LOCAL HERO (DVD/ST&WS/FR&SP-SUB/INTERACTIVE/SCENE A/TRAILER) DVD

Local Hero
Bill Forsyth's whimsical tale of sweet-natured corporate rapacity features standout performances by Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert. Lancaster plays Texas billionaire Felix Happer, who would rather gaze at the stars than worry about his multi-national oil company. Happer dispatches Mac MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) and Danny Oldsen (Peter Capaldi) to the small Scottish fishing village of Ferness to negotiate buying the entire town so Happer can drill for oil in the North Sea. Much to Mac's surprise, the entire town is happy to sell itself for big money, and the local innkeeper, Gordon Urquhart (Denis Lawson) -- who is also the town's accountant and mayor -- works with Mac on the negotiations. But a wrinkle appears in the deal when Ben Knox (Fulton Mackay), an old man who lives in a shack on the beach which has been owned by his family for centuries, refuses to sell. His reasons? "Who'd look after the beach then? It would go to pieces in a short manner of time." The deal stalls so seriously that Happer travels to Ferness to oversee negotiations as Mac and Danny are seduced by the charm of the Scottish town. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Cast Peter Riegert as Maclntyre Burt Lancaster as Felix Happer Fulton Mackay as Ben Denis Lawson as Gordon Urquhart Norman Chancer as Moritz Peter Capaldi as Danny Oldsen Jenny Seagrove as Marina Alex Norton as Watt Rikki Fulton as Geddes Jennifer Black as Stella Christopher Rozycki as Victor Christopher Asante as Rev. Macpherson

Crew Adrienne Atkinson - Art Director Frank Walsh - Art Director Richard James - Art Director Iain Smith - Associate Producer Jonathan Benson - First Assistant Director Bill Forsyth - Director Michael Bradsell - Editor Mark Knopfler - Composer (Music Score) Roger Murray-Leach - Production Designer Frank Walsh - Production Designer Richard James - Production Designer Adrienne Atkinson - Production Designer Chris Menges - Cinematographer David Puttnam - Producer Wally Veevers - Special Effects Louis Kramer - Sound/Sound Designer Bill Forsyth - Screenwriter

Local Hero
This warm-hearted fish-out-of-water tale highlights the cultural differences (and underlying similarities) between a big city American capitalist and small town Scottish villagers. Just as Mac falls in love with the country and its people, the villagers are equally seduced by his promises of instant, immense wealth. Rather than exploiting the cliché of an evil American oil company battling plucky Scottish townfolk, writer/director Bill Forsyth pursues a quirkier and more intriguing theme of the seduction of the Old World by the New, an idea that has animated such dissimilar works as Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. Forsyth's use of "magical realism" is equally understated and restrained. This Scotsman's deadpan, self-deprecating satire of his countrymen is more indebted to Alexander Pope than to the more savage Jonathan Swift. The whimsical characters may be oddballs, but they are not gullible hicks: they want the Americans to show them the money. Forsyth's gags rarely occur at the expense of people's dignity, instead highlighting our basic human frailty. Chris Menges gives us many panoramic shots of the surprisingly beautiful Scottish landscape, while Mark Knopfler's plaintive soundtrack perfectly accents the proceedings. The performances of Burt Lancaster as the eccentric and ambitious oil tycoon is a constant delight, while Peter Riegert's Mac is appropriately (and alternately) flustered and smitten. ~ Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide
 

Bill Forsyth: British Academy of Film and Television, Best Director (winner) Bill Forsyth: New York Film Critics Circle, Best Screenplay (winner)

National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French Sound Processing: 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects 1: PCM mono Additional Features: Interactive menus Theatrical trailer Scene access Subtitles: English & Français DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 111 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Widescreen 1. Commuter Credits: Big Plans at Knox [3:13] 2. Travel for the Telex man [1:10] 3. Happer Session #1 [2:10] 4. Among the Stars With Happer [3:52] 5. Women Trouble [1:33] 6. Scale Models and Magnificent Lungs [4:20] 7. Fogbound With an Injured Rabbit [4:14] 8. The Inn; A Dead Briefcase [3:24] 9. Mr. Urquhart [3:38] 10. Calling Home [4:37] 11. Happer Session #2 [1:42] 12. The Yanks Go to Church [5:16] 13. Dinner Had a Name [2:22] 14. At Play and Work [3:20] 15. Danny and Marina [4:23] 16. Meeting Ben [5:55] 17. Verbalizing: Sky Reports and Abuse [2:55] 18. The Scenery [1:56] 19. Russian Invasion [2:39] 20. On the Fresh Side [1:01] 21. Investments: Cash and Shells [2:58] 22. The Ceilidh (Lone Star Man) [4:20] 23. Haggling [:55] 24. A Waltz [3:34] 25. Northern Lights [1:47] 26. The Aurora Borealis; Shoot to Kill [2:31] 27. Mac's Proposal [4:57] 28. Business on the Beach [2:50] 29. Taking Advantage [3:38] 30. Sunset: Happer Drops In [5:30] 31. Happer/Knox Summit [3:58] 32. An Institute Is Born [2:30] 33. Farewell to Ferness [3:10] 34. Houston Calling [2:20] 35. End Credits [2:34] Side #2-- Standard 0. Scene Selections 1. Commuter Credits; Big Plans at Knox [3:12] 2. Trvel for the Telex Man [1:10] 3. Happer Session #1 [2:10] 4. Among the Stars With Happer [3:52] 5. Women Trouble [1:33] 6. Scale Models and Magnificent Lungs [4:20] 7. Fogbound With an Injured Rabbit [4:14] 8. The Inn: A Dead Briefcase [3:24] 9. Mr. Urquhart [3:38] 10. Calling Home [4:37] 11. Happer Session #2 [1:42] 12. The Yanks Go to Church [5:16] 13. Dinner Had a Name [2:22] 14. At Play and Work [3:20] 15. Danny and Marina [4:23] 16. Meeting Ben [5:55] 17. Verbalizing: Sky Reports and Abuse [2:55] 18. The Scenery [1:56] 19. Russian Invasion [2:39] 20. On the Fresh Side [1:01] 21. Investments: Cash and Shells [2:58] 22. The Ceilidh (Lone Star Man) [4:20] 23. Haggling [:55] 24. A Waltz [3:34] 25. Northern Lights [1:47] 26. The Aurora Borealis; Shoot to Kill [2:31] 27. Mac's Proposal [4:57] 28. Business on the Beach [2:50] 29. Taking Advantage [3:38] 30. Sunset; Hpper Drops In [5:30] 31. Happer/Knox Summit [3:58] 32. An Institute Is Born [2:30] 33. Farewell to Ferness [3:10] 34. Houston Calling [2:20] 35. End Credits [2:36]