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Local Hero: Making a Scottish Classic
'It's not a high concept movie, there's actually no story there really. It's what happens in between the story that's important' – Bill Forsyth
The story of an American businessman sent to buy the Scottish village of Ferness with the aim of turning it into an oil refinery, Local Hero is one of Scotland's most beloved, and most misunderstood, films.
When Bill Forsyth's incredible success with the low-budget That Sinking Feeling and Gregory's Girl found him collaborating with Britain's best-known film producer, David Puttnam, he soon found his independent ethos clashing with Hollywood's desire for superstar actors and a happy ending.
Jonathan Melville checks into the MacAskill Arms and looks back at Bill Forsyth's career with the help of new and archive interviews, before spending time with the cast and crew, including stars Peter Riegert and Denis Lawson, who made Local Hero on location in Houston and Scotland in 1982.
With access to early drafts of the Local Hero script (including hand-written notes) that reveal more about Mac and mermaids, excerpts from a previously unpublished interview in which Bill Forsyth explains why he refuses to call his film 'feel-good', and a look at long-lost deleted scenes with exclusive commentary from those involved, this is the definitive history of the Scottish classic.
'Genuine fairy tales are rare; so is film-making that is thoroughly original in an unobtrusive way. Bill Forsyth's quirky disarming Local Hero is both . . . it demonstrates Mr. Forsyth's uncanny ability for making an audience sense that something magical is going on, even if that something isn't easily explained' – Janet Maslin, The New York Times
'Local Hero is kind of transcendent. It's poetic in a way that most films can't hope to be' – Frank Cottrell-Boyce
'Local Hero is one my favourite films of all time . . . A timeless masterpiece' – Mark Kermode
The story of an American businessman sent to buy the Scottish village of Ferness with the aim of turning it into an oil refinery, Local Hero is one of Scotland's most beloved, and most misunderstood, films.
When Bill Forsyth's incredible success with the low-budget That Sinking Feeling and Gregory's Girl found him collaborating with Britain's best-known film producer, David Puttnam, he soon found his independent ethos clashing with Hollywood's desire for superstar actors and a happy ending.
Jonathan Melville checks into the MacAskill Arms and looks back at Bill Forsyth's career with the help of new and archive interviews, before spending time with the cast and crew, including stars Peter Riegert and Denis Lawson, who made Local Hero on location in Houston and Scotland in 1982.
With access to early drafts of the Local Hero script (including hand-written notes) that reveal more about Mac and mermaids, excerpts from a previously unpublished interview in which Bill Forsyth explains why he refuses to call his film 'feel-good', and a look at long-lost deleted scenes with exclusive commentary from those involved, this is the definitive history of the Scottish classic.
'Genuine fairy tales are rare; so is film-making that is thoroughly original in an unobtrusive way. Bill Forsyth's quirky disarming Local Hero is both . . . it demonstrates Mr. Forsyth's uncanny ability for making an audience sense that something magical is going on, even if that something isn't easily explained' – Janet Maslin, The New York Times
'Local Hero is kind of transcendent. It's poetic in a way that most films can't hope to be' – Frank Cottrell-Boyce
'Local Hero is one my favourite films of all time . . . A timeless masterpiece' – Mark Kermode
- GenresNonfiction
323 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 13, 2022
About the author
Jonathan Melville
6 books21 followersAs a film journalist and critic, Jonathan Melville contributed to the likes of BBC Radio Scotland, SFX Magazine and the Edinburgh Evening News.
2022 sees the publication of his third book, Local Hero: Making a Scottish Classic, going behind the scenes of the 1983 film with contributions from cast and crew.
His second book, A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander, was released in 2020 and looked at the making of the 1986 film. It features new interviews with more than 60 cast and crew, including Christopher Lambert and Clancy Brown, plus Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor.
Melville's first book, Seeking Perfection: The Unofficial Guide to Tremors, went beneath the surface of the horror comedy franchise, combining extensive research with more than 50 brand new interviews with the cast and crew of all five Tremors films and the short-lived TV series.
