This movie pulled me out of a deep depression. I'd keep it on in the apartment, in the background, and I knew every single line by heart. I found it first in some video store on VHS and I eventually bought a copy of it for about 99 cents, and I played it till the tape wore out and DVD had finally been invented. I loved each character, and fell in love with the imaginary place and the sound track. How lovely. *Educating Rita *The Sure Thing *Lost In Translation *Farewell To The King *Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence *Mediterraneo I used these, and other masterpieces of cinema as stepping stones out of unhappiness and depression.
It pulled me out of a depression as well! But back in 1983. I saw it nearly every day it was in the theater near me. I love your anti-depression recipes.
I first saw this film in 1983 as a favor to actor friend at the U of Texas. His pitch was "you like Dire Straits, right?" Well, he bought the tickets, too, but I really didn't want to go. That evening as I stood in a line that went around the block waiting to get in to see Local Hero, I could not get over the interest in a very obscure film but then again, on occasion, I'd been wrong about things. By the time it was over, I was fighting back tears but also absolutely determined to go to that exact location in Scotland. In 1992, my wife and I drove down that very street and stayed at a BandB where we made sweet love on a tiny bed in a tiny room in the tiny village of Pennan. Our youngest was conceived in that BandB. Trouble was the walls were much thinner than we imagined and breakfast was very very awkward. Anyway, fast forward 30+ years and my daughters and wife insist on watching this movie together around Christmas time and it is always so satisfying to me to think that that friend, long since passed, turned me on to a movie that I've now turned my children onto. Next year, we all will go and visit Pennan together along with our grandson.
I agree, but also recommend his sidekick to John Heard’s protagonist in “Chilly Scenes of Winter” & his wonderful turn as Herbie to Bette Midler’s Rose in “Gypsy.”
My father grew up in Shetland, a cousin works in Aberdeen in the oil industry. Ironically, it was the oil industry that broke up our six-generation wool factory in Voe, Shetland, about 30 years ago.
I am same as you and totally agree with your comment. I have watched this movie more than 50 times, and have visited Pennan and other locations twice. I cannot think of my life without this movie, although it's difficult to explain why.
I had just watched 'Local Hero' for the umpteenth time and was discussing it with a friend. I mentioned that I loved the music. She replied "Oh ! was there music ?" Having recovered my composure, I said nothing but it set me thinking - is it possible that the music matched the rest of film so perfectly that it formed a seamless whole with no one element dominating ? Given that the lady in question is an accomplished musician, it's the only explanation I can offer.
I kept it on a loop in the apartment when I was dealing with depression, I can quote it line for line and fell in love with everyone in it. The movie remains a part of me that survives, and feels loved. It is special.
I saw this film when it came out in the US and it is still one of my top three. We watch it every year, and of course a box of tissues are nearby. The ending phonebox scene gets me every time, and Mark Knopler is fantastic.
John G I always thought the ending meant that Mac would leave Houston and return to Scotland, but Forsythe said that Hollywood-type ending is nonsense. Oh well, burst my bubble!
One can imagine what Mac would have done following his venture in Furness. I propose that he returned there. If Happer would not have allowed that, I'm sure he would have found a vocation there, in some capacity.
I cannot believe I didn't get that before; Marina and Stella. Sea and Sky. Of course! I got the connection of Marina being an apt name for a marine biologist, but I didn't get the connection with Stella. It's so obvious now!
I’m not surprised but now that you’ve explained it,those names are a dead giveaway! The name Stella I associate with “A Streetcar named Desire” and Marlon Brando yelling “Stella!”
One of my favorite of all time films. I am SO, SO happy that Bill Forsyth did NOT follow the studio's suggestion for the ending of this film. SO happy. I think he does amazing films, amazing. He must be a wonderful man.
When I first saw Local Hero I almost skipped the screening because of a roaring headache.I went and by the time it had ended, so had my headache. The first indication to me of its magical powers. Flat out love it, an all time favorite. The final scene is so perfect with Mac unloading his souvenirs, even sniffing one, while he is surrounded by the familiar strangeness of home. Could not imagine it without Mark Knopfler's music or with the Fonz as MacIntyre. Pure magic happened with that movie, and as each new person sees it for the first time, its reputation grows. As a bonus,that's about as well done a documentary as I could hope for.
The last scene was perfect for me, and I never read Mac as making the phone call. I read it more as Mac, having come home, forever changed ... "smelling the roses" (or shells) ... at piece with life in an entirely different way. Perhaps, I was Mac, having experienced the same life changing experience from a mere film.
Interesting to learn the phone ringing at the end was a throw-in to please the studio. I thought it was a brilliant, sad ending. To me it was indeed MacIntyre calling up, but no one answers; Mac remembers them, but they've already forgotten him.
To me it's about being connected to a place. He doesn't need anyone to answer. If you spend time in rural, idyllic places in Scotland it just fills your soul. You yearn to be back, to experience that slow pace of life, the views, the light, the air.
One of my favorite films of all time. Fabulous, gentle, funny story. Mark Knopfler's amazing music. And who didn't want to be Peter Capaldi and kissing Jenny Seagrove's toes. Be still, my beating heart.
Probably my all time favourite movie. I was lucky enough to be able to visit Pennan last summer and I, like Mac, fell in love with the place (although it's tiny). Took several selfies of my "pilgrimage" and intend to go back this year, plus back to Banff to visit gordon's bar and the village hall. One day I will have a forty-two year old whisky whilst sitting on that harbour wall and playing "Wild Theme".
