DB7

Scots film tops 'locations' poll

The coastal town of Pennan was the location for Local HeroA 22-year-old Scottish film has come out top in a film critics' poll for the best use of locations in Britain.

The poll for the Film Distributors' Association gave the accolade to Bill Forsyth's 1983 film Local Hero, shot in the Aberdeenshire village of Pennan.

The Full Monty came second in the poll of 2,000 film critics, journalists and regional media editors for its use of locations in Sheffield.

Danny Boyle's Trainspotting came third for its scenes in Edinburgh.

The FDA invited critics to nominate films which had made the most atmospheric use of British locations, where the exterior settings themselves added a strong sense of time and place to the story.

Local Hero, produced by David Puttnam and starring Burt Lancaster, Denis Lawson, Peter Capaldi and Jenny Seagrove, emerged top.


TOP TEN GREATEST USES OF BRITISH FILM LOCATIONS

1. Local Hero - Pennan, Aberdeenshire
2. The Full Monty - Sheffield
3. Trainspotting
4. The Railway Children
5. An American Werewolf in London
6. The French Lieutenant's - Lyme Regis, Dorset
7. Brassed Off - Barnsley, Doncaster, Halifax and Grimethorpe Colliery
8. Brief Encounter - Carnforth Station
9. Kes, Barnsley
10. Shadowlands - Oxford and Wye Valley

The Bafta-winning comedy saw the representatives of a US petro-chemical giant, who were seeking to build a refinery in a Scottish coastal village, come to find the gentler rhythms of the local life practically irresistible.

The film teamed up Pennan, with its iconic red telephone box, with Camusdarrach Beach in Morar to create the fictional village of Ferness.

Lord Puttnam said: "I am delighted but not all that surprised that Local Hero has proved so enduringly popular, as this poll demonstrates.

"It's a film of which I remain immensely proud and I'm thrilled that it's continuing to give great pleasure to people across the UK."

All sorts

The author of Scotland the Movie, David Bruce, said: "I think Bill Forsyth uses the landscape and the seascape as a character in the movie in a way which is pretty well unique."

Brenda Kutchinsky, former owner of the Pennan Inn, said that the effect of the film had grown over the years.

She said: "You get all sorts of people, but it is mainly nice people because they are so happy to have finally made it.



Trainspotting was third on the list

"It is like one of their must-dos before I die - get to Pennan because of Local Hero."

The outside of the Pennan Inn features extensively in the film.

The fictional owners were Stella and Gordon, but for the last five weeks its real owners have been Vince and Louise Melvin.

Mr Melvin said: "Some people, it actually borders on being a pilgrimage for them.

"We had an American couple who watch the film every thanksgiving with their family and this was their first visit. It was just a magical place for them."

Mrs Melvin said that she had not seen the movie before she moved into the inn. She said: "One of our Norwegian customers had his copy with him and made me promise I would watch it. So I have watched it and it is a nice movie."

Fellwanderer

The North of England, Yorkshire in particular, comes out very strongly as well.

Think I'd better check them out - wonder if I should start with 4 and 5
FELL

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

DB7

Location, location, location: a movie buff's choice


By Louise Jury, Arts Correspondent

Published: 29 September 2005




It is the charming tale of how a small Scottish community seduced the American oil executive sent in to buy it up. It proved so popular that the village where it was filmed became a centre of cinematic pilgrimage.

Now Local Hero, produced by David (now Lord) Puttnam and starring Burt Lancaster, Denis Lawson and Jenny Seagrove, has topped a poll of the most atmospheric use of a British location.

That the Bafta-winning comedy was ostensibly set on the west coast of Scotland but filmed largely, though by no means entirely, in the picturesque village of Pennan, Aberdeenshire, on the east coast, does not worry fans.

And it certainly does not worry film distributors who conducted the poll among the film writers of Britain's regional press to highlight that while London may be the centre of the UK film industry, the regions do matter - whether for their scenery or cinema-goers.

Three-quarters of UK cinema admissions take place outside London, according to Mark Batey, chief executive of the Film Distributors' Association, which conducted the poll. He said cinema-goers appeared to relish an injection of British scenery, even with the grittier backdrops of The Full Monty and Trainspotting. "The settings almost become characters and give a real flavour to the story," he added.

Thus, the top 40 suggestions of atmospheric locations includes such classics as The French Lieutenant's Woman, filmed in Lyme Regis, Dorset, and the war-time weepy Brief Encounter, for which Carnforth station in Lancashire took the part of Milford Junction.

The list ranges from Whisky Galore! filmed in Barra, the Outer Hebrides, more than half a century ago, to films such as Dirty Pretty Things and The Long Good Friday, which exposed the underbelly of London.

But British films are not merely about entertainment or just a source of national pride. VisitBritain, the national tourism board, has cited British movies as more important to encouraging visitors than staging the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tom Wright, VisitBritain's chief executive, said: "One in five visitors is inspired to holiday in Britain because of a film they have seen. Today, film tourism is a growing global phenomenon creating a new breed of tourist - the 'set-jetter'.