Read an interview with the author about Seeking Perfection
2022 sees the publication of his third book, Local Hero: Making a Scottish Classic, going behind the scenes of the 1983 film with contributions from cast and crew.
His second book, A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander, was released in 2020 and looked at the making of the 1986 film. It features new interviews with more than 60 cast and crew, including Christopher Lambert and Clancy Brown, plus Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor.
Melville's first book, Seeking Perfection: The Unofficial Guide to Tremors, went beneath the surface of the horror comedy franchise, combining extensive research with more than 50 brand new interviews with the cast and crew of all five Tremors films and the short-lived TV series.
Read an interview with the author about Seeking Perfection
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 19, 2022
I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for the 1983 film Local Hero, partly because the indoor scenes and the beach scenes were filmed in my own local area, although I was living away at the time. It’s one of those films which did reasonably well when released, but which has actually grown in reputation since.
For those unfamiliar with the film, it’s a comedy-drama in which a Texas oil executive is sent to a remote village in the north-west of Scotland, to buy the village and the surrounding area for the development of a new oil refinery. From the outset the fictional company, Knox Oil and Gas, realise that they will have to pay generously to acquire the site. Initially the oilman, MacIntyre, played by Peter Riegert, is reluctant to make the trip, but gradually he is won over by the village and its inhabitants, coming to appreciate the different pace of life. So far so conventional, you might think. However in this film the villagers, far from opposing MacIntyre’s plans, are delighted at the prospect of getting rich and aim to screw the oil company for as much as they can possibly get. It’s this element that provides much of the humour and gives it a slightly harder edge than other films of this type.
As a comedy, the film is of course an exaggerated portrait of a West Highland community, but there is still much in it that rings true to me. My favourite part is the “ceilidh” scene, (a local term for a village dance or party). I’ve been to many such events and the film captures the atmosphere.
The Director, Bill Forsyth, says in this book that he doesn’t consider Local Hero a “feelgood” movie, although it did leave me with a smile on my face, and many others felt the same way. The latter stages of the book cover debates between Bill Forsyth and Warner Bros executives about the film’s original ending, which the studio thought was too downbeat. They wanted to impose a more upbeat one. Eventually a compromise was worked out which I think works really well, and which leaves the viewer able to decide what will happen to the characters in the future.
The book explains that Bill Forsyth is a director who prefers to avoid obvious messages in his films. He likes the viewers to think about the film they have watched and draw their own conclusions. I personally much prefer this approach to that of so many modern filmmakers and authors, a lot of whom seem to me to be in the business of simply banging a drum.
The film also featured Burt Lancaster, 68 at the time, as the owner of Knox Oil and Gas. Hollywood insiders were surprised that he took a smallish part in a modest British film, but Lancaster is quoted in the book as saying the script appealed to him because it reminded him of the 1950s Ealing comedies. I think that’s a good way to describe it.
The story of the making of the film itself is told in conventional style, working its way through the concept, the funding, the casting and then a more or less scene-by-scene description of the filming, with plenty of points of interest for those who are fans of the film.
For those unfamiliar with the film, it’s a comedy-drama in which a Texas oil executive is sent to a remote village in the north-west of Scotland, to buy the village and the surrounding area for the development of a new oil refinery. From the outset the fictional company, Knox Oil and Gas, realise that they will have to pay generously to acquire the site. Initially the oilman, MacIntyre, played by Peter Riegert, is reluctant to make the trip, but gradually he is won over by the village and its inhabitants, coming to appreciate the different pace of life. So far so conventional, you might think. However in this film the villagers, far from opposing MacIntyre’s plans, are delighted at the prospect of getting rich and aim to screw the oil company for as much as they can possibly get. It’s this element that provides much of the humour and gives it a slightly harder edge than other films of this type.
As a comedy, the film is of course an exaggerated portrait of a West Highland community, but there is still much in it that rings true to me. My favourite part is the “ceilidh” scene, (a local term for a village dance or party). I’ve been to many such events and the film captures the atmosphere.