LAFOLLETTER but the beaches near Mallaig and Arisaig are stunning and the village of Pennan is also worth a visit. Air fairs will cheap when this is over..!!!!!
one of my favorite movies of all time.. close to perfection wonderful script, acting, cinematography, location and music. regards the ending, there is such a bitter sweet and anti-climactic feeling - truly poignant; i love that peter riegert points out that you don't see him call. when the phone box rings, its whatever you want to make of it, just like real life
Absolutely my favorite film. It pulled me out of such a depression at the time, and I went with a young man who became my husband! Life was good, especially by the ending, with that fabulous Mark Knopfler them during the credits!!
A magic film in every possible way. The jets flying over - nothing to do with the story, they couldn't edit them out, in the end they didn't matter. My favourite line is still Burt Reynolds saying, "Shoot to kill." And then leaving for Scotland. Mark Knopfler's music is perfect too, especially at the end, when the relatively quiet theme segues into a great sax solo. Sheer magic! Perfection! And Ashley Jenssen narrating the doco too!!!
Local Hero, for me, is Art in the truest sense. There are many truths enclosed in this story, and they can be transformative for you if you are open to them; if you are prepared to delve. This movie has helped me understand and navigate a path throughout the last two decades- you also get the impression that the participants in the project were lifted by the experience too. Local Hero educates, entertains and enriches- what more can you ask for?
Saw this in the theatre when it first came out. Don't remember how it was recommended. Consider myself lucky to have seen it in a Cinema. Beautiful film. Expressed everything I was feeling about the 80's at the time.
Love that they used lines from Capaldi as Malcom Tucker, talking about time travel and robots considering just months after this documentary was made, Capaldi was announced to be the new Doctor Who, and my favorite Doctor!
What a lovely film. I was enchanted by it when I was young and it made my heart ache for a place I'd never been to and might not have ever existed. I think I'll have to see it again now. I'm so glad to have the insights from this doc.
The sets may have been 100 miles apart but the red phone box was placed back in Pennan (Furness) after tourists came looking for it. Not a working phone but it is right where you saw it in the film. Just getting to Pennan is a challenge in itself. When I need to breathe, I play my DVD of Local Hero. K McIntosh
Oh, boy! I was planning to reach Pennan in my motorhome, as the film really changed my life, giving me a push to follow my heart and do the unreasonable. Why is it so hard to reach Pennan? Only Covid stopped me from crossing over from Ireland.
sorry to burst bubbles, but the phone box is nowhere near where it was in the film, if it was, it would be washed away in the winter high waves!! I live in Pennan, and if you come back I will take you to the exact spots where film scenes were shot :) oh and it is a working phone box :)
What a beautiful film, (definitely in my top ten). Even though Bill Forsyth says in his interview that it is supposed to be subversion of traditional Scottish folklore, I always largely saw it as a modern day twist on the story of Brigadoon and those mythical scottish mermaid creatures. What a wonderful, happy, upbeat, thought provoking, romantic, magical; mystical film. Definitely a film everyone must see at least once before they die.
I rewatched this a few days ago. The genius of this movie is it conveys what the characters are thinking. When Mac (while drunk) tells Gordon he wants to swap lives (which includes keeping Gordon's wife, Stella) you can see Gordon thinking, "Mac is drunk. He's a sentimental sod. He'll forget this in the morning." And Gordon says, "Ok". And that's the end of the scene. Same strategy as the beach scene, where we never hear Happer and Ben's conversation. The director let's us fill it in.
this is one of the movies that, every time it is on anywhere , i watch it. it never seems to get old .Great characters, Gordon, Moritz, Marina, . I always believed that the local hero was Marina, who prevented her home from being destroyed and the locals (human and otherwise) from being displaced. Mr. Lancaster was wonderful as well.
the film will be 50 years old in two years... sometimes there is a perfect storm of unique circumstances that join forces to create the flawless perfect film. i feel lucky to have experienced that film.
"If we'd done what they (Warner Bros) wanted it to do it would be another film that people would have been made shot for gone" Glad you didn't change it. What a masterpiece.
If I had to name one film as my favourite film of all time...Local Hero is hands down my answer. I first saw it in the student cinema where I was studying film and photography in Santa Barbara. I didnt see it again until many years later...and it was then that I really appreciated the film for what it was. I think many would watch this film and think, "that's a nice little film"...but wouldn't give it much more thought than that. Bill Forsyth had an understanding for nuance that is almost unrivalled. I have since worked worked with most of the actors in the film..save Burt Lancaster. I remember having a conversation about the film with Peter Capaldi about and how he had no idea what he was doing...he was being himself...and that's the common thread in this film and why Bill cast who he cast for the roles.
This is my favorite movie of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After seeing this now I know why. GENIUS!!!!!!! I still have the movie on vhs & the album on vinyl of the movie soundtrack with Mark Knopler! BRILLIANT!!!! Can't tell that this really is my favorite movie of all time. Live on 1983 (year I graduated high school)Yikes!!! LOVE THIS!!! JUST MAGICAL!!!
Your comment made me smile. I took my wee girlfriend to see this on my first "proper" date. One thing that always strikes me as odd is when I commonly see "this is my favourite film, I've seen it 20 times" : I've seen some films hundreds of times! BTW, anyone that likes this would surely like "Restless Natives" which is somewhat similar and also wonderful.
