Local Hero 40 years on - with a book to celebrate

So here's my review of the book Local Hero: Making a Scottish Classic by Jonathan Melville (placed on the website from which I purchased):
I was on Camusdarach beach last week, staring at my hand, full of the fine powder sand, wondering if it really was 10,000 (give or take) grains and how many would make a hatful. Which of course reminded me that it must be about (almost exactly) 40 years since the release of Local Hero, to my mind the best film & music score ever. So a little research to see if this staggering anniversary was marked in any way (it is!) resulted in my discovery of this brilliant & lovely book by Jonathan Melville.
The book superbly runs chronologically through the film with so many side stories, interviews and quirky detail (I never knew the lemon juice slapstick was a late addition and it was good to have confirmation that no rabbits were harmed, and probably none eaten either, during the making of the film). I've long lost count of the number of times I have watched the film and enjoyed the sheer delight of the genius of Bill Forsyth's wry humour and absolutely spot on sense, as he has said, that "it's what happens in between the story that's important". Wandering down the side lanes as Sandra Voe puts it. So true and this book takes that fully on board in its style. And Peter Riegart: "That Bill is something else!". It's also clear that the cast and crew generally had a whale (or was that a sea lion) of a time in its filming. The insights into the ceilidh are truly wonderful. I had no idea Mark Knopfler was so involved during the filming. But I can't imagine, in 1983, Catriona's single word would have ever made it to the final cut. Shame really, especially if it was actually filmed, which I rather doubt.
[continued in next post as I have run out of space]

This is Scotland! Cool cloudless skies yesterday. Deep blue sea & aquamarine shallows, with cloudless Coulin & Rhum. They elect a new SNP leader. Today it's more than smirr or dreich, it's rather oorlich (had to look it up). I doubt there's a connection. So a little trip into Mallaig shortly & maybe a stroll later along Loch Morar north shore to Bracorina if it clears a little.
Visited Pennan for the first time two years ago. Lovely village & I see why it was chosen for its character. But for me it'll always be Camusdarach. Geography and geology are not well served by the choice of locations! It's so obvious that Pennan isn't on the west coast. But then west coast Morar is an unlikely location for North Sea oil infrastructure. Whatever, it really doesn't matter. Whole lotta scenery though 😉 For me, it's the beach that's the crucial element of why the film works (apart from the characters, dialogue, humour, music, incidental side delights (so many, impossible to say which is best)) and crucial to the whole thing could be the beach-related fact that a hatful of sand wouldn't be business-like. Never understand how people (and apparently even Bill Forsyth) say nothing really happens. A myriad of stories as well as the main one.
Rain stopped but Mallaig visit produced no book 🙁. It'll have to wait till Fort William or home.
Yes been to Staithes, another lovely place with a great history. A whole lot of the British Isles really take some beating (non-political comment 🙄).