The Director, Bill Forsyth, says in this book that he doesn’t consider Local Hero a “feelgood” movie, although it did leave me with a smile on my face, and many others felt the same way. The latter stages of the book cover debates between Bill Forsyth and Warner Bros executives about the film’s original ending, which the studio thought was too downbeat. They wanted to impose a more upbeat one. Eventually a compromise was worked out which I think works really well, and which leaves the viewer able to decide what will happen to the characters in the future.
The book explains that Bill Forsyth is a director who prefers to avoid obvious messages in his films. He likes the viewers to think about the film they have watched and draw their own conclusions. I personally much prefer this approach to that of so many modern filmmakers and authors, a lot of whom seem to me to be in the business of simply banging a drum.
The film also featured Burt Lancaster, 68 at the time, as the owner of Knox Oil and Gas. Hollywood insiders were surprised that he took a smallish part in a modest British film, but Lancaster is quoted in the book as saying the script appealed to him because it reminded him of the 1950s Ealing comedies. I think that’s a good way to describe it.
The story of the making of the film itself is told in conventional style, working its way through the concept, the funding, the casting and then a more or less scene-by-scene description of the filming, with plenty of points of interest for those who are fans of the film.
February 24, 2023
I'll admit it was partly the gorgeous cover that attracted me to this one, but it turned out to be a charming book about a charming film.
Like the movie, this is an ensemble piece, covering the experiences and subsequent fortunes of cast, crew and locals as well as going into Bill Forsyth's background and how the story was conceived, scripted, financed, cast and produced. Astonishing to learn that we could have had Robin Williams as Mac (he's one of my favourite actors, but please, no) and that Peter Capaldi hadn't acted before. (There was also plenty of evidence that Capaldi has always been very sweary, which tickled me.)
It's interesting to see what was cut from the script, and that some of those ideas made it into the recent musical. I was left wanting to watch the film again, to listen to Mark Knopfler's beautiful soundtrack, and to make my own pilgrimage to Pennan.
Like the movie, this is an ensemble piece, covering the experiences and subsequent fortunes of cast, crew and locals as well as going into Bill Forsyth's background and how the story was conceived, scripted, financed, cast and produced. Astonishing to learn that we could have had Robin Williams as Mac (he's one of my favourite actors, but please, no) and that Peter Capaldi hadn't acted before. (There was also plenty of evidence that Capaldi has always been very sweary, which tickled me.)
It's interesting to see what was cut from the script, and that some of those ideas made it into the recent musical. I was left wanting to watch the film again, to listen to Mark Knopfler's beautiful soundtrack, and to make my own pilgrimage to Pennan.
January 26, 2023
Local Hero has been my favorite movie since the 1980s, and I have read countless articles and books about it since. So I was surprised and delighted that this book offered many new insights to this great film. Jonathan Melville has tracked down early versions of the script and found scenes that were filmed but edited out of the final film. These give interesting insights into how the film involved and how the actors influenced the final film we know today. Excellent interviews with actors, technicians, and members of the communities where filming took place add a lot to the story as well. This is a great book that is essential reading for any fan of Local Hero.
January 26, 2024
The organisation is a bit haphazard, with some information appearing what feels like at random, and a few of the stories are a bit banal, but it's a very pleasant and easy read. Definitely worth a look if you're interested in the film or curious about its themes.
September 22, 2024
Really well-researched and honestly kind of an illuminating read with regards to the movie Local Hero (1983) and just the background of Bill Forsyth and just so many things about this movie from how it was made, the places it was screened, its reception and also fascinating in terms of showcasing a film with a positive reputation but for sort of the wrong reasons. Like yeah, Forsyth's films do have a satirical bent to them and honestly I think for about as good as they are with examining underlying human emotions, I guess people do miss out on the more satirical or darker elements contained within them, like people are kind of distracted by something else. This movie having a reception of being ultimately "feel-good" is perplexing yet illuminating in a lot of ways. Wry satire and the way in which feelings of aspiration and celebration don't necessarily have to be about good things.
It's yeah, very good book for both showcasing the Scottish film and TV industry, but yeah, hearing perspectives on the film and the way that it's contextualised and perceived by people definitely is kind of illuminating in its own right.
