David Mowat Movies
Bill Forsyth's whimsical tale of sweet-natured corporate rapacity features standout performances by Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert. Lancaster plays Texas billionaire Felix Happer, who would rather gaze at the stars than worry about his multi-national oil company. Happer dispatches Mac MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) and Danny Oldsen (Peter Capaldi) to the small Scottish fishing village of Ferness to negotiate buying the entire town so Happer can drill for oil in the North Sea. Much to Mac's surprise, the entire town is happy to sell itself for big money, and the local innkeeper, Gordon Urquhart (Denis Lawson) -- who is also the town's accountant and mayor -- works with Mac on the negotiations. But a wrinkle appears in the deal when Ben Knox (Fulton Mackay), an old man who lives in a shack on the beach which has been owned by his family for centuries, refuses to sell. His reasons? "Who'd look after the beach then? It would go to pieces in a short manner of time." The deal stalls so seriously that Happer travels to Ferness to oversee negotiations as Mac and Danny are seduced by the charm of the Scottish town. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster, (more)
- 1983
This story of a World War II romance in the Scottish highlands develops in a gradual but lyrical manner as Janie (Phyllis Logan), a Scottish woman married to a cold and remote man, starts an affair with Luigi (Giovanni Mauriello), an Italian confined to Janie's small community until the war is over. Luigi has two other compatriots to keep him company, but none of the Italians speak English, and life in exile is lonely. Although the townspeople continue to distrust the Italians, Luigi and Janie are kindred spirits, so when they meet, their mutual need is unconsciously acknowledged and sparks are ignited. Whether an illicit wartime romance will endure or not, that is another question entirely. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Phyllis Logan, Giovanni Mauriello, (more)