You are correct now that you mention it. One of the funniest scenes for me was at the dock when he first arrives and in the background is that young child that looks/dresses just like him lol. And then you look at the kid in the stroller a whole new way and you wonder how many of those kids may have been his LOL
nice little look back at one of my absolute favourite films "Local Hero" thoroughly enjoyable, would love to have seen even a few minutes devoted to the character of Russian trawler captain, Victor though. Victor was definitely every bit as important to the tale as the others, and who could forget his big number with the band?
The ending always reminds me of how I felt as a teenager when I returned home from a holiday with my friends and longed to be back there with all my heart, knowing it could never be...
Terrific documentary I've only just discovered! Still my favorite film after all these years ❤️ Perfect and rewards multiple viewings. Uplifting and a tonic for the soul, as relevant now as it was in the 80s. Thanks to all involved.
The end with the phone ringing was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. Absolutely heartbreaking, the knowledge that he would never get what he probably really desired from his life, that the connection he felt with the place was not there anymore.
"Ah ... bugger it. I meant to say 'cheerio.'" And yeah, after watching Local Hero many times over the last 35 years, that phone box ringing in the end, just before the music swells, still makes me cry a little.
i saw this film on a lark at the old ritz theatre in philadelphia in my senior year at drexel. not enough words can describe how good it was, but then it was a movie of few words but it had great themes. scenes, dialogue, and asks us is the rat race worth it? what is it that you want or need, does ambition trump contentment, a film that you watch that questions your life's choices with humor and heart. and then you add mark knopfler's score and its about as perfect as a movie can be. a great doc for a great movie.
+doug marcus I too saw it at the Ritz when it was released. I've seen it another ten or so times since that time, not to mention listening to the soundtrack countless times.
Lancaster made three films; Visconti's The Leopard, Malle's Atlantic City, and Forsyth's Local Hero. There must have been something quite special about him for God to have placed him in these amazing films. Then again, it seems no other actor could have played those roles other than him.
I often think of the Reverend McPherson from Ghana,and his church and the Russian Fishing trawler captain who sings at the vllage concert . Those Fishing trawlers were known to visit even when governments were at odds and to listen to the western radio to learn the new pop songs. I watch the film every year.
Great film, we have introduced many friends to it over the years. We have also visited the village where some of it was filmed several times. It’s so quiet there. Beautiful, easy to fall in love with. Pretty steep windy road to the shoreline! I’m commenting before I’ve watched the video!
It may not be the best film I've ever seen but it is my best loved film. For me, it is Mac ringing up in the last scene. Someone there will eventually answer, they're in no great hurry. Will he go back? Could he? What would he do there? Even if he could, would he find it within himself to go, or would he remain, pining and haunted in Huston? There's also that moment on the beach when Mr. Hopper gives him his marching orders to go back to Huston, and I remember that plunging, heartbreak from the first time I watched the beautifully underplayed scene. So much of the film kept me puzzled, filled with longing and surprised by how and how much it moved me.
as a person who moved 12 times to 10 different states before i even high school, i had on more than one occasion longed to have returned to my just lost neighborhood friends. that one final shot with the phone ringing is both bittersweet and cathartic. it will always remain a very important film for me, one of my favorite.
Similar numbers for me, and another 20 since. I also traveled for work a lot, though the film profoundly affected me before that. Was that just because it’s a great movie, accessible to anyone, or for the reason you stated? Probably both. Never understood this until your comment.
I saw this movie on its initial release, and have always remained charmed. I watch it again every so often, and always find something new. The recent restoration DVD makes it appear new all over again. Lancaster certainly added a large portion of the charm to it - I still laugh when he instructs his secretary to tell the police, “Shoot to kill,” about his psychiatrist!
We loved Northern Exposure (sit com? ) too. I'd add films, Repo Man (Cox); Thomas Crowne Affair (1999) and Diva! or Subway (both French). Transporter I and The Tourist :) I ❤ things with subtle dark humour and good endings.
a purely magical and enchanting film that like others too have said, I have watched multiple times. Everything about it oozes class. The humour, the music, the scenery, the actors in it. Thank you to all those whom were involved in it, thank you very much.
I never saw it because Burt Lancaster was casted. At the time, did not appreciate what americans did with scotish (or irish) stories. I can't wait to watcht it now!
Absolutely brilliant film. Brings back so many memories and I say that as a Sassenach who worked in Scotland during the 1980s and visited Pennan on a few occasions and had lunch in Gordon's hotel. Not forgetting the music, Mark Knopfler got it absolutely right.
I seen it when it came out, and loved the magic feeling it gave me, still do today, just replaced my copy, that took a walk, and never returned, glad all over i did, ...happer , you crap hound, lol
I was mesmerized by Local Hero when I first saw it back in the 80s. I felt like I WAS MacIntyre, and I definitely would have been conflicted by the charm and serenity of the village, which would have vanished had my mission been successful.
The best Movie i ever seen ... in May 2024, i m going Home.. to Pennen.. after 40 Years i see this Move the first Time.. i will drink a 40 Years old Wisky of all Friend from this Movie
A million films have been made since........not one comes close to this Bill Forsyth masterpiece.....who's ringing up?..............well, you know who.
Lancaster is a special actor. And to think he has done three very special films, so unusual for an actor like him back then, all three for European directors; The Leopard, Atlantic City, and Local Hero. How amazing is that?
