Local Hero

February 17th, 1983







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Local Hero

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Plot
An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.

Release Year: 1983

Rating: 7.4/10 (10,287 voted)

Director: Bill Forsyth

Stars: Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Fulton Mackay

Storyline
Oil billionaire Happer sends Mac to a remote Scotish villiage to secure the property rights for an oil refinery they want to build. Mac teams up with Danny and starts the negotiations, the locals are keen to get their hands on the 'Silver Dollar' and can't believe their luck. However a local hermit and beach scavenger, Ben Knox, lives in a shack on the crucial beach which he also owns. Happer is more interested in the Northern Lights and Danny in a surreal girl with webbed feet, Marina. Mac is used to a Houston office with fax machines but is forced to negotiate on Bens terms.

Cast:
Burt Lancaster - Felix Happer
Peter Riegert - Mac
Fulton Mackay - Ben
Denis Lawson - Urquhart
Norman Chancer - Moritz
Peter Capaldi - Oldsen
Rikki Fulton - Geddes
Alex Norton - Watt
Jenny Seagrove - Marina
Jennifer Black - Stella
Christopher Rozycki - Victor
Gyearbuor Asante - Rev Macpherson (as Christopher Asante)
John M. Jackson - Cal (as John Jackson)
Dan Ammerman - Donaldson
Tam Dean Burn - Roddy

Release Date: 17 February 1983

Filming Locations: Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

Opening Weekend: $23,567 (USA) (21 February 1983) (1 Screen)

Gross: $5,895,761 (USA)



Technical Specs

Runtime:



Did You Know?

Trivia:
After the movie came out, many people went in search of the village with the phone booth. Since it didn't exist, they were always disappointed. The village where the movie was filmed finally decided to put up a phone booth for the sake of the visitors.

Goofs:
Continuity: Just before the first RAF Jaguar flies over the car, raindrops can be seen in the inside of the open door as they are feeding the rabbit. They stand up to look at the jet, and the car's roof has no raindrops on it.

Quotes:
[repeated line]
Happer: Keep watching the sky, MacIntyre.



User Review

Pure magic...

Rating: 10/10

I have no idea what provoked me to see this film in the theatre lo those many years ago, but I am grateful to the serendipity which has brought this piece of magic into my life. I am constantly amazed that a piece of fiction (and not even a written one) could have such an impact on my heart and soul.

From the edgy humor of Happer's encounters with his analyst (I will always consider this to be Mr. Lancaster's most charming performance in a body of excellent work) to the poignant scene in which (an albeit drunken) Mac confesses his coveting Gordon's life, this film draws me in like no other. Whenever I am asked my favorite film, I answer Local Hero without hesitation - there is never a question of its position on my list.

I must confess, I am surprised there are no other reviews of Local Hero by women. I've always found the lyrical nature of the film to have a distinctly female sensibility. But on the other hand, I don't know any other women beyond myself who have seen it (or recall having seen it). The best recommendation I can make for this film is, when I find the world closing in on me, I watch Local Hero. I smile. I laugh. I even cry a bit. But most importantly, I come away knowing that I might someday find that very possible magic in my life.





Comments:

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