Everyone seems to miss the turning point in the movie...when Mac forgets his watch in the surf. The alarm being drowned in the rising tide is perfection

I was 13 when HBO would play this as filler in the mid 80s. It has stood the test of time and has never fell from my top 3 all time.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

Amen.

@solarjinx

Жыл бұрын

I would love to know your other two because i love this movie so much

Thank you for explaining the inner workings of Local Hero... No bad guy. Just real people... Yep, love the final scene, and the music, and the russian family, and the rabbit, and the motorcycle, all of it. My favorite scene is where Mac and Gordon try to get the other to volunteer a value for the town. Neither one wanting to go first. Classic negotiating game. So much at stake and yet such a low key scene. It's just such a relaxing but thought provoking movie. Reminds me a lot of Northern Exposure.

@denysmace3874

Жыл бұрын

The rabbit had a name! 😃

@yettsoman4364

4 ай бұрын

​@@denysmace3874the rabbit had TWO names! 😅

I have always felt a strong connection to this film. Worked in downtown Houston at an oil company when this film came out. I recognize many of the landmarks and worked at the oil company portrayed as Knox oil. I was Mac, young up and comer but really didn’t know what was what. I finally got the chance to travel and meet other real people. When I returned home to Houston, I found myself in my nice comfortable house, putting up a picture of my new friends on the board putting my shells away wondering what my new friends were doing and wishing I could be there again. The lights are so bright you cannot see the stars. That was when I remembered Local Hero. Took a while to get a copy but it is a treasured addition to my library and a wonderful reminder of my youth.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

great comment. I very much appreciate it. Also, I strongly recommended procuring a disc. Criterion put out a great bluray of this a couple years ago. Before that, it was very hard to find the DVD version. Since Criterions do go out of print and get expensive in the used-disc market, that's why I suggest getting the disc.

Local Hero is quietly magical, an extremely rare characteristic for a film.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

yes, and no one could plan for that going in. Not replicable.

This movie is truly brilliant, with a truly brilliant score by Knopfler. I have mentioned this movie many times when talking with others about favorite movies. The vast majority of people have never heard of it. It was my favorite movie of all time until displaced by The Princess Bride, also scored by Mark Knopfler.

As a Briton, I love this film, but it moistens my eyes to see how loved it is in the US too.

Favorite movie of all time, in part because I escaped the cities of the Texas coast. But there's more to it than that. As an adult convert to Eastern Orthodoxy, I even took St. Brendan of Ireland as my patron. And the last shot? I have asked my family to have "Going Home" played at the fellowship dinner after my funeral.

best movie - one of my favs - and your description of what makes it is excellent. I've seen it about 10 times, but never really been able to explain why I love it so much. You hit it on the head. Thank you!

I love this movie. I always feel better after watching it. There a so many great characters. The final scene of the ringing phone booth, and that amazing music rises, gets me every time. In 2012 we went to Scotland, and we had to make a long detour to go to Pennen which is the town where they filmed it. Gave me goosebumps.

Local Hero captures a magic that's hard to define, a gentle comedy yes, but much more. So happy you mentioned Mark Knopfler's wonderful soundtrack which complements the film beautifully.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

yes, thank you.

“I’d be a good Gordon, Gordon.”

This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and yes, the final scene as Mac looks out over the Houston skyline still makes me cry decades and probably 20 viewings later. I do hope the musical adaptation survives the pandemic and is able to move from it’s opening in Edinburg to a staging at the Old Vic in London as was originally planned (music for the stage adaptation also composed by Mark Knopfler). Thanks for the warm and incisive review.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

you're welcome.

@61mwill

Жыл бұрын

My all time favorite movie. Saw it 3 times in the theater when it came out and countless times since then. My wife and I flew to Edinburgh in April 2019 and saw the musical at the wonderful Lyceum theater. Very different from the movie in terms of the storyline (Stella and Gordon not so happy together, Ben's character very different from the movie, etc), but it was a special treat for a fan like me. 19 new songs, 2 or 3 that were memorable. Still, I always look for an excuse to go to Scotland and Local Hero opened up both Scotland and Mark Knopfler for me in 1983 when the movie came. I did a local Hero tour in 2009 and went to Pennan, Ben's beach next to Morar, and walked 6 miles from Morar to Arisaig - stunning coast and water that is crystal clear. Cheers and sorry if this was an overindulgent reply.