I saw this movie probably 6 mo after its release in an old cinema, owned by a widow who loved us college kids, cooking & movies. She served what she thought were collegiate sounding named finger foods & sodas during the movies. She knew most of us by name. The ticket price was $2, no matter what time of day with a $1midnight showing of Rocky Horror. It was perfect for a college girl whose every dime went into books. I tried to catch a movie there whenever my workload allowed it. I saw some good movies at that cinema while splitting a $2 basket of "Pizza Pi Bread" & a $1 "Big Think Pepsi" w/friend like, Legend, Clue, St Elmo's Fire & another of the Brat Pack's movies. Local Hero was a great movie. The land was beautiful, I couldnt blame the atittude of the people for wanting to sell while at the same time I believe they'd have missed being there after they sold their lands. I feel the same way about Pittsburgh, PA. I dreamt of leaving, but homesickness has taken me back many times. Those folks won't have that option as their town will be a huge oil refinery! But like Viktor said, "You can't eat scenery". Local Hero gave me my 1st glimpse at an actor who, as time went by, became one of my two favorite British actors, Peter Capaldi, who was THE BEST Doctor Who, ever! The soundtrack of Local Hero is an awesome body of work. Mark Knopfler's opus to Scotland. It can be heard at any time in our house. I married a guy who had the soundtrack playing in his car when he picked me up on our 1st date!A 27 yr match made in heaven. I think the best thing about the story is the redemption of Mac. Mac discovered there's a greater world outside of his bank account and as a final humbling lesson, the guy he treated as a lowly assistant didn't kiss up to Happer, and gave him a different & better idea for the area rather than destroying it. Perfect! It was a great time in my life, a great cinema and a really great movie!
i remember seeing this film by accident after a night out and sitting watching it totally blown away and always wanted to go and see the location. Glad i didn't now as it would spoil my perception the beach being 100 miles away lol
This movie pulled me out of a deep depression. I'd keep it on in the apartment, in the background, and I knew every single line by heart. I found it first in some video store on VHS and I eventually bought a copy of it for about 99 cents, and I played it till the tape wore out and DVD had finally been invented.
I loved each character, and fell in love with the imaginary place and the sound track. How lovely.
*Educating Rita *The Sure Thing
*Lost In Translation *Farewell To The King
*Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence *Mediterraneo
I used these, and other masterpieces of cinema as stepping stones out of unhappiness and depression.
It pulled me out of a depression as well! But back in 1983. I saw it nearly every day it was in the theater near me. I love your anti-depression recipes.
I first saw this film in 1983 as a favor to actor friend at the U of Texas. His pitch was "you like Dire Straits, right?" Well, he bought the tickets, too, but I really didn't want to go. That evening as I stood in a line that went around the block waiting to get in to see Local Hero, I could not get over the interest in a very obscure film but then again, on occasion, I'd been wrong about things. By the time it was over, I was fighting back tears but also absolutely determined to go to that exact location in Scotland. In 1992, my wife and I drove down that very street and stayed at a BandB where we made sweet love on a tiny bed in a tiny room in the tiny village of Pennan. Our youngest was conceived in that BandB. Trouble was the walls were much thinner than we imagined and breakfast was very very awkward. Anyway, fast forward 30+ years and my daughters and wife insist on watching this movie together around Christmas time and it is always so satisfying to me to think that that friend, long since passed, turned me on to a movie that I've now turned my children onto. Next year, we all will go and visit Pennan together along with our grandson.
Spent an evening getting drunk with Peter Riegert. Lovely man who considered this his best work.
Wow, lucky you! Would love to raise a few with 'Mac'.
I agree, but also recommend his sidekick to John Heard’s protagonist in “Chilly Scenes of Winter” & his wonderful turn as Herbie to Bette Midler’s Rose in “Gypsy.”
You are so lucky. But since luck is merit, you must have deserved this bit of good luck!
😮
The only film I can honestly say changed me. A masterpiece.
+LazlosPlane same here
Same here.
Yes!
Same here
It changed the way I watched movies as a young teenager.
Thirty six years later this is still my most favorite movie of all time. I found it profound, touching and magical. A true masterpiece of work.
My father grew up in Shetland, a cousin works in Aberdeen in the oil industry. Ironically, it was the oil industry that broke up our six-generation wool factory in Voe, Shetland, about 30 years ago.
I watch this film at least once a month, usually after a long stressful work day
I am same as you and totally agree with your comment. I have watched this movie more than 50 times, and have visited Pennan and other locations twice. I cannot think of my life without this movie, although it's difficult to explain why.
@@veslaskigirl ⁷
@@veslaskigirl That is a shame, I need the warmth of wool, sometimes 2 or 3 layers in the winter. How did it happen? What did your family do then?
I had just watched 'Local Hero' for the umpteenth time and was discussing it with a friend. I mentioned that I loved the music. She replied "Oh ! was there music ?" Having recovered my composure, I said nothing but it set me thinking - is it possible that the music matched the rest of film so perfectly that it formed a seamless whole with no one element dominating ? Given that the lady in question is an accomplished musician, it's the only explanation I can offer.
Ahead of its time, and now ageless. No doubt one of the greatest films ever made, and one of the most beautiful
So glad this exists, this has been my favorite movie since I was a teenager. It's impossible to explain in words how magical it is.
I've probably watched this movie 30 times. Probably my favorite film ever made.
