Local Hero |  | Director: Bill Forsyth
Actors: Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Fulton Mackay, Denis Lawson, Norman Chancer
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $3.49
as of 11/23/2009 00:33 CST details
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New (35) Used (23) Collectible (1) from $3.38
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Rating:  178 reviews
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 2
Picture Format: Array
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.5
MPN: D11307D
ISBN: 6305558205
UPC: 085391130727
EAN: 9786305558200
Theatrical Release Date: February 17, 1983
Release Date: September 21, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
AN AMERICAN OIL COMPANY SENDS A MAN TO SCOTLAND TO BUY UP AN ENTIRE VILLAGE WHERE THEY WANT TO BUILD A REFINERY. BUT THINGS DON'T GO AS EXPECTED.
Amazon.com essential video
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
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 178
 One of the greatest movies... October 31, 2009
Walter P. Gainey (Tarpon Springs, FL)
This is a review from the heart. "Local Hero" is one of the greatest movies of all time. It is, simply, a masterpiece. I have never been so moved by anything I've seen on the screen. There is so much truth in this film. I am 65 years old and I've owned this movie ever since it came out on VHS many years ago. I watch the DVD at least once a week. I love it that much. And the soundtrack by Mark Knoplfer is just as wonderful.
 Should Be In Blue ray September 12, 2009
Michael A. Copeland (new jersey)
Hi all just got this movie and i think its a reat movie i wish every body should watch this movie its just a great movie but it should be in blue ray blue ray i get so mad that movies like this are not in blue ray please do me a favor rent it or buy it its a winner trust me
Mixed reviews May 23, 2009
D. Garber (Birmingham, AL USA)
Lent this to a friend, and she said after watching it, "What was that about?" It hit me on the deepest level, but apparently the eye of the beholder has much to do about how one enjoys this. This is one of my favorite films, but the DVD is a pretty poor transfer. The late scene where the female biologist/geologist departs is nearly invisible. Still, the sense of finding something one didn't even know they wanted, then losing it, is the heartbreaking conclusion of this extremely funny film.
Local Hero -- Next generation? December 26, 2008
Lee (S. Va.)
I see that Amazon is temporarity out of stock and hope the ratings will tell the industry to fix up the next iteration for us Local-Hero-phyles. I've only seen it on square-TV and can't imagine the impact of the fog, the coast, and the lights on full screen. I've only heard the transistor radio sound quality. Still, I rent this every four years or so, just to see if the deep gut chuckles are still there-- and they are. There will always be the divide between the five and the one-star reviews for any film, but I'm reassured by the ratio on the bar chart here.
A brilliant, flawless gem November 24, 2008
G. Canty
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As close to perfect as any movie i've ever seen, funny, absurd, winsome, and with real warmth throughout. Be warned: if you don't have a taste for the absurd, you're not going to like this. But if you're looking for some real magic on the screen, give it a try and you'll find yourself watching it over again and thinking about it even more.
It's sad that Forsyth was never quite able to build on this and his successor (which i loved), Housekeeping. At his peak, there wasn't much of an alternative to the big studios, but they could never really find much use for him. If he were making films today, he'd be an indie king like Alexander Payne -- making small, gentle, brilliant movies with little interference from the suits.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 178
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