LOCAL HERO
A film review by Adam Bonin
Copyright 1992 Adam Bonin
Written and directed by Bill Forsyth Starring Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster, Denis Lawson and Peter Capaldi. MPAA Rating: PG
Bill Forsyth's LOCAL HERO is one of the most "real" films I have ever seen. While it is fictional, the film's pacing and technical aspects give it a sense of authenticity that one does not see in most mainstream films. What Forsyth is able to do in LOCAL HERO is create a world that is only bent slightly from our own, a sort of "magical realism", in a way that is much more credible than the typical manipulative Hollywood fare. But more than being realistic in its characters and movements, it is extremely warm and entertaining as well, providing the viewer with 110 minutes of pure cinematic pleasure.
The film's opening sequence, during which the credits are show, establishes one half of the film's operating dichotomy between modernity and the simple life. The camera tracks the Porsche of Mac MacIntyre (Peter Riegert), as he drives to his Dallas office. By keeping the camera fixed on his luxury car, with the gleaming modern skyscrapers in the background, cinematographer Chris Menges places a heavy accent on the materialistic opulence of Dallas. The montage within MacIntyre's office similarly focuses on the hectic paces of the modern world. There is constant cutting on action. More importantly, long tracking shots with a moving camera while Mac moves through the office accentuate the frantic nature of office life. Similar to the office tracking shots in HIS GIRL FRIDAY, the camera is like an eyes into the office, occasionally taking a peek at someone's desk, always looking around for something interesting.
Forsyth is particularly adept with visual humor in the opening office scenes. In a repeated gag, Mac is seen talking on the phone to an unknown character. By briefly panning the camera, the mise-en-scene also that the person to whom he is speaking is standing only a few feet away from him, just beyond a glass wall. Without saying a word, the picture makes a subtle joke about the alienation of people in corporate culture and the obsessive relationships we all have with technology. The gag is typical of the whimsical eccentricity of the film.
When we come to Scotland, the visual style of the film abruptly changes. Close-ups and tight shots give way to panoramic long shots, and the shots themselves are held longer. It is as if to say that in Scotland, the people themselves do not matter as much as "the big picture". Lush landscapes in extreme long view set the scene, much as in Hitchcock's THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS.
Also setting the scene is the hauntingly beautiful score by Mark Knopfler, guitarist and lead singer of the British supergroup Dire Straits. His lilting, lyrical guitar playing sets the mood for every scene, yet it is not as obtrusive as Teddy Pendegrass' singing in CHOOSE ME [note: we had seen the film recently in class]. Knopfler's music lies in the background of each scene like a supporting character wandering in and out of view.
The comic sense of the film is constant throughout the Scottish scenes. My favorite gag was the recurring motorcyclist who sped down the street every time Mac was about to cross. The joke culminated when Mac stepped out to cross the street and deliberately waited until he passed. Subtle jokes like this one worked well within the film; the more blatant attempts such as the "abuse therapist" tended to be a bit excessive. Put simply, Forsyth is not a member of the Zucker-Abrahams- Zucker school of comedy (with such films as AIRPLANE! and KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE) and the feel of his films lends itself to more understated, intelligent attempts at humor.
The plot of the film itself is fraught with ironic beauty. A Texas oil magnate sends a Hungarian (who is believed to be Scottish) to Scotland attempt to negotiate a deal to by the local town bit by bit. When he arrives, he become enchanted with the natural beauty of the area, while the residents are all-too-eager to capitalize on the value of their land and "sell out". Indeed, it is hilarious to see their machinations in trying to feign reluctance to sell, in order to derive as much money as possible from the deal. The town's minister is an African missionary named MacPherson. Every once in a while, a British fighter jet zooms overhead.
Forsyth rounds out the film with a host of whimsical supporting characters whose nuances add a great deal to the unconventional milieu of the film. Happer, the oil magnate played by Burt Lancaster, is not a greedy capitalist but an eccentric astronomer who has a full service kitchen next to his office. Mac's Scottish associate, Danny Oldsen, is a hopeless romantic who speaks eight languages. The rest of the cast is populated with such oddities as a punk rock girl, a Soviet capitalist, a sailor who keeps repainted the name on his ship, and a marine biologist who may be a mermaid. All the characters, like the rest of the film, is played deadpan. Forsyth's comic timing is impeccable, and he doesn't need to force any of the humor. What he does is put together a mystical menagerie of well-written characters who interact in logical, realistic ways.
In this manner, the film is very much like the Scottish equivalent to the television show "Northern Exposure." It has a folksy, warm charm to it, and takes place in an otherworldly unknown that is somewhat magical, a Disneyland for the brain. Indeed, two of the characters in "Northern Exposure" seem almost directly lifted from LOCAL HERO: Mac, who merely shifts from being Hungarian to Jewish, and the general store owner who somehow stocks everything is practically the same in both film and television. If only there were a moose wandering the streets of town in LOCAL HERO, then we could truly yell, "Copyright!"
Perhaps the scene which exemplifies the contrasts and ironies of the film come late in the movie. As Mac scans the sky, he sees a bright light that he perceives to be a comet, and is thrilled. The camera captures in a point-of-view long shot to make us believe, and hope, that it is a comet as well. When it comes closer, it turns out to be the light from Happer's helicopter, which thrills the townsfolk and disappoints Mac. At that moment, you realize the transformation that has taken place in him, having found beauty and happiness in life outside of corporate culture.
In essence, this is the thematic value which resonates throughout the film: the rejection of consumerism and materialism in favor of real relationships and real joy. The film's bittersweet ending, while certainly somewhat manipulative, nevertheless "feels" right in the film and, although it is certainly not a completely happy one, is definitely satisfying. It confirms the audience's natural inclinations to despise the alienating culture around them, and the yearning for an alternative lifestyle.
My caveat with the film is with its deux-et-machina, which, albeit necessary for the film's tension, nonetheless rings a bit too conventional and forced. I am referring to the introduction of Knox, the cantankerous aged beach resident who refuses to sell his land. He simply seems too stereotypical of a role for this film which is otherwise filled with such eccentric types. The film seems to lag whenever he is onscreen.
But this is a minor flaw, and certainly did not diminish from my enjoyment of the film as a whole. It is precisely because of its "magical realism" that gives it a feeling of specialness. It steadfastly refuses to conform to the conventions of the "clashing cultures" genre (THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY, BEVERLY HILLS COP) and creates a warmth all its own. In these days of recombinant film, where every film is put together through deals putting together stars, big-name directors and a three-word concept for a film, LOCAL HERO is a delightful, refreshing surprise.
Adam Bonin '94 Amherst College Amherst, Mass., U.S.A. acbonin@amherst.edu .
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