@galedavid2640

Жыл бұрын

I agree that the reality of him returning is quite stiring I do think the last shot is of the Red Telephone Booth ringing. Guess who is calling.

Just love this film so much. Gentle, funny, clever. Could watch it over & over

It is my favorite movie of all times. I've watched it many times and always notice something new each time. It is really funny in a subtle way and the story is totally unpredictable. It's a dream of mine to visit the town where it was filmed. I like every character in the film and think that it is so great they got Burt Lancaster to be in it. Could talk about this film forever. Thanks for the review.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

excellent movie for an all-time favorite!

Any time I see this movie mentioned in an article or see the logo for it, I get a big smile on my face.

One of my fave movies. From the military jet wreaking the peace of the scenery to the beachcomber being rejected when he offers to sell his beach for a pound for every grain of sand he can hold in his hand. "You could have had a bargain there, I can only hold about 10000 grains of sand. Did you think it would be more than that?" And so much more.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

yes. I like the Russian who visits, too. One of the very few peaceful, even friendly meetings in film between peoples separated by the Iron Curtain.

@johnboxxy3432

3 жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies and who is the father of the punk girls baby! It's endless.

@denysmace3874

Жыл бұрын

"Goodbye beach forever"

@andthenhesaid

13 күн бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies If you can find it, check out Letter to Brezhnev from about the same time. Another low budget British film where ordinary working class Brits on the edge of poverty (as most of the Local Hero villagers realistically are) encounter ordinary Soviet citizens. Different in some ways, similar in others, and a good one to watch in the context of this classic. Thank you for this excellent summary of my favourite film.

Spot on review Dr. Matthews. In addition to being one of my favorite movies for all the reasons you mentioned I saw it during a 2 year period in which I was living in Israel. That period was one of the most meaningful periods of my life and everytime I see the movie or hear Mark Knofler's incredible music it reconnects me to that time.

Thank you for the excellent review of this exceptional film. It's been my all-time favorite since I saw it over 30 years ago and it is beautiful every single time. The music (of course!), the characters, the story, really everything is quite perfect

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

heh, thanks. my phone case has the artwork of this movie on it!

Truly a movie to fall in love with. One of the most charming and beguiling films ever made. Thank you, doctor, for your thoughtful and warm review.

Great review. I fell in love with this movie 40 years ago when it played in the movie theater I was working at in high school. Must’ve seen it 100 times and it’s never gotten old! I still play the soundtrack to this day, and now my 19 year old daughter has fallen in love with it too.

Took my son at about 11years old to see this movie 1984 . As we’re leaving I told him that this will probably be one of the best movies he will ever see. I wasn’t kidding. It is for me hope it is for him

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

wise words, and I believe they still hold up.

My all time favorite movie.

This is my favorite disc release in The Criterion Collection. Great movie. I keep a list of movies which I describe as “Powell and Pressburger-esque” and Local Hero certainly makes the list. I strongly agree with your review here.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

thank you.

Such a gorgeous movie, one of my absolute favorites.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

indeed, and amen.

I remember walking along the road in London worth my then partner, back in the late 80s/early 90s, and bumped into the theatre impresario, Cameron Mackintosh, who my partner knew. I had the one and only star-struck moment of my life, as I gushed to Cameron's companion, "you were in Local Hero" to Christopher Asante, who played the vicar. (I know his real name was Gyearbuor, but he was credited as Christopher in the film). He only has a minor role so I was surprised at how thrilled I was to meet him, even for a few minutes.

The music, the performances , the scenery, directing, and of course, the writing make this a great film. Saw it 30 years ago and many times since. In Scotland near Pennan stopped at a similar village deserted except for a sheep. - kept expecting a bike to go whizzing past . Loved it.

You’re right about Local Hero. It’s so subtle in its greatness that if you’re not paying attention you might not even notice it. That’s for another great video.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

thank you.

I saw this film when it came out in Santa Monica CA at the old Aero Theater on Montana Ave in the summer of 83 ... on a Tuesday night...for a buck. My girlfriend and I were didn't know much going other than the cast looked good... boy were we surprised... I would say this film is probably the "best - low expectations/surprise film that's stood the test of time - ever" I've seen in my 61 years. It was fun watching this with my early 20s children several years ago and watching them fall in love with it as well.

