Local Hero

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When Mac MacIntyre (played with deadpan perfection by Peter Riegert) is sent by his star-gazing, slightly insane Knox Oil and Gas boss (Burt Lancaster) to Scotland's West Coast to buy the rights to a seaside town slated to be the site of an oil refinery, Mac embarks on his journey reluctantly. "Why do I have to go to all the way to Scotland?" Mac complains to a coworker. "I'm really more of a Telex man." But on the way to closing the deal, a funny thing happens: the place takes root in Mac. The town's eccentric inhabitants, eventful night sky, and stunning scenery soak into his psyche and combine to bring a very different Mac to the surface, a Mac who collects seashells, walks on the beach in his jeans instead of his suit, and throws his calendar watch, beeping "meeting time in Houston," into the sea.

Mac eventually vies to switch places with Gordon Urquhart--accountant, bartender, innkeeper, and community representative in the land deal. After an evening spent drinking 42-year-old scotch ("old enough to be out on its own," Mac chirps, and then laughs smugly at his own joke) and negotiating the real estate deal, Mac tries to negotiate a deal for himself--to trade his high-rise Houston apartment, Porsche, and oil-company job for Urquhart's less traditional, but more fulfilling, life.

The plot runs along almost as if behind the scenes, and the characters are intriguing, but the real appeal here is the incisive yet gentle humor. During a visit to a Knox Oil lab, Mac is shown into a room that contains a miniature of the town he has been sent to purchase. The head of the lab says, "Welcome to our little world," and then gives Mac the plastic replica of the town as a souvenir. "Dream large," he intones. The irony's easy to miss and is just one example of the intelligent presence--in the form of writer and director Bill Forsyth--working behind the scenes here.

Mark Knopfler's delicate, haunting soundtrack complements the sometimes melancholy, sometimes hilarious currents of Local Hero to perfection. --Stefanie Durbin

Customer Reviews:

One of the Greatest... Ever.......2007-07-23

Everyone else has written about the plot in it's entirety, so all i will add is that this film is so warm, sweet, magical, ethereal, but in a completely adult way. Every quirky Scots caharacter is memorable, and who wouldn't fall for Stella? I've seen this maybe 20 times now, and it's always wonderful. I would say some of the Knox Oil HQ scenes in Texas haven't dated as well, but from the moment Mac and Olsen wake up on the highlands road heading north into Scotland, it's magic. Knopfler's music makes it one of the greatest scores of all time as well.

I suppose it's that longing that many of us feel as adults that there is more to life than getting ahead in a corporate world. there is something there that we've all gotta feel and taste and touch that brings us back down to the important things. When Mac finally rolls up his pant leg and leaves his overpriced watch in the rising tide while he goes searching for shells, or jeez, the phone box / northern ligts scene makes me laugh and shed a tear every single time.

Amazingly emotional chord Forsyth tapped into here...

Comfort for the Scottish sole.......2007-07-16

As the wife of a native Scotsman, my observations of him watching this film, are equal to that of a person thoroughly enjoying the BEST comfort food available. The views of the Scottish landscape have stirred many memories of his yesteryear "home". Thanks for making this fine film available.

Subtle, Moving Film.......2007-07-15

Mac (Peter Riegert) works in Knox Oil's department of acquisitions; acquisition is what McIntyre knows and it's what he does, down to the high rise condo and Porsche 930. The plot and character development of the film pose acquisitive materialism against simple human pleasures. No, the people of the little Scottish village Mac is sent to acquire can't spend their time taking long walks on the beach like Mac does while he's there---as Russian fisherman Victor points out, life is hard for them and they work hard to live. And yet the film suggests that for all their disadvantages and hardships the people of the village where Knox Oil wants its newest terminal lead a much healthier kind of life than the complex, hurried, materialistic life people like Mac lead in Houston. That this may be an ambiguous point seems belied by the last words of the Knox Oil promo film shown at a Houston board meeting in the movie's beginning: "time is running out." The promo film refers to finding/extracting big oil deposits, but the double meaning is clear.

Mark Knopfler's score for this film is a master stroke. It captures the scenic beauty, reflects the spirit of the local people, and emphasizes the haunting sweetness of Mac's transition from "telex man" (he'd have a Blackberry now) to one who is blown away by scallop shells, the northern lights, and a soulful woman. When the theme song slowly stirs in the film's final scenes---an impressive but siren-filled Houston panorama that segues to the tiny Scottish wharf with its ringing phone booth---it's hard not to feel the loss and displacement Mac feels. Yet that ringing phone and Knopfler's Hero theme convey a sense of hope too.

As many others have said here, this is a film that must be watched repeatedly. Beautiful, beautiful film.

Local Hero.......2007-07-09

Bursting with unique personality and charm, "Hero" is a touching fable about finding magic in the everyday business of living. Riegert is spot-on as Mac, a man who thinks he understands his place in the world and then gets gradually transformed by a special time and place. The larger-than-life Lancaster is worth the wait, dominating the film's later scenes as star-struck Happer. A movie with heart and spirit, that sneaks up on you.

