DEACON BRODIE European Union Film Showcase

In 1788, the city of Edinburgh was rocked
with the revelation that William Brodie
(aka Deacon Brodie), master cabinet
maker and town councilor had been
found guilty of attempting to steal a fortune
from the city’s Customs and Excise
offices. This film follows the last three
months of Brodie’s life. A frenetic three
months that sees him pour every last
penny into his latest invention, an innovative
drop-gallow hanging machine. But
when Edinburgh’s pompous Town Council
rejects the invention, Brodie suffers professional
ridicule and financial bankruptcy.
Vowing revenge on the Town Council
and seeking fast money to pay off his
debts, Brodie begins preparations for the
biggest robbery ever attempted in
Scotland. After a short trial that reveals a
secret life of gambling, drinking, whoring
and theft, Brodie, the “successful” son of
a proud and established family, is sentenced
to death and hanged, ironically,
on the very gallows that he himself
designed. -Production notes