Local Hero

A big American petrochemical company contemplates the construction of a oil refinery in a Scottish isolated fishing village. A young executive (Peter Riegert) from the Texas is sent there and with the Scottish representative of the company tries to negotiate with the local authorities to buy the ground. But things don't go exactly as planned. Indeed, the two men are more and more seduced by the easy life that reigns in the village while the inhabitants are tempted by the company's initial plan in order to grow rich. Then, the manager of the firm (Burt Lancaster) arrives in the village to settle the question with surprising results.

Bill Forsyth made an ecological tale full of charm and sensibility. He enjoys describing with a discreet and subtle humor the daily life of this Scottish village which seems to be virtually cut off from the outside world. Like the main protagonist, relaxed way of life that reigns in this fishing village gradually overcomes us. But we can also understand Forsyth's work as an invitation to the pleasure of the senses. Indeed, Riegert enjoys the food he eats and the whisky he drinks; he is charmed by the beauty of the landscapes and what he finds by the seaside (his collection of shells) and especially the rare phenomenon of the northern lights. Ultimately, his stay will do him good since he'll fully become integrated with the inhabitants. There's a small detail that says a lot about it: Riegert will put in his cupboard his American suit to wear instead a sweater.

Bill Forsyth has also written the screenplay and the merits we ca attribute to it is to have avoided the traps the topic was tending: a rejection of Manicheism and the characters globally escape caricature. The character acted by Burt Lancaster is more passionated by astronomy than his firm and the power of money.

"Local Hero" is a breath of fresh air and just like Peter Riegert, we would like to prolong our stay in this Scottish fishing village far from the stress of modern life, far from the Hollywood imperialism.

All of the previous reviews of this wonderful movie have said it all. I just want to add that every time I've

seen it (and believe me that is a large number) I get choked up. In fact reading the reviews gives me the same feeling.

I find it impossible to understand the view point of those who pan this movie because of lack of plot or satisfying ending. They would throw out most of Shakespeare

because plot was always secondary to characterization in his

works.

I heartily reccomend Local Hero to anyone with a heart.

It will be touched

In Local Hero, Scottish director Bill Forsyth allows us to see the environment not as something to possess or control but as a privilege granted to all. A young corporate executive for a Texas Oil Company, Mac MacIntyre (Peter Reigert), is sent to a small fishing village on the coast of Scotland to work out plans to buy a piece of coastal property that includes the entire town as a drilling site. The great Burt Lancaster plays Mac's boss, Felix Happer, a starry-eyed tycoon of Knox Gas and Oil who is more interested in the stars and getting rid of Moritz (Norman Chancer), his "abuse therapist" than his business. Strangely, he asks Mac to keep an eye on the constellation Virgo when he reaches Scotland to see if he can see a comet in its vicinity.

MacIntyre meets up with his Scottish partner Danny Oldsen (Peter Capaldi) and they rent a room at an inn run by the local accountant Gordon Urquhart (Denis Lawson) and his wife Stella (Jennifer Black). Eventually, Mac and Danny settle in and get to know the town, walking the beach, talking to the black pastor of the village church, and meeting the idiosyncratic villagers. Mac slowly and without any expectations develops an attachment to the town and its people while Danny falls for Marina (Jenny Seagrove), a marine biologist with webbed feet who dreams of building a laboratory for biological research.

When Urquhart agrees to act as the intermediary between MacIntyre and the locals in the negotiations, we are set up to expect the ruthless exploitation of country folk by the big city capitalists. Ironically however, it is the villagers who are captivated by the prospect of the money and more aggressive in its pursuit than Big Mac. The deal seems ready to be consummated when it is discovered that Old Ben (Fulton MacKay), who lives in a shack on the beach, actually owns six miles of beach property and does not want to sell. When the townspeople threaten to turn into an ugly mob, Happer arrives from Houston in his helicopter to add the final twist to a most unpredictable plot.

Local Hero creeps up on you slowly then delivers its payoff so convincingly that, by the end, you feel as if you have a lifelong relationship with the characters. Mac's transformation from being a corporate sycophant to a caring individual who experiences a sense of belonging, perhaps for the first time, is one of the great pleasures of the film and reminded me of a similar transformation in Kiarostami's The Wind Will Carry Us. Supported by a wonderful score by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and beautifully photographed by Chris Menges, the film captivates with its offbeat humor and charm and reminds us of what it means to be human without resorting to sentimentality. If technology is seen as an imminent threat to humans, Local Hero allows us to focus our attention upon that which is most threatened: respect for people's individuality, reverence for the land, the sea, and the sky -- and really good Scotch whiskey.

There's the great movies with a capital "M" (Casablanca, Strangelove, Kane) and then there's the great movies which feel like they've been made for the deepest, quietest, quirkiest parts of you and you alone - the small gems. And this one, in my view, is the sparkliest of these gems - a little masterpiece of a rumination on just how beautiful things can be when disparate paths in life intercept each other just the tiniest bit out of phase, never perfectly according to plan, and on how the deepest transformations seem to proceed from the smallest disjoints of orientation and expectation. It is a beautiful dollhouse of a film, whose success lies in its excruciating attention to and understatement of detail. Beautiful Mark Knopler strains suffuse the film's quieter moments, while subtle performances and simply lovely dialogue provide the backbone.

an absolutely amazing film.... I am trying to find out if anyone knows the title of the music in the restaurant scene.... its the same every time he goes in there whether he's having breakfast,lunch or dinner.... does anyone know the title of it?

I adore the film, and everywhere i search i can only find the mark knopfler sound track..... there must be a way to find out where the song came from.... but it is not part of the original score.... there has to be a fan somewhere who knows this information,i simply must know!!!!!!

I love its whimsical, twee loveliness.It truly is a beautiful film to watch over and over again....it gets better every time.