Stone of Destiny (film)

Stone of Destiny is a 2008 ScottishCanadian adventurecomedy film written and directed by Charles Martin Smith and starring Charlie Cox, Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle, and Kate Mara. Based on real events, the film tells the story of the theft of the Stone of Scone on Christmas Day, 1950. The stone, supposedly the Stone of Jacob over which Scottish Kings were traditionally crowned at Scone in Perthshire, was stolen by King Edward I of England in 1296 and placed under the throne at Westminster Abbey in London. In 1950, a group of student Scottish nationalists succeeded in removing it from Westminster Abbey and returning it to Scotland where it was placed symbolically at Arbroath Abbey, the site of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath and an important site in the Scottish nationalist cause.

In 1950 Ian Hamilton Charlie Cox, an ardent member of the Scottish nationalist organisation, the Scottish Covenant Association, hopes to end what he sees as the political and economic subjugation of Scotland by England. Frustrated and saddened by the complacency of his fellow Scots who seem to accept the status quo, he looks forward to a time when Scotland is no longer merely referred to as North Britain. After a petition to the British Parliament for the establishment of Scottish home rule is rejected, Hamilton decides to perform a symbolic act to put heart into the movement. With his friend, Bill Craig Billy Boyd, he creates a daring scheme to bring the Stone of Scone back to Scotland from Westminster Abbey in London, where it has resided for centuries following English military victories over the Scots in the Middle Ages.Hamilton and Craig research the floor plans and security setup of Westminster Abbey and plan the theft, but once Craig realises the legal implications of liberating the stone and the potential impact to his personal life and career, he backs out. Undaunted, Hamilton decides to liberate the stone by himself. He turns to John MacCormick Robert Carlyle, a prominent campaigner for Scottish devolution, and asks for financial help with the project. Although he initially refuses to take seriously Hamiltons proposal and request for a mere 50, MacCormick reconsiders and provides his support. Later at a party, MacCormick refers him to Kay Matheson Kate Mara, a young woman with strong nationalist ideas, to help him retrieve the stone. ........

Source: Wikipedia