Filmed 6 miles from where I was brought up. Pennan is a wonderfully normal, beautiful place to this day.

A favourite of mine, or maybe it is my favourite. I first saw it as a young man after returning home from a long backpacking tour around the south Pacific. I have to watch it at least once a year. The end scene when Mac returns home to his condo and mundane everyday world just perfectly summed up my feelings of returning home after a life altering adventure. Also, some great lines..."I'll make a good Gordon, Gordon." "I, too, am not Scottish." "You can't eat sceeeeneryyy."

@michaelgeraghty4981

Жыл бұрын

"Are there two Ls in dollar?" "Yes. And are there two Gs in bugger off?" "Which shampoo would you like? Dry, greasy or normal?" "Normal... Extra normal." "It was a clean break. Check the bones in the dish if you want." "Is that the yank in that thing?" "Aye. That's him away". "Ah bugger it. I meant to say cherio" And many many others.

Great review! And I agree about it beeing a movie that make you feel great beeing alive. Just finished watching it now and it is a very special movie I think. Masterfully done in it's simplicity.

@LearningaboutMovies

4 жыл бұрын

thank you.

This is a heartfelt critique of a great film, well done👏👏👏

Saw it in theatre when it came out. One of my ALL time favorites!

The perfect movie ...end of story. Hopelessly in love with every aspect of it (especially the ending)

This is indeed an absolutely beautiful film, one of my favorites for many years.

@LearningaboutMovies

4 жыл бұрын

just a great movie to think about, for years and years.

@belaghoulashi

4 жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies Everything about it was great...except the crazy psychiatrist subplot, which did end with a good laugh though: "Shoot to kill". Burt Lancaster was outstanding, but everyone was good.

@belaghoulashi

4 жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies You should look at some of the French films of Marcel Pagnol's books directed by Claude Berri and Yves Robert: My Father's Glory, La Chateau de ma Mere, and the masterpiece that is Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring.

@LearningaboutMovies

4 жыл бұрын

yes! Jean de florette/manon is among my favorites. will do a video or two on those someday. thank you.

I finally got around to watching this and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. One thing that caught me overall is the title, 'Local Hero', and the movie doesn't tell you explicitly what to think or even who the hero is. Is it Gordon the barkeep/de facto mayor who lives a charmed rural life, or Ben protecting the beach, or Peter who may make the town folks rich, but is having a change of heart, when Felix swoops in and decides he too shall fall in love with the place. In addition with several other characters and the townsfolk, it's basically everyone that is a hero in someway, in that it takes a village to make a special place, and in fact is the element of 'local' itself that is the hero - preserving what is unique and distinct and natural. ... The movie has a few other quirky elements and archetypes of sorts which could be analyzed, one of my favorites was Felix's odd office 'at the top' where he was perched like a god or a king, only to be tormented by his "therapist"/jester informing him of the horses-ass he had become. Peter also has his awakening, but his destiny is not yet ready, nor has he yet found his true 'beach', his paradise, but now he knows the meaning it can provide for him ... if he will only choose to make the changes to obtain it.

An all time great film, truly evergreen, and as you said, challenges one's priors by allowing the humanity to come to the front. Thanks

@LearningaboutMovies

Жыл бұрын

thank you.

Brilliant film. I saw it first run in 1983 and still love it. Then it was unique and different and sort of quirky-sweet. So much going on in very subtle ways in this film. Who really IS the local hero, in the end? Who knows?

hello man, I just discovered your channel about a few minutes ago and I wanted to let you know how much I respect you, i'm a 15 year old boy who got big into movies about a year ago, and the fact that you mostly upload daily, despite lacking in views. Is something I respect a lot, and I will continue to forever support you.

@LearningaboutMovies

4 жыл бұрын

thank you. I"m doing this for the sake of doing it. And to meet whoever comes along. What movies do you like?

@floodedfungus5680

4 жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies sorry for such a late reply but ill just list my top 10 1. Oldboy (2003) 2.seven samurai 3.Harakiri 4. memento 5.The good the bad and the ugly 6. Goodfellas 7. Adaptation 8. La haine 9.Synecdoche, New York 10. birdman

@LearningaboutMovies

4 жыл бұрын

great list.

