Local Hero: 25 Years On
Until the BBC's Culture Show reminded me of it this evening, I had no idea that it is now 25 years since Local Hero was released. Christ, that makes one feel old. If Bill Forsyth's classic is not the best British movie of the past quarter century, it is certainly the loveliest. And, oddly, timely too these days. Anyway, in celebration, here's a clip:
I prefer the earlier pairing of That Sinking Feeling and Gregory's Girl which lacked the gloss of Local Hero. It is a shame Bill Forsyth was not able to fulfill the potential he showed in these films.
Posted by: ndm | November 18, 2008 at 11:49 PM
Seconded, ndm.
Posted by: dearieme | November 19, 2008 at 12:43 AM
NDM and DM - Alex did say, "the best British movie of the past quarter century': 'Local Hero' is 25 years old. Compromise is possible. Anyway, they're all very good films.
By some strange chance, Peter Capaldi is on tv tonight (in the UK anyway).
Posted by: Dave Weeden | November 19, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Really sadly, I watched some more clips. And I was *sure* the helicopter pilot was Bill Nighy, but it seems that I'm not the first to make that mistake.
Posted by: Dave Weeden | November 19, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Local Hero is my favorite movie. Ever. I won't say it's the best movie ever made, just that it's my personal favorite. It's great from beginning to end, but when the boy is playing that gorgeous mournful tune on the pennywhistle at the ceilidh, and then the drunken Mac wanders outside and sees the Aurora and calls Happer to describe it — that's one of the sublime moments of cinema.
I'm waiting until my son gets old enough that I can be reasonably sure he'll love it too before showing it to him, because if he doesn't love it I will have to disown him.
Posted by: Alan Jacobs | November 19, 2008 at 03:56 PM
Just got the clip to work and saw that its the ceilidh scene!
Posted by: Alan Jacobs | November 19, 2008 at 03:57 PM
What would a list of the Top 10 British films of the last 25 years look like? As an American, British films are not "foreign" enough for me to think of them as a seperate category in my own mental space. I'd be curious what Brits think.
Posted by: wph | November 19, 2008 at 05:52 PM
Hmm. Sadly, Gregory's Girl and Chariots of Fire are older than the quarter century.
'Local Hero', 'Truly, Madly, Deeply', 'Trainspotting', if Bond films count, 'Casino Royale'. After that, I'd need some suggestions.
Posted by: Dave Weeden | November 19, 2008 at 07:33 PM
Certainly a top 10 film, but I also think that "Local Hero"'s soundtrack by Mark Knopfler alongside that of the movie "Cal" (also by Knopfler) stand as the best in the past, oh, generation...:-)
Posted by: NJB | November 19, 2008 at 09:58 PM
By convention, any film released after I graduated is deemed to be less than 25 years old.
Posted by: dearieme | November 20, 2008 at 04:38 PM