Local Hero (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

It's the double DVD and I am so glad I bought it!I love this movie, and we are going to watch it on our big 150" big projection screen , outside this week.Can't waitThanks!

The movie starts off a bit slow and appears dated, but I am so glad I continued to watch it, because it just pulls you in when Houston oil executive "Mac" MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) gets sent on a simple business trip to Scotland to the small village of Ferness, Mac is looking to quickly buy out the townspeople so his company can build a new refinery. The quirkiness of the town people is delightful. You will quickly become involved in their lives and love every minute of it.

Gorgeous cinematography a good start for this review. The filming location in coastal Scotland with featured geographic landscapes is very much at the core of drawing you in and becoming immersed. The acting is superb by all cast members. This is a low key drama with very effective subtle comedy lurking under every rock. This film is the opposite of special effects, violence, overt sex, super heroes in spandex, loud noise, complicated plot; so it may not be for you.

Recently returned from a second Scotland trip where part of this 'movie' was filmed in the area I've now traveled thru twice. I'm looking forward to viewing this film again, on the DVD. Thinking I had it 'back in the day' on VHS. It is such a sweet, 'keeper' of a film.

I loved this film so much, I left San Francisco to live in Edinburgh, Scotland with friends for a year. Granted, it was decades ago, yet the film had that sort of effect on me. In the closing scenes when actor Peter Reigert comes back home to Texas after his Scottish Adventures, he takes some souvenirs out of his pockets. A photo, a shell, some bits of sand from the beach, and in one of the most wistful scenes ever, longs to be BACK in Scotland. That scene was exactly the way I, (and perhaps You?), felt after coming home from a great vacation - I wanted to return! And then there's one of my most cherished lines of dialogue from any film I've ever experienced:'We Have an Injured Rabbit Also'. If you've seen the film...you know!

For me, local hero is one of those perfect movies of this era. A true gem. Along the lines of "Harriet and Maude" and "Breaking Away," small, critically acclaimed, impeccably made films.I can hope that these movies won’t be lost from the common knowledge. Does anyone still discover a movie like "Local Hero" with its deliberate pacing and gentle plot lines? How do you explain a movie about an oil boom, a phone booth, a mermaid and the aurora? Hopefully Criterion releases like this will promote revisiting these gracious moments in cinematic history. While appreciated at the time, the slow pacing is not something we see often today.Local Hero never takes for granted its characters. The humor is subtle and the dialogue is open allowing characters to grow upon us organically. No one is ever assaulted, abused or degraded (OK, maybe there is one rampant psychologist who doesn't do well). There is humor and quiet sadness along the way and an outstandingly bittersweet ending that supposes your own interpretation.The film has aged well., In part perhaps, because the movie shows a town floating in time, neither here nor there.The criterion version looks fantastic. There is a graininess that reminds us that this is an analogue film from a time before digital recording. The reestablishment of a 16:9 ratio helps enormously. The scenery stands up fantastically and Mark Knopfler's beautiful score also holds. I encourage all to download the actual Local Hero soundtrack. The music is more substantial and complete than in the film.The extras are fun and I especially liked "The Making of Local Hero." I was amused to learn that Burt Lancaster couldn't understand Bill Forsyth's accent and that it isn't entirely clear who the Local Hero is. It's also fun to see Mark Knopler looking like he's about 12 years old.I am not an expert in how audio commentary works, but here it doesn't work for me. Usually I can have the scene play out and hear the commenters discussing it - here Bill Forsyth and Mark Kermode speak over the film - you really have to pick one or the other audio which I found frustrating. Kermode does a good job corralling Mr. Forsyth who is not the most detail oriented guy. You get a sense that he writes and directs by intuition. Kermode is clearly a fan of the film and the music and I got a better sense of Kermode's feelings than Forsyth's.It's been 36 years since this amazing film graced theaters. Revisiting Ferness is just as joyful, heartbreaking, and gorgeous as you remembered. Thanks to Criterion and thanks to the filmmakers and actors all. Dream large, dream large.