Some tips for watching.......2007-06-08

I was living just north of where most of the film was shot at the time. The coast is just south of a village called Mallaig-- access to the beach belonged to a friend of ours-- near Morar. The early scene where the fog lifts shows Loch Morar and Middle Island in the background where we used to take our little boat out and camp in the summer. You can see Eigg, Rhum, and Canna when they look out to sea.The hotel scenes were shot inside the Lochailort Inn. The church was actually just constructed for the film and is not the one on the way betwen Arisaig and Lochailort, although a million people have taken photos of that church for that reason. The exterior village scenes are not Arisaig-- it's a small village over on the east coast. There was no hidden meaning to the jets flying over-- they just kept interrupting the filming so they decided to leave them in.I'm in Canada now and get misty-eyed whenever I watch this wonderful film from Scotland.

Average customer rating:

One of the Greatest... Ever
Comfort for the Scottish sole
Subtle, Moving Film
Local Hero
Some tips for watching

Local Hero [Region 2]
Starring: Burt Lancaster , Peter Riegert , Fulton Mackay , Denis Lawson , and Norman Chancer
Director: Bill Forsyth
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000056APN

Amazon.com essential video

Mark Knopfler's delicate, haunting soundtrack complements the sometimes melancholy, sometimes hilarious currents of Local Hero to perfection. --Stefanie Durbin

Customer Reviews:

One of the Greatest... Ever.......2007-07-23

Comfort for the Scottish sole.......2007-07-16

Subtle, Moving Film.......2007-07-15

Local Hero.......2007-07-09

Some tips for watching.......2007-06-08

Average customer rating:

Movie
Starring: Un Tipo Genial (Local Hero)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B000VZGH0G
Release Date: 2005-01-10

Average customer rating:

Justice League: Saving The World 1 Dvd

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Collectibles | Categories |
Product Features:

Seven of the most formidable heroes form arguably the most powerful team ever.

ASIN: B000Q4D6Z6

Product Description

The JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED are on hand to save the world once again with this collection of episodes from the show. Among the action featured is Green Arrow preventing a nuclear monster from wreaking havoc; a battle for Wonder Woman and two brothers to stop World War III from occurring; and a bizarre tale which sees some of the League reduced in size and turned into eight-year-olds. Plot Synopsis: Forces of evil, chaos, and destruction await. Not even protectors like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Hawkgirl or the Martian Manhunter may have a chance alone. But together as the Justice League, they are a metahuman force (and a hope) to be reckoned with.

Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (Akai Hashi No Shita No Nurui Mizu) in Japanese with English Subtitles

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Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (Akai Hashi No Shita No Nurui Mizu) in Japanese with English Subtitles

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1, Color
NTSC Region 3 - requires a Region-Free Player or DVD-ROM drive
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound in JAPANESE with optional (removeable) subtitles in English and Korean
Original Theatrical Trailer; Interview with Director; Cast & Crew; Korean Theatrical Trailer; Making of Film.

ASIN: B000CRPHEA

Product Description

SUMMARY: Yosuke has been laid off. His wife has given up on him and he's living on the streets of Tokyo, constantly looking for work. He stumbles upon an interesting story told by Taro, a homeless wanderer. Taro tells Yosuke that he stole a valuable gold Buddhist statue from a temple in Kyoto, and hid it in a house by a red bridge in a town on the Noto Peninsula near the Sea of Japan. When Taro's suddenly dies, Yosuke recalls the story of the Buddhist statue and sets off to find it. Upon reaching the town he goes to a supermarket where he spies a woman shoplifting. After the woman leaves the scene, Yosuke notices an earring in a pool of water where she was standing. The woman turns out to be Saeko, granddaughter of Mitsu, who both live in the house by the red bridge. Yosuke tracks down Saeko and returns the earring to her. This is the moment he first encounters the mystery of Saeko's water. This strange, kleptomaniac woman has the power to make flowers bloom out of season, and to draw fish from the sea into the river with the water she secretes when she experiences physical pleasure. Yosuke gets a job with some fishermen and decides to stay in town. He gradually becomes obsessed with Saeko and her mysterious water, and as time goes on, Saeko's long suffering due to her water condition begins to heal with Yosuke's attention to it. Meanwhile, another acquaintance from the streets of Tokyo, Gen, has also heard Taro's story. He arrives in town and asks Mitsu what she knows about the long-missing golden treasure. She reveals a story that puts both herself and Yosuke in danger, as Gen and his gang also seek the statue.

Average customer rating:

One of the Greatest... Ever
Comfort for the Scottish sole
Subtle, Moving Film
Local Hero
Some tips for watching

Local Hero [Region 2]
Starring: Burt Lancaster , Peter Riegert , Fulton Mackay , Denis Lawson , and Norman Chancer
Director: Bill Forsyth
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00004RYLB

Amazon.com essential video

Mark Knopfler's delicate, haunting soundtrack complements the sometimes melancholy, sometimes hilarious currents of Local Hero to perfection. --Stefanie Durbin

Customer Reviews:

One of the Greatest... Ever.......2007-07-23

Comfort for the Scottish sole.......2007-07-16

Subtle, Moving Film.......2007-07-15

Local Hero.......2007-07-09

Some tips for watching.......2007-06-08

DVD:

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