Gracemary

Six 8mm shorts by Bill Douglas were shown at the opening Gala of 2024's Glasgow Short Film Festival. Many had not been seen since the late 1960s when they were made, though clips from some do appear in Bill Douglas: My Best Friend.

The opening film of the set, it uses black and white to document the journey of a young woman to catch the last post and colour to show imagined luxury. The pivot for these is in the last shot, her cargo is a Littlewoods Pools Coupon. From those riches come dresses, pearls, fresh fruit, rooftop soirees, but even these fantasies are grounded in locale. Soho's Archer Street looks quite different now, but one can trace a probable course from there past Berwick Street Market to what's likely Poland Street on any number of online tools. The presence of a Durex logo on a lit sign above the barber shop intrudes into the worlds monochrome and monied, even gold must come from ground.