45past horizons Since the dawn of time itself Scottish kings were crowned seated on the sacred Stone of Destiny. Then in 1296 the fiendish Edward I of England nicked it and installed it in Westminster Abbey. And that's where The Stone of Destiny stayed until Christmas Day 1950, when it was liberated by four daring Scottish students… The Scotland depicted is an austere land of embittered defeatists crying into their beer, a situation idealistic law student Ian Hamilton decides to rectify with one audacious stunt. It is a promising idea, but the film suffers from the strict rationing of the period, and humour, drama and suspense are more scarce than post- war bananas. Stone of Destiny is a film as dull and comfortable as the protagonists' sturdy woollen pullovers, a sort of Ealing comedy without laughs, or Braveheart without Mel Gibson's backside and the stirring words that come out of it. Film Review by Chris Davern We rate it: Directed by: Charles Martin Smith Starring: Charlie Cox, Kate Mara, Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle and Brendan Fricker The Stone of Destiny She's dead sarge... It's the worst case of professional backstabbing I've ever seen. How did you get started in archaeology? My interest was kick started by my dad's bed- time stories about mythical places like Troy, Mycenae etc... and having it explained that archaeology had proved they were all real! When I was 16, after telling my careers teacher at school I wanted to be an archaeologist and getting laughed at, being told I had no chance, I gave up. Then at 20 I heard about the MSC* ( Manpower Services Commission) and applied. For my very first interview I thought I'd make an effort; polished boots, clean jeans ( I even got my mum to iron them!) and a plain T- shirt. There were five other young men in the waiting room with suits and ties on who all got interviewed before me. So I finally got my interview and there were four blokes also in suits and a field officer, fresh from site, who took one look at me and said, " Unlike the others I can see you don't mind getting dirty" - the cheek! So much for tarting myself up, but I was the one who got the job. The rest, as they say, is history... Dirty Dave Lincoln * The MSC was set up in the UK in the 1970s as part of a government programme to get people into work. In fact, many archaeologists entered the profession through this scheme, which is now no longer in operation.

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