Thanks to the British Film Institute, a masterful 1970's autobiographical trilogy written and directed by the late Bill Douglas is finally available on DVD in the United Kingdom.

By FilmStew Staff, FilmStew.com

It began in 1972 with My Childhood, winner of a Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival; it continued in 1973 with My Ain Folk; and it wrapped up in 1978 with My Way Home, a movie that writer-director Bill Douglas waited five years to make so that his leading man Stephen Archibald could convincingly portray a conscripted Scotsman. But it has taken 30 years for the lauded trio of films inspired by Douglas' own experiences to make it to DVD.

All three black and white films were shot Mike Leigh style with non-professional actors to tell the tale of Douglas' younger years. Remarkably, per a report in the Herald newspaper, the Silver Lion winner (set in 1945) was made for only 3,500 pounds, while My Ain Folk cost 12,000 pounds and My Way Home required 33,000 pounds because of location work in Egypt.

Given the fact that all three films received only limited theatrical release and have, up to this point, been virtually impossible to see, the "Bill Douglas Trilogy" is that rare piece of art that people are generally vaguely familiar with even though they have never seen it. Stateside, it's scheduled to be available on DVD September 23rd.

Douglas would go on to make only one more film, Comrades, which was finally released in 1987. The story of 19th British farm laborers exiled to Australia for daring to start a union, it featured Imelda Staunton, Vanessa Redgrave and James Fox.

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