"Over the past 60 years, these films [in the poll] and many more have helped to showcase the essence of Britain's varied destinations, our culture and iconic landmarks, as well as historic and contemporary characters."

It certainly worked for Pennan, where nearly a quarter of a century after Local Hero was filmed, visitors still have their picture taken next to the telephone box - even though it is not even the one in the movie.

Lord Puttnam said he was delighted, but not surprised, that Local Hero had proved so enduringly popular. "It's a film of which I remain immensely proud," he said.

Burt Lancaster, who made the film aged 69 and died 11 years later, was said to have enjoyed his three weeks working in Scotland. "What's nice is that there are no villains, just eccentrics. It's like those lovely old Ealing movies," he said.

Next weekend, 150 members of the regional press will spend four days in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, for the 50th anniversary of the promotional event Cinema Days, deemed so important by British film-makers that stars from Bob Hoskins to the director Terry Gilliam will attend.

The guests will watch forthcoming movies - both British and foreign - including Stephen Frears' Mrs Henderson Presents, shot in London, and The Libertine, starring Johnny Depp, which was filmed on the Isle of Man.

The top five British cinematic settings

Local Hero, FILMED IN SCOTLAND

The Scottish director Bill Forsyth blended Camusdarrach Beach in Morar with the village of Pennan, Aberdeenshire, on the opposite coast, to create the fictional Furness. Other locations included Loch Eilt and the bar of the Lochailort Inn at Lochailort, between Fort Wiliam and Mallaig. The combination of eccentric charm, Scottish landscape and an environmental fairy tale proved a winning one with cinema audiences. The story begins with the representatives of an American petro-chemical corporation, Knox Oil and Gas, arriving in the small village of Furness to investigate building a giant refinery. The locals outwit the incomers in a variety of startling ways

The Full Monty, SHEFFIELD

The story of a group of unemployed men who find a new source of income as male strippers became a surprise hit. Cast included Robert Carlyle

Trainspotting, EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW

Irvine Welsh's gritty novel of drug addiction was translated to the big screen by Danny Boyle and established Ewan McGregor as a major star

The Railway Children, YORKSHIRE

This film version of the classic children's book by E Nesbit starred a young Jenny Agutter as the petticoat-waving heroine. Directed by Lionel Jeffries

American Werewolf, LONDON AND WINDSOR

The story of two American tourists on a walking holiday who are attacked by a werewolf. Windsor Great Park stood in for the Yorkshire moors

Holland

My choice: Witchfinder General

Fran

Having watched it the other night for the first time I'd say the island of Mull in I Know Where I'm Going. I may even get there for a holiday some time.

Steve Crook

The end of this month could be a good time. A load of us from the Powell and Pressburger Appreciation Society are going there for the weekend of 28-30 Oct to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the film's release.

See invitation

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Jackdaw

My favourite location is at the end of GET CARTER,with the wonderful aerial ropeway carrying the colliery waste buckets out to the tipping tower in the sea.Marvellous forgotten-age scenes from the north-east coast,Blackhall Colliery I believe,but I'm open to correction on that.
Also,does anyone remember THE LONG MEMORY,a John Mills movie from 1952?Much of this is set around some redundant barges that are marooned in the reeds and mudflats of what seems to be the Thames Estuary.
According to ****************,much of the movie was filmed in Gravesend,but they don't have any stills of the barges.Janedaw and her mum,both Kentish-maids,think that it might be on the Isle of Grain,possibly Cliffe,but I think they're struggling.Any ideas anyone?
Incidentally,in the long shots it's possible that some of the barges might have been painted in.Does anyone know about that?

Cheers

Jacky

Fellwanderer

Blackhall Rocks - about half a mile south but near enough.

If it hadn't said Kent, I'd have suggested Canvey Island for the mudflats scenes.

FELL

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

Holland

I saw The Long Memory one afternoon a while ago, probably on Channel Four. It's certainly set in the marshy wilds of north Kent. Whether it was filmed there or not is another matter, although it probably was.

The film also features some other great shots. Waterloo station complete with "Bournemouth Arrow" boards up. And John Chandos' office is in the London Docks around about Tower Bridge complete with hundreds of now vanished cranes.

Fellwanderer

It was shown on C4 just before or just after Sir John's death.

FELL

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

Fellwanderer

And it's on more4 next week!

FELL

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

Bryanb

i'm totally amazed that The Wickerman wasn't on that list!!

David Brent

I've always said that ALL British films and television programs should clearly list all the UK locations used for filming in their end credits.
Many of the wonderful scenic scenes are the very best global advertisement that British Tourism can have.

Dave.

Bryanb

local hero is on now, on Film four.free weekend! never seen it.

Steve Crook

They're not all very scenic

And it might not be such a good ad for some places in Britain when you realise how they've stood in for Moscow, Vietnam or wherever.

It might also spoil the magic in various ways, either when one location is used pretending to be another and also because it'd make people realise how much is actually filmed in the studio.

Steve