Brigadoon (film) - Plot

Plot

Americans Tommy Albright (Gene Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Van Johnson) are on a hunting trip in Scotland and become lost in the woodlands. They happen upon Brigadoon, a miraculously blessed village that rises out of the mists every hundred years for only a day. (This was done so that the village would never be changed or destroyed by the outside world.) If any villager ever leaves Brigadoon, the spell will be broken and the village will vanish forever, and any outsider who wishes to stay must accept the loss of everything he or she knew in the outside world. Tommy falls in love with village lass Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse), whose younger sister Jean (Virginia Bosler), is about to be married to Charlie Dalrymple (Jimmy Thompson). Interrupting the wedding, the jealous Harry Beaton (Hugh Laing) announces he is leaving Brigadoon to make everything disappear, since the girl he loves, Jean, is marrying another man. Harry's words cause mass chaos among the townspeople and they all rush to stop him. Harry almost crosses the bridge but is stopped short by Tommy, who is knocked unconscious. With men closing in on him, Harry climbs up a tree to hide but is soon shot accidentally by Jeff, who skipped the wedding to hunt and shot at a bird that flew by Harry. Harry falls dead to the ground and is soon found by the men. Fiona frantically searches to find Tommy. Confessing their love for each other, they decide to marry making Tommy stay in Brigadoon for good. But while Fiona goes off to find the preacher, Tommy tells Jeff about his plan. Jeff, drunk and remorseful of accidentally killing Harry, tells Tommy he can't just leave everything in the real world behind for this girl he's only known a day. Fiona returns with the preacher but Tommy confesses that he cannot stay. Fiona says she understands but is heartbroken and they say good-bye before Brigadoon completely disappears. Tommy and Jeff cross the bridge and walk away. Back in New York City, Tommy can think only of Fiona. Unable even to talk with his fiancee, Tommy ends his relationship with her and calls Jeff, telling him to get the first flight back to Scotland. He and Jeff return to the same spot where they were lost, though Jeff reminds him again the village will not be there. But suddenly he sees lights start to appear over the mist and runs toward them. Brigadoon reappears and Tommy gets to the foot of the bridge to see the preacher half-awake on the other side saying: "Tommy, is that you lad? You woke me up early. You must really love her." Tommy then runs across the bridge and reunites with Fiona, waving goodbye to Jeff as the village fades back into the mist.

Read more about this topic:  Brigadoon (film)

Famous quotes containing the word plot:

    The plot was most interesting. It belonged to no particular age, people, or country, and was perhaps the more delightful on that account, as nobody’s previous information could afford the remotest glimmering of what would ever come of it.
    Charles Dickens (1812–1870)

    The westward march has stopped, upon the final plains of the Pacific; and now the plot thickens ... with the change, the pause, the settlement, our people draw into closer groups, stand face to face, to know each other and be known.
    Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)

    After I discovered the real life of mothers bore little resemblance to the plot outlined in most of the books and articles I’d read, I started relying on the expert advice of other mothers—especially those with sons a few years older than mine. This great body of knowledge is essentially an oral history, because anyone engaged in motherhood on a daily basis has no time to write an advice book about it.
    Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)