@goodstuff3149

4 жыл бұрын

@@floodedfungus5680 You have great taste man, thumbs up! :) It's cool that you explore different kinds of movies, being open minded at a you age, cool to see. I'll give you two random tips, different kinds of movies: 1. The Lives of Others (2006) German movie about East-Germany's secret police at that time(80's) called Stasi, (Its on here on YT I think). Everything about this movie is on point, such a well made film. Drama/Thriller(maybe light thriller) 2. Whisper of the Heart (1995) uplifting/feel-good Japanese Anime movie.. Awesome :)

It is a special movie. Thank you for reminding me.

I loved this movie so much i had to go to pennan to make a call in the phone box... It is a great film which is so simple yet so complicated at the same time... My all time favourite film...

Local Hero has always felt like a live-action version of a Studio Ghibli film to me. The way the film comments on nature, capitalism, culture clash, while featuring subtle and humorous character interactions. I’d love to see Studio Ghibli remake this film, in the same tone of Only Yesterday.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

fabulous comment, one of the best, as I hadn't put these together. But you are dead right.

I picked this movie from your letterbox list and I loved it. And I’ve watched it right after “The station agent”. Please make a list of movies like these which are very simple and yet fully engage you

I last watched this movie in the 1980’s and loved it. I just stumbled across it again while doing research for my physical media collection. This one just went on my “must own” list.

@LearningaboutMovies

Жыл бұрын

excellent! glad you liked it.

ありがとうございます！ この静かなるコメディは最高に好きです。 クスクスと笑うおかしな映画です。 スコットランドの美しさは凄い！ 狭い日本に住んでいる私にはスコットランドは天国ですね。 あなたのレビューは楽しいです。😜 Thank you !

@hitomi1341

3 жыл бұрын

忘れてはいけない！ マークの音楽は私を鷲掴みにしました。 音楽も映画も優しい心をくれました。😂🤗 ありがとう！

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

Japan is also a wondrous place, and perhaps the spirit of this film is slightly akin to that of the coastal villages in Japan? thank you for your comment.

An all time favourite Love it.

My favourite film of all time. "Will Marina be back"??

One of the best..if not the best I've ever seen..ending is..incredible..I think..MAC..went back and has been living there happily for 30 years...married the punk girl..

Loved Lancaster in Atlantic City so this is making total sense to me.

@LearningaboutMovies

Жыл бұрын

thanks for all the comments. I definitely recommend pretty much anything you are commenting on!

It’s on KZread. I watch it often for therapy!

Bill Forsyth's savvy was that he captured everyday absurdity and humour ... especially when all involved are just past their sell-by date.

I totally agree about the best last shot in the film. I visited Pennan last year and felt the magic.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

really? is it a tourist destination, or is it still quaint?

@harrisonw3

3 жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies it’s still very quaint, it’s a perfect little place and you’ll leave happier than you arrived

I remember seeing this movie when it came out and I loved it. Yeah, I'm old, but Denis Lawson and Peter Reigert were fantastic.

@LearningaboutMovies

Жыл бұрын

thank you.

Same town they did, Hamish Macbeth in.

Love the Movie and the music in it.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

me too. thank you.

Totally magic!

My favourite movie of all time

Top 10 film. No question.

A great country mouse meets city mouse tail, too.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

pun on "tail"!

I love this film.

The town is one of the heroes.

A great film.

Something you’ll understand if you grew up during the Cold War but even Victor, the Russian boat captain, is subverting the stereotype of a Communist Russian. Victor is simply visiting the town to make money by selling his wares and the townspeople clearly love his visits. If anything this movie is a classic for turning every cliche on its head.

McIntyre: "I'll l have a 42 year old whiskey, Roddy! Roddy: "There's none of that tonight, Mr. Mac. McIntyre: "Okay. I"ll have four 8 year olds and a 10 year old!"

I think it's my favourite movie. Hard to be sure of course, but I think so. It is utterly charming, and has something to say about the human condition. Thanks for your comments!

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

Unlike 99.9% of movies I've seen, I think about this movie often. So I agree. You are welcome.

Great movie.

It’s perfect. Nothing else to say.

top 3 of all time

Do you have a Letterboxd account?

@LearningaboutMovies

4 жыл бұрын

yes. here it is: letterboxd.com/joshmatthews/

why the success; has a story we can buy into, well acted and does rely on vilance or bad language.

I lost the plot! There are SO MANY plots....!!