What a gorgeous transfer of Chris Menge’s photography. Especially enchanted by what the restoration does to the night photography. The transfer brings out touches you scarcely notice, including the “Stairway to Heaven” as Peter Riegert rises to Happer’s office as mentioned in the commentary as a Powell and Pressburger touch.Speaking of commentary, it’s great how the director appears in my front speakers, and the critic appears out of the back. The rest of the sound mostly rests in the front, as a mono transfer.My favorite Criterion release this year.

I love that the story takes a backseat to the setting, the hero doesn't get what he wants even though he gets what he needs, the secondary characters burst out of their supporting roles, and in the end, I find myself longing for "the old country" even if it isn't my old country. Some will undoubtedly dismiss the film because it doesn't follow a traditional path, meandering toward its ending, taking its time getting there, but that's what I liked best.

Great movie, great Mark Knofler soundtrack, fair price and quick shipping.

Excellent.

20210320追記、仕様変更とかなければ、｢THE MAKINGOF"LOCAL HERO"（約52分）｣って特典映像ほかで時代映像を堪能できるみたいです、字幕なしなんでPVとして見てます、ω、約40年前の世界、ｵｲﾉﾚｼｮｯｸのﾄｲﾚｯﾄﾍﾟｰﾊﾟｰ争奪戦に疲れた人が皮肉も込めて作ったのかな？、天体観測などという未知の領域へ現実逃避するｵｲﾉﾚ&ｶﾞｽ製品の大会社社長が登場したり、新規の油田&製油工場の建設計画を建ててたり、眠気の覚めないﾋｰｺがなんとも意味深だがω、それと、この映像のなかの人々の衣服が今とよく似てて古さはあまり感じないけど、撮影作業の作業着的な私服の為か？映像のﾄﾞﾗｲ感も相まって、大昔の映像にも見えるのが不思議、いや、約40年前は大昔か、ω、不思議の国のｱﾘｽに関連ありそうなｼｰｿがあったり、ﾊﾞｰﾄﾗｿｶｽﾀｰが出てたりするからかも知れない（筆者推量）けど、低予算ぽい割にｹｯｺｰこってりしたﾒｲｷｿｸﾞなのが喜ばしい、ところで下の以前の｢ｷﾞｬｧｱｱｰ｣なんですけど、これは関連ありそうな映画を意図していて、一種のﾈﾀです、ω、、、、、ｷﾞｬｧｱｱｰ、なんじゃこりゃあ！、字幕ないよォ？、字幕って書いてあるやん？、という訳で★一つ減です、w、たいした回数ではないがｾﾘﾌ覚えるくらいみてるからなんとかなってるけどw、拙い英語力にこれはｷﾂｲ…、このほかは大満足5ｯ★、w、20年近く前購入のﾄﾞｳﾞﾄﾞは一般家庭用品質のﾌﾞｲｴｲﾁｴｽを商品化したんではないか？という画質及び音質で、しかし内容が気に入ってよくみた、曲も気に入って調べたりしてｻﾝﾄﾗとかも買ったくらい、いままだﾅｯｼﾝｸﾞﾆｴﾝﾃﾅﾀﾞのとこだけどw、昔の高感度ﾌｨﾙﾑの？粗い粒子が残っててｻﾞﾗｻﾞﾗな画面がたまにあるな、…、字幕、あったけど、英語字幕、、、

I was excited to finally get the criterion edition of this fantastic film only to discover that the blu ray copy is Region 1/A locked and you'll need a multi-region or region free player to watch it. Amazon didn't advertise this detail for UK customers.

I haven't met anyone who disliked this movie. It is an absolute gem and I had been waiting for this BluRay for years. The picture quality is really good (new 2K restoration) and I think this is as good as it gets for this rather old movie. The character development in this movie is second to none. They are so real and genuine, long after the movie is finished you'd still think about them. That final scene just before Mark Knopfler's "Going Home" comes on is priceless.