FROM HERO TO ZERO COVER STORY COVER STORY LOCAL HERO MADE THE

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Feb 17, 2008

Gibson was asked to paint the Pennan Inn in 2002 by its former owners, who had settled on a light shade of blue. "It looked glorious, " he says, "really good. But then there were complaints from people in America and different parts of the world.

They had a vision of the white hotel they'd seen in Local Hero and their illusions and dreams were destroyed. There was such a furore that it had to be repainted." The current state of the inn, locked up and boarded, makes him angry. "At the moment we've got nothing, " he says. "It used to be that the only people working in the village were the staff at the inn and me. Now there's nobody even at the inn.

We've lost an amenity, and people can't even have a drink any more because the place has been abandoned. It's soul-destroying." As is the damaged village hall, which had been refurbished shortly before the landslide. Gibson is on the committee charged with repairing the building. Before it was damaged, locals had already started serving tea there at weekends, as well as hosting exhibitions and events. With the inn still out of commission, Gibson wants to increase the hall's usage to revitalise the village's fortunes.

"Every summer, families come back to the village and you see them growing up, " he says. "There was always a good community spirit, but I'm wondering what's going to happen now." Back in Pennan, I'm trying to put Gibson's words into context. He talked at length about bonfires to celebrate the summer solstice, of dances held in the village hall, of barbecues on the sea front, attended by families with children. It's difficult to imagine. In fact, it's hard to escape the sensation today that the Pennan he describes is fictional, no more real, fundamentally, than Ferness in Local Hero. Or no less real, perhaps. This village has long imitated that of the film and, under the blaze of tourist cameras, becomes a film set every summer season. The Local Hero story itself is a proven stayer. Just down the coast in Balmedie, the American multi-millionaire Donald Trump repeats the well-worn scenario: a rich foreign businessman seeks Scottish land, but the local landowner refuses to sell. Scotland the movie set, or the real deal.

There's little difference.

LOCAL HEROES . . . WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Bill Forsyth - writer/director Forsyth's move to Hollywood - after Comfort And Joy in 1984 - marked the start of a losing streak. Housekeeping (1987), underwhelmed and he described its follow-up, Breaking In (1989), as a "bastard child", owing to his many disputes with studio bosses. The Robin Williams vehicle Being Human (1993) was shelved for four years before flopping. Back in the UK, Gregory's Two Girls (2000), a "loose" sequel to his 1981 hit Gregory's Girl received mixed reviews. Forsyth lives in Scotland and writes occasional screenplays.

Peter Capaldi - Danny Oldsen (the local fixer) The Glasgow-born actor and director has appeared in more than 40 films and television shows since Local Hero, including Ken Russell's The Lair Of The White Worm and Stephen Frears's Dangerous Liaisons (both 1988). Recent appearances include roles in E4 teen drama Skins, ITV1's Fallen Angel and BBC sitcom The Thick Of It. He won an Oscar in 1995 for the short film Franz Kafka's It's A Wonderful Life and was nominated for the Bafta and RTS best comedy actor award in 2006.