It's yeah, very good book for both showcasing the Scottish film and TV industry, but yeah, hearing perspectives on the film and the way that it's contextualised and perceived by people definitely is kind of illuminating in its own right.
April 2, 2024
I thought this was a brilliant insight into the making of Bill Forsyth’s classic 1983 film, hampered a little bit by the author’s insistence on recanting the plot and events of the film in slightly too much detail. I might just be used to analyses that expect the reader to have a solid grasp of the film in question already, and felt that there were just too many lines quoted, and too many details that we didn’t need to be reminded of. Having said that, it was fascinating to read about the changes from script to shoot to final cut, and it was clear that this book had been meticulously researched.
I started reading this book whilst staying in Pennan, the village in which much of ‘Local Hero’ was filmed, and it has taken me a while to finish it simply because reading it reminded me of how much I wish I was still there. Much like MacIntyre, I’ve found myself completely in love with the village, and yearning to return. The first thing I did after I put the book down was to call up Pennan’s iconic red telephone box…
I started reading this book whilst staying in Pennan, the village in which much of ‘Local Hero’ was filmed, and it has taken me a while to finish it simply because reading it reminded me of how much I wish I was still there. Much like MacIntyre, I’ve found myself completely in love with the village, and yearning to return. The first thing I did after I put the book down was to call up Pennan’s iconic red telephone box…
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April 24, 2024An okay book about a wonderful film. I agree with other reviewers who found this book-length account of the production of Local Hero a bit disorganized and bland. This probably could have been a long-form magazine article based around what seems to be a generous and thoughtful interview with Peter Riegert. Only in the final chapters where Melville details how the reworked ending was conceived and traces the legacy of the film does the writing really find its focus. Still, I was glad for all the nuggets and gems about the production collected here even if it could be a bit of a slog finding them.
February 15, 2023
This is pretty much the sister companion to Melville's splendid book on Highlander (highly recommended) and is slightly different in that it is arranged chronologically, instead of thematically.
It's an enjoyable read and you'll learn a lot.
I didn't enjoy this as much as A Kind of Magic, but that's no reflection on Melville's writing. It's just a case of whilst Local Hero is the more consistent film, Highlander carries more resonance and I can quote it at length.
It's an enjoyable read and you'll learn a lot.
I didn't enjoy this as much as A Kind of Magic, but that's no reflection on Melville's writing. It's just a case of whilst Local Hero is the more consistent film, Highlander carries more resonance and I can quote it at length.
February 24, 2023
This book perfectly captures the wistfulness of Local Hero, which is one of those movies that you wish you could live in. While it's always good to revisit this film, the book does inspire some melancholy, since it appears director Bill Forsyth will never direct another movie. What a loss. How does the saying go? "I don't know what you're doing with the rest of your life, but I wish you'd make more movies with it."
February 10, 2023
I have always loved Local Hero and thought I knew about the film, eg: village on the east coast and Ben's fascinating beachhouse on the west coast, as outdoor locations. Did not know that the indoor scenes of Burt Lancaster's office were filmed in Fort William. This book has made me love Local Hero even more.
August 23, 2023
I enjoy reading books about the making of a film.However to make it more interesting the film should be a box office bomb with lots of arguments and disputes.The film had neither and consequently I found the book to be rather a lacklustre experience.
The film is an attempt at an Ealing.comedy,which doesn't quite come off,rather like this book.
The film is an attempt at an Ealing.comedy,which doesn't quite come off,rather like this book.
December 2, 2023
A well researched book documenting the filming of Local Hero. Lots of references to interviews over the years, synchronized with the scenes from the movie. Not a lot of original thought here, but a fun read. Having someone do all the homework to find these anecdotes and skillfully organize them was much appreciated.
March 16, 2025
The book dives into the making of the sausage, albeit a magnificent sausage, to capture a behind the scenes look at the making of one of my favorite films. The definitive guide to a charming, gentle, whimsical and ultimately uplifting movie set in the glories of bonnie Scotland.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews