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Paterson said he had "not a moment of bad memories... the only other difficulty we had were the weather conditions. We tried to shoot
Comfort and Joy in November/December in Glasgow: even when the weather’s good the light is gone by 5 o’clock. If you have a day time story you don’t have many hours to
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started, it was the first time we had the phenomenon of the local celebrity, famous in a radius of 10 miles, who would open supermarkets in
Drumchapel. It was new to Scotland and it was soulful, a guy in his little pod broadcasting to a city in the middle of the night. It gave people a sense of local
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was also lukewarm, concluding that after "... evincing much laughter over an unexpectedly funny couple living together, Forsyth abruptly switches into a more conventional plot" and that "David and
Paterson are terrific together and almost every line between them is a joy. From the point she departs
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Paterson later said "the ending was never quite right. We’d shot another ending and I don’t know why it wasn’t used. There was a tie up between Dickie and Clare Grogan’s character, but it wasn’t properly resolved so we shot another one. Any film that has an unsatisfactory ending isn’t the perfect
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As an admired local celebrity, Bird meets with McCool and his sons Bruno, Paolo, and Renato. He then goes back and forth between them and Trevor and
Charlotte (later revealed to be McCool's rebellious daughter), trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement. Various misadventures follow, with his red
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Forsyth said about the film "Everyone handling my film was happy about the way things were going, except me," "Universal never expected to make much money on it, so they thankfully didn't exert much pressure on the making of the film. But they didn't invest much in its promotion, either."
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as a radio disc jockey whose life undergoes a bizarre upheaval after his girlfriend leaves him. After he witnesses an attack on an ice cream van by angry competitors, he is led into the struggle between two
Italian families over the ice cream market of
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agreed, calling it "... somehow not as satisfying as his early films." The reviewer went on to observe that, "Paterson is always worth seeing, while Grogan and David are equally watchable, but there aren't the belly laughs
294:. Both sides are impressed by the product's potential. It appeals both to Trevor's fish and chips frying background as well as Mr. McCool's ice cream expertise. Since Bird alone knows the secret ingredient of the ancient
282:
on his early morning show, causing Hilary, his boss, to ask his secretary if Mr. Bird's contract includes a "sanity clause". Hilary then orders Bird to see a psychiatrist about the Mr. Bunny he keeps trying to reach.
566:"... one of the happiest and most engaging movies you are likely to see this year, and it comes from a Glasgow director who has made a specialty out of characters who are as real as you and me, and nicer than me."
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created the impression that my films make money, because it got a lot of coverage and a fair amount of people went to see it. So, in that sense, it made it a bit easier for me to raise money for the next film."
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were about territories for offloading drugs – they weren’t getting antsy about someone else’s ice cream tasting better – the film was a metaphor for the empty-headed niceness of local radio.”
420:, who came from an ice cream family, told him stories of the ice cream war. "But the way he was telling it, the rivalry was simply over who had the best ice cream," said Forsyth.
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Filmmaker
Forsyth: enchanting audiences with whimsy, mystery: ON FILM ON FILM Beat Generation author By David Sterritt. The Christian Science Monitor 16 Feb 1984: 25.
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shoot it in. We always seemed to be chasing the light on the exteriors. That’s an abiding memory but everything else was a pleasure. I loved it."
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girlfriend of four years, suddenly announces that she is moving out. His doctor friend Colin tries to console him, but Bird is heartbroken.
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suffering more and more damage each time. Bird becomes obsessed with resolving the war. To contact the combatants, he starts broadcasting
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One day, he goes for a drive to take his mind off his troubles. Noticing an attractive girl, Charlotte, in the back of a "Mr. Bunny"
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423:“The whole tenor of the film was fluffiness and silliness because that’s what local radio was," said Forsyth. "While the real
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BILL FOSYTH'S OFFBEAT CONTRIBUTIONS ENRICH THE WORLD OF LOW-BUDGET FILMS Reich, Howard. Chicago
Tribune 19 Sep 1985: 7.
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between rival
Italian ice cream vendors: the young interloper Trevor and the older, more established "Mr. McCool".
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with no explanation the pic flashes a sparky moment or two, but it doesn't reach the high spots again."
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During the credits, he is heard trying to record a commercial for the new product: "Frosty Hots".
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Forsyth felt he did not have enough for a film, so he added a love story. He needed more, when
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Forsyth originally had an idea for a film about a local DJ. He said "When local stations like
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Waymark, Peter (25 August 1984). "Comic skill that rings bells at the box office".
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is a charming film on its own, but something of a disappointment when compared to
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Forsyth was able to raise money to make the film on the basis of his success with
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Robinson, David (15 August 1984). "Forsyth suffers from his own high standards".
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in which the inventions were more consistently comic and crazy." The staff at
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EMI back with four feature films
Fiddick, Peter. The Guardian 16 Nov 1983: 2.
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in May 1984. It had its UK premiere as the opening film at the 1984
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identity when they heard people on the radio who talked like them."
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844:"Interview: Bill Paterson on When Bill Paterson met Bill Forsyth"
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film because that’s what people leave the cinema remembering."
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The film was number one at the UK box office for two weeks.
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on 14 August 1984. It opened in London on 31 August 1984.
466:. Forsyth said the film was about a man getting a "second
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as part of a slate of movies by EMI, the others including
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gives the film a rating of 100% based on ten reviews.
266:. By sheer chance, Bird finds himself involved in a
675:. Some musical passages were taken from the 1982
235:Nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 1985.
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866:"Cannes Film Festival Reviews: Comfort and Joy"
251:Allan "Dicky" Bird is stunned when Maddy, his
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934:. 19 October 1984. p. 28.
917:. 12 October 1984. p. 32.
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138:Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment
118:Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment
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1315:Films scored by Mark Knopfler
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243:A few days before Christmas,
1300:1980s English-language films
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762:"Awards for Comfort and Joy"
659:Comfort and Joy (soundtrack)
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601:