+Chris Tharp i gotta be about 50 times by now.
might well be my favourite film of all time
Best ever movie
LOL! I was just telling my girlfriend I saw it more than 20 times.
I kept it on a loop in the apartment when I was dealing with depression, I can quote it line for line and fell in love with everyone in it. The movie remains a part of me that survives, and feels loved. It is special.
This movie was a lockdown discovery for me!!! Truly a magical movie!!!
I saw this film when it came out in the US and it is still one of my top three. We watch it every year, and of course a box of tissues are nearby. The ending phonebox scene gets me every time, and Mark Knopler is fantastic.
John G I always thought the ending meant that Mac would leave Houston and return to Scotland, but Forsythe said that Hollywood-type ending is nonsense. Oh well, burst my bubble!
I had to think for a minute but yes. I remember now, you are very right. I love this film.
@@wotan10950 k
It is a masterpiece - and it is heartbreaking when Mac has to go back to Houston.
One can imagine what Mac would have done following his venture in Furness. I propose that he returned there. If Happer would not have allowed that, I'm sure he would have found a vocation there, in some capacity.
I cannot believe I didn't get that before; Marina and Stella. Sea and Sky. Of course! I got the connection of Marina being an apt name for a marine biologist, but I didn't get the connection with Stella. It's so obvious now!
feliciab2 I never noticed it either. Ok, who is Trudy? Did he name the rabbit after an old girlfriend?
I’m not surprised but now that you’ve explained it,those names are a dead giveaway! The name Stella I associate with “A Streetcar named Desire” and Marlon Brando yelling “Stella!”
One of my favorite of all time films. I am SO, SO happy that Bill Forsyth did NOT follow the studio's suggestion for the ending of this film. SO happy. I think he does amazing films, amazing. He must be a wonderful man.
When I first saw Local Hero I almost skipped the screening because of a roaring headache.I went and by the time it had ended, so had my headache. The first indication to me of its magical powers. Flat out love it, an all time favorite. The final scene is so perfect with Mac unloading his souvenirs, even sniffing one, while he is surrounded by the familiar strangeness of home. Could not imagine it without Mark Knopfler's music or with the Fonz as MacIntyre. Pure magic happened with that movie, and as each new person sees it for the first time, its reputation grows. As a bonus,that's about as well done a documentary as I could hope for.
I can imagine it with Henry Winkler - I think it would have been astute casting - but I'm glad it was as it was.
+OldCootCork perfect reading of that final scene.
The last scene was perfect for me, and I never read Mac as making the phone call. I read it more as Mac, having come home, forever changed ... "smelling the roses" (or shells) ... at piece with life in an entirely different way. Perhaps, I was Mac, having experienced the same life changing experience from a mere film.
@@ledelste , Peter Riegert was essential.
Mark Knopfler's music accompanying this movie deserves more recognition.
Mark was recognized................with dollars. His soundtrack made more money than the film did.
@@pillettadoinswartsh4974 And is stillbeing played even when people have not heard of the film.
The film is something higher than simply cinema, much, much more. Wonderful
Thank you Jenny Seagrove for explaining that this is as perfect as a motion picture can be. It is my all time, worldwide number one.
Interesting to learn the phone ringing at the end was a throw-in to please the studio. I thought it was a brilliant, sad ending. To me it was indeed MacIntyre calling up, but no one answers; Mac remembers them, but they've already forgotten him.
Then again, late night in Texas is probably wee morning in Scotland...I like to think that everyone is just nice and warm in bed
I disagree that they've already forgotten him. I think it was MacIntyre calling because he missed them - a final note...
@@philandtrish He would be arranging his next vacation there when he gets through.
To me it's about being connected to a place. He doesn't need anyone to answer.
If you spend time in rural, idyllic places in Scotland it just fills your soul. You yearn to be back, to experience that slow pace of life, the views, the light, the air.
he's calling to tell them he's coming back
One of my favorite films of all time. Fabulous, gentle, funny story. Mark Knopfler's amazing music. And who didn't want to be Peter Capaldi and kissing Jenny Seagrove's toes.
Be still, my beating heart.
Webbed toes, no less!
I'm so glad the studio pushed for another ending. Forcing the phone shot. Utter poetry. My all-time favorite film for the last 30 years.
Puts a lump in my throat that scene.
Probably my all time favourite movie. I was lucky enough to be able to visit Pennan last summer and I, like Mac, fell in love with the place (although it's tiny). Took several selfies of my "pilgrimage" and intend to go back this year, plus back to Banff to visit gordon's bar and the village hall. One day I will have a forty-two year old whisky whilst sitting on that harbour wall and playing "Wild Theme".
Ian Mathison the pub in Banff burned down many many years ago. Sorry!!
LAFOLLETTER but the beaches near Mallaig and Arisaig are stunning and the village of Pennan is also worth a visit. Air fairs will cheap when this is over..!!!!!
one of my favorite movies of all time.. close to perfection wonderful script, acting, cinematography, location and music. regards the ending, there is such a bitter sweet and anti-climactic feeling - truly poignant; i love that peter riegert points out that you don't see him call. when the phone box rings, its whatever you want to make of it, just like real life
Absolutely my favorite film. It pulled me out of such a depression at the time, and I went with a young man who became my husband! Life was good, especially by the ending, with that fabulous Mark Knopfler them during the credits!!
A magic film in every possible way.
