This documentary, written by Clifford Hanley and directed by Sean Connery, first aired on Scottish Television in 1967 at a time when 50,000 people were emigrating from Scotland each year.

"The Bowler and the Bunnet"
Part 1


Sir Sean Connery arriving at the first Rome Film Festival in 2006

part 2

It portrays attempts to halt the decline of the shipbuilding industry along the River Clyde in Glasgow, giving historic insight into the social and economic upheaval that failure of this crucial element of the Glasgow economy was having on its population.

The film contains unique footage of engineering work taking place at Fairfields Shipyard in Govan, and shows the wide variety of skilled trades required to sustain this activity. Glasgow’s shipyards once employed thousands of workers and in the early part of the 20th century were producing 20 percent of world shipping.

For the first time outside Scotland, the film was screened during the first edition of the Rome Film Festival on 13th October 2006.

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