, Cheryl Anne Easton. And the Theatre is offering a pre theatre “Burns tour” at a small extra cost, to complement the evening.
The film is being shown on the anniversary of Burns’ death in Dumfries.