Light Blue Touchpaper & Stand Well Back: Gunpowder at the Movies.

It’s the 5th of November, which (in the UK) is “Bonfire Night”, celebrating the infamous attempt by the luckless Guido Fawkes to blow up James I at the Houses of Parliament in 1605 using a ton of gunpowder.

In a grand celebration of ‘order over anarchy’, let’s review the most famous uses of gunpowder at the movies.

The black stuff has lit up the big screen in a number of varied ways over the years. Of course, there are numerous examples of such use with fireworks: “The Little Mermaid”; “Crazy Rich Asians“; “The Return of the Jedi”; “Skyfall”; “The Great Gatsby” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” are just a few examples I came up with.

But here are four movies where gunpowder has made a more plot-worthy contribution to the story.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Everyone remembers Kevin Costner’s dodgy English accent and his super-fast horse… after a sea landing on the Sussex coast, “Tonight we will celebrate with my father” – in Nottingham! But do you remember who had the secret weapon that defeated Alan Rickman’s deliciously evil Sheriff? It was Robin’s Moorish friend Azeem (Morgan Freeman), who brought the secret of “black powder” to medieval Britain to explosive effect! The scene was so effective they even designed the movie poster around it.

Kevin Costner giving the Sheriff’s men an explosive surprise in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. (Source: Warner Brothers).

Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)

Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) in a Hong Kong fireworks factory… what could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot actually. Pursued by a deranged Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), a gaggle of gangsters, Kato (Burt Kwouk) and a posse of police, an accidental fireworks display to end all firework displays ensues. It’s enough to blow all of Clouseau’s clothes off, leaving him standing in his “Balls” underwear!

“You’re a genius Balls!”. Peter Sellers having his Godfather suit blown off by gunpowder in Hong Kong. (Source: United Artists – via Youtube video).

V for Vendetta (2005)

Set around the bonfire nights of 2027 and 2028, a deranged, incompetent and fascist government is in power. (Yeah… as if THAT could happen! #politicalsatire). A freedom-fighter “V” (Hugo Weaving) tries to repeat the efforts of the original Guido Fawkes in doing damage to famous London landmarks. He’s aided and abetted by Evey (Natalie Portman), with another dodgy English accent!  

Evey (Natalie Portman) with the mysterious “V” (Hugo Weaving) in “V for Vendetta”. (Source: Warner Brothers).

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

If you’re about to be expelled by the evil headmistress Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), you might as well go out in style, right? So thinks George and Fred Weasley (Oliver and James Phelps), and a Hogwarts exam is memorably disrupted by a magical fireworks display, topped off by a gunpowder-powered magic dragon!

Going out with a bang. Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) runs for her life from the fireworks dragon. (Source: Warner Brothers).

An amazing fact to finish with

What’s totally astounding to me is that – notwithstanding the recent BBC mini-series featuring Kit Harrington – you have to go back to a silent black and white film – 1923’s “Guy Fawkes” – to find a big-screen version of the historical event itself. This starred silent movie star Matheson Lang as the evil plotter.

Silent matinee idol Matheson Lang. (Source: Alchetron.com).

In the world of cinema, virtually every tale has been told at the movies several times over. Yet here is a topic that’s not been touched for nearly a hundred years. This is a screenplay that is surely overdue for a reworking!? (If you’re involved in the movie business, then let’s get your guys talking to my guys and make it happen! )

Be safe!

Remember, remember…. that movies have stuntmen and safety teams. Real life can be much more dangerous. With a UK lockdown starting today, there won’t be the normal organised firework displays going on. So please take care if you are having your own fireworks in your back garden. And always follow the fireworks code:

• Stand well back
• Keep pets indoors
• Keep fireworks in a closed box
• Only buy fireworks that are CE marked
• Light at arm’s length, using a taper
• Follow the instructions on each firework
• Never give sparklers to a child under five
• Don’t drink alcohol if setting off fireworks
• Always supervise children around fireworks
• Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves
• Never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them
• Never go near a firework that has been lit – even if it hasn’t gone off it could still explode

With the NHS under enormous Covid-strain, please don’t add to their load this weekend!