The jets flying over - nothing to do with the story, they couldn't edit them out, in the end they didn't matter.
My favourite line is still Burt Reynolds saying, "Shoot to kill." And then leaving for Scotland.
Mark Knopfler's music is perfect too, especially at the end, when the relatively quiet theme segues into a great sax solo.
Sheer magic! Perfection!
And Ashley Jenssen narrating the doco too!!!
Local Hero, for me, is Art in the truest sense. There are many truths enclosed in this story, and they can be transformative for you if you are open to them; if you are prepared to delve. This movie has helped me understand and navigate a path throughout the last two decades- you also get the impression that the participants in the project were lifted by the experience too. Local Hero educates, entertains and enriches- what more can you ask for?
Saw this in the theatre when it first came out. Don't remember how it was recommended. Consider myself lucky to have seen it in a Cinema. Beautiful film. Expressed everything I was feeling about the 80's at the time.
This is the best film I've ever seen.
Love that they used lines from Capaldi as Malcom Tucker, talking about time travel and robots considering just months after this documentary was made, Capaldi was announced to be the new Doctor Who, and my favorite Doctor!
This film introduced many to Scotland like no other film. Thanks from Australia.
What a lovely film. I was enchanted by it when I was young and it made my heart ache for a place I'd never been to and might not have ever existed. I think I'll have to see it again now. I'm so glad to have the insights from this doc.
it put Casmudarach beach (Ben's beach), near Mallaig, on top of my places to visit and stay list... Cheers
@@ruialexandre6197 Who would have thought a Scottish beach could be so inviting…
The sets may have been 100 miles apart but the red phone box was placed back in Pennan (Furness) after tourists came looking for it. Not a working phone but it is right where you saw it in the film. Just getting to Pennan is a challenge in itself. When I need to breathe, I play my DVD of Local Hero. K McIntosh
Oh, boy! I was planning to reach Pennan in my motorhome, as the film really changed my life, giving me a push to follow my heart and do the unreasonable. Why is it so hard to reach Pennan? Only Covid stopped me from crossing over from Ireland.
sorry to burst bubbles, but the phone box is nowhere near where it was in the film, if it was, it would be washed away in the winter high waves!! I live in Pennan, and if you come back I will take you to the exact spots where film scenes were shot :) oh and it is a working phone box :)
What a beautiful film, (definitely in my top ten). Even though Bill Forsyth says in his interview that it is supposed to be subversion of traditional Scottish folklore, I always largely saw it as a modern day twist on the story of Brigadoon and those mythical scottish mermaid creatures. What a wonderful, happy, upbeat, thought provoking, romantic, magical; mystical film. Definitely a film everyone must see at least once before they die.
The definitely do not make films like these anymore. Quality from start to finish.
this film, Northern Exposure, the Quite man and A Wonderful Life are my Corner stones in my life, film thinking.
I read recently that Local Hero was a MAJOR inspiration for Northern Exposure - my favorite movie and TV show.
I rewatched this a few days ago. The genius of this movie is it conveys what the characters are thinking. When Mac (while drunk) tells Gordon he wants to swap lives (which includes keeping Gordon's wife, Stella) you can see Gordon thinking, "Mac is drunk. He's a sentimental sod. He'll forget this in the morning." And Gordon says, "Ok". And that's the end of the scene. Same strategy as the beach scene, where we never hear Happer and Ben's conversation. The director let's us fill it in.
Watched it when I was a teen in the 80s - a stunning and unforgettable movie - enthralls you from the start to the end!
And amazing soundtrack!!
It was a magical film, truly magical. Very moving.
this is one of the movies that, every time it is on anywhere , i watch it. it never seems to get old .Great characters, Gordon, Moritz, Marina, . I always believed that the local hero was Marina, who prevented her home from being destroyed and the locals (human and otherwise) from being displaced. Mr. Lancaster was wonderful as well.
the film will be 50 years old in two years... sometimes there is a perfect storm of unique circumstances that join forces to create the flawless perfect film. i feel lucky to have experienced that film.
50 years old you say?!
... Now are you quite sure about that?
Oh no, I've mislaid 10 years of my life in that case. Must've been the ride I took in that bloody DeLorean.
@@MrSimonmcc mea culpa. i have made a mistake. your delorean is working fine. it's 40 not 50. my bad. thanks for reminding me.
@@ronelitzur856 it's a double edged sword. If you'd been correct I could've retired this year 😏
"If we'd done what they (Warner Bros) wanted it to do it would be another film that people would have been made shot for gone"
Glad you didn't change it. What a masterpiece.
If I had to name one film as my favourite film of all time...Local Hero is hands down my answer. I first saw it in the student cinema where I was studying film and photography in Santa Barbara. I didnt see it again until many years later...and it was then that I really appreciated the film for what it was. I think many would watch this film and think, "that's a nice little film"...but wouldn't give it much more thought than that. Bill Forsyth had an understanding for nuance that is almost unrivalled. I have since worked worked with most of the actors in the film..save Burt Lancaster. I remember having a conversation about the film with Peter Capaldi about and how he had no idea what he was doing...he was being himself...and that's the common thread in this film and why Bill cast who he cast for the roles.
This is my favorite movie of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After seeing this now I know why. GENIUS!!!!!!! I still have the movie on vhs & the album on vinyl of the movie soundtrack with Mark Knopler! BRILLIANT!!!! Can't tell that this really is my favorite movie of all time. Live on 1983 (year I graduated high school)Yikes!!! LOVE THIS!!! JUST MAGICAL!!!
