Local Hero (1983)
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An American oil executive sent to a remote Scottish village finds himself falling in love with the community he was hired to demolish.
The story
Mac MacIntyre, an aspiring executive for Knox Oil and Gas, is sent to the Scottish Highlands to acquire the village of Ferness for a new oil refinery. Despite his initial apprehension, Mac begins to spend time in the village, gradually adapting to the slower pace of life and forming bonds with the local residents, including hotel owner Gordon Urquhart and his wife Stella. As he works to close the deal, Mac finds himself increasingly conflicted between his corporate duties and his growing affection for the community he is tasked with displacing.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mac MacIntyre is sent by Knox Oil to the Scottish Highlands to purchase the village of Ferness for an oil refinery. While there, he teams up with local representative Danny Oldsen and meets residents like Gordon Urquhart and his wife Stella. Mac becomes increasingly ambivalent about the demolition as he grows to love the village. Meanwhile, Danny befriends a marine researcher named Marina, who has webbed toes. The deal hits a snag when Gordon discovers that Ben Knox, a beachcomber, owns the beach through an ancestral grant. Ben refuses to sell unless Mac can provide a specific number of pound notes for every grain of sand in his hand. The company owner, Felix Happer, arrives and, discovering the beach situation, decides to relocate the refinery offshore and build an astronomical observatory instead. Danny suggests combining this with Marina's dream of an oceanographic research facility, leading to the creation of the 'Happer Institute'. Mac returns to Houston, reflecting on his time in Ferness.
- First release year
- 1983
- Runtime (minutes)
- 111
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Bill Forsyth
- Writers
- Bill Forsyth · writer
- Cast and characters
- Peter Riegert · MacIntyre; Burt Lancaster · Happer; Denis Lawson · Danny Oldsen; Peter Capaldi; Fulton Mackay
- Genres
- comedy-drama
- Themes
- Environmentalism; Capitalism vs. Community; Magical Realism
- Tone and mood
- Whimsical; Heartwarming; Wry
- Premise and plot tags
- Comedy-Drama; Independent Film; Magical Realism
- Reception
- The film received strongly positive reviews, with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 83 on Metacritic. It was ranked as one of the Top 100 British films of the 20th century by the British Film Institute.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 100% · review count: 42; Metacritic · score: 83 · scale: 100 · review count: 17
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Award · Best Direction · Won
- Production trivia
- The minor planet 7345 Happer is named after Lancaster's character.; The film inspired the television series Northern Exposure.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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