Your comment made me smile.
I took my wee girlfriend to see this on my first "proper" date.
One thing that always strikes me as odd is when I commonly see "this is my favourite film, I've seen it 20 times" : I've seen some films hundreds of times!
BTW, anyone that likes this would surely like "Restless Natives" which is somewhat similar and also wonderful.
Wasn't expecting such an intense documentary, fantastic upload, thanks. Only one thing was missing: Victor, the russian.
Someday when my roving days are over, I will find a place to call my own
I often think of this Russian fisherman and his singing . Odd. And also the Presbyterian minister.
You are correct now that you mention it. One of the funniest scenes for me was at the dock when he first arrives and in the background is that young child that looks/dresses just like him lol. And then you look at the kid in the stroller a whole new way and you wonder how many of those kids may have been his LOL
Fascinating insights into the making of this absolute gem of a movie lovingly written and directed by Bill Forsyth.
nice little look back at one of my absolute favourite films "Local Hero" thoroughly enjoyable, would love to have seen even a few minutes devoted to the character of Russian trawler captain, Victor though. Victor was definitely every bit as important to the tale as the others, and who could forget his big number with the band?
Thank you for posting this! Wanted the making of book for many years, and couldn't get my hands on it. This documentary fills the job.
This is one of my top 5 favorites of all times. I have watched it over 20 times. Love it.
The ending always reminds me of how I felt as a teenager when I returned home from a holiday with my friends and longed to be back there with all my heart, knowing it could never be...
one of my all time favorites. I'm disappointed the Russian and his romance with the store keeper were not included in this
Terrific documentary I've only just discovered! Still my favorite film after all these years ❤️ Perfect and rewards multiple viewings. Uplifting and a tonic for the soul, as relevant now as it was in the 80s. Thanks to all involved.
The end with the phone ringing was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. Absolutely heartbreaking, the knowledge that he would never get what he probably really desired from his life, that the connection he felt with the place was not there anymore.
I always interpreted that it was him calling. He was coming back!
definitely my favorite film, love it and love Scotland
"Ah ... bugger it. I meant to say 'cheerio.'"
And yeah, after watching Local Hero many times over the last 35 years, that phone box ringing in the end, just before the music swells, still makes me cry a little.
i saw this film on a lark at the old ritz theatre in philadelphia in my senior year at drexel. not enough words can describe how good it was, but then it was a movie of few words but it had great themes. scenes, dialogue, and asks us is the rat race worth it? what is it that you want or need, does ambition trump contentment, a film that you watch that questions your life's choices with humor and heart. and then you add mark knopfler's score and its about as perfect as a movie can be. a great doc for a great movie.
+doug marcus I too saw it at the Ritz when it was released. I've seen it another ten or so times since that time, not to mention listening to the soundtrack countless times.
I saw this gem for the first time at 14, and it has never, in forty years, stopped being one of my favorite films.
Lancaster made three films; Visconti's The Leopard, Malle's Atlantic City, and Forsyth's Local Hero. There must have been something quite special about him for God to have placed him in these amazing films. Then again, it seems no other actor could have played those roles other than him.
Wonderfully done. One of my favorite films and esp. soundtracks of all time. Thanks for this.
I often think of the Reverend McPherson from Ghana,and his church and the Russian Fishing trawler captain who sings at the vllage concert . Those Fishing trawlers were known to visit even when governments were at odds and to listen to the western radio to learn the new pop songs. I watch the film every year.
Great film, we have introduced many friends to it over the years. We have also visited the village where some of it was filmed several times. It’s so quiet there. Beautiful, easy to fall in love with. Pretty steep windy road to the shoreline! I’m commenting before I’ve watched the video!
the documentary is excellent too, don't you think?
@@idw9159 yes, indeed!
It may not be the best film I've ever seen but it is my best loved film. For me, it is Mac ringing up in the last scene. Someone there will eventually answer, they're in no great hurry. Will he go back? Could he? What would he do there? Even if he could, would he find it within himself to go, or would he remain, pining and haunted in Huston?
There's also that moment on the beach when Mr. Hopper gives him his marching orders to go back to Huston, and I remember that plunging, heartbreak from the first time I watched the beautifully underplayed scene.
So much of the film kept me puzzled, filled with longing and surprised by how and how much it moved me.
It woke me up to my Scottish roots in a magical way and I'm proud.
as a person who moved 12 times to 10 different states before i even high school, i had on more than one occasion longed to have returned to my just lost neighborhood friends. that one final shot with the phone ringing is both bittersweet and cathartic. it will always remain a very important film for me, one of my favorite.
Similar numbers for me, and another 20 since. I also traveled for work a lot, though the film profoundly affected me before that. Was that just because it’s a great movie, accessible to anyone, or for the reason you stated?
Probably both. Never understood this until your comment.
Thank you for posting this wonderful video. Far and away my favorite movie of all time.
It surely deserves to be in the top 10 “hidden gems of a movie” list of all time.
I saw this movie on its initial release, and have always remained charmed. I watch it again every so often, and always find something new. The recent restoration DVD makes it appear new all over again. Lancaster certainly added a large portion of the charm to it - I still laugh when he instructs his secretary to tell the police, “Shoot to kill,” about his psychiatrist!
17:30 This has to be the greatest impersonation of Lancaster ever !... : ⁰ )
Just seeing some of the highlights makes me want to cry.
Actually, the Knopfler family are from Glasgow, Mark was born and grew up in Glasgow.
I make a point to watch this movie once a year during Christmas break ever since I first saw it when I was 11.
It was one of the few movies that really changed me for the better.
Local Hero, A Quiet Man, A wonderful life and Northern Exposure series were my top...
We loved Northern Exposure (sit com? ) too.
I'd add films, Repo Man (Cox); Thomas Crowne Affair (1999) and Diva! or Subway (both French). Transporter I and The Tourist :)
I ❤ things with subtle dark humour and good endings.
Favourite movie ever. A+
a purely magical and enchanting film that like others too have said, I have watched multiple times. Everything about it oozes class. The humour, the music, the scenery, the actors in it. Thank you to all those whom were involved in it, thank you very much.
The film means so much to my wife and I, we even travelled to Scotland and visited the phone box in Pennan. It was like it never changed.
I never saw it because Burt Lancaster was casted. At the time, did not appreciate what americans did with scotish (or irish) stories. I can't wait to watcht it now!
28.39 Not since the Pink Panther has a theme tune so beautifully matched the film it was written for.
And Big Country's soundtrack for Restless Natives...another Scottish classic
Absolutely brilliant film. Brings back so many memories and I say that as a Sassenach who worked in Scotland during the 1980s and visited Pennan on a few occasions and had lunch in Gordon's hotel. Not forgetting the music, Mark Knopfler got it absolutely right.
Beautiful film
I have been searching the internet for for this movie and now I’ve found it! Great film!
my all time favourite
Been to the beach. Was just like being in the film. Best film ever.
I seen it when it came out, and loved the magic feeling it gave me, still do today, just replaced my copy, that took a walk, and never returned, glad all over i did, ...happer , you crap hound, lol
I was mesmerized by Local Hero when I first saw it back in the 80s. I felt like I WAS MacIntyre, and I definitely would have been conflicted by the charm and serenity of the village, which would have vanished had my mission been successful.
A firm favourite. The psychologist scenes could have been completely scrubbed, though.
They should have put this as an extra on the DVD!
This and Blade Runner are my two favorite movies.
ben tompkins very similar films.
Can’t fault you!
Both in my top three…
P Capaldi very, very lucky to get first movie break in this great,great movie,, better than winning £150million on the lottery!! I love the movie!
Oh yes, in my top five. And I share it on FB, the trailer, frequently. Perfect, perfect poignant little film. A treasure.
The best Movie i ever seen ... in May 2024, i m going Home.. to Pennen.. after 40 Years i see this Move the first Time.. i will drink a 40 Years old Wisky of all Friend from this Movie
A million films have been made since........not one comes close to this Bill Forsyth masterpiece.....who's ringing up?..............well, you know who.
Watched the film a couple of days ago,loved the film,warm,gentle,with some great funny lines.
Absolutely adore this film.
Lancaster is a special actor. And to think he has done three very special films, so unusual for an actor like him back then, all three for European directors; The Leopard, Atlantic City, and Local Hero. How amazing is that?
One the most fantastic films of all time. End of.
Funny, I just watched it today and then noticed I commented on it five years ago. Time well spent for a film I love.
I saw this movie probably 6 mo after its release in an old cinema, owned by a widow who loved us college kids, cooking & movies. She served what she thought were collegiate sounding named finger foods & sodas during the movies. She knew most of us by name. The ticket price was $2, no matter what time of day with a $1midnight showing of Rocky Horror. It was perfect for a college girl whose every dime went into books.
I tried to catch a movie there whenever my workload allowed it.
I saw some good movies at that cinema while splitting a $2 basket of "Pizza Pi Bread" & a $1 "Big Think Pepsi" w/friend like, Legend, Clue, St Elmo's Fire & another of the Brat Pack's movies.
Local Hero was a great movie. The land was beautiful, I couldnt blame the atittude of the people for wanting to sell while at the same time I believe they'd have missed being there after they sold their lands. I feel the same way about Pittsburgh, PA. I dreamt of leaving, but homesickness has taken me back many times. Those folks won't have that option as their town will be a huge oil refinery!
But like Viktor said, "You can't eat scenery".
Local Hero gave me my 1st glimpse at an actor who, as time went by, became one of my two favorite British actors, Peter Capaldi, who was THE BEST Doctor Who, ever!
The soundtrack of Local Hero is an awesome body of work. Mark Knopfler's opus to Scotland. It can be heard at any time in our house. I married a guy who had the soundtrack playing in his car when he picked me up on our 1st date!A 27 yr match made in heaven.
I think the best thing about the story is the redemption of Mac.
Mac discovered there's a greater world outside of his bank account and as a final humbling lesson, the guy he treated as a lowly assistant didn't kiss up to Happer, and gave him a different & better idea for the area rather than destroying it.
Perfect!
It was a great time in my life, a great cinema and a really great movie!
Still love, love this movie.
i remember seeing this film by accident after a night out and sitting watching it totally blown away and always wanted to go and see the location. Glad i didn't now as it would spoil my perception the beach being 100 miles away lol
Yes, a little disappointing to find out they were separate places, but a trip to see both is on my bucket list.
Nearer 200. (Approx. 180) Camusdarach Beach - it's well worth a visit.
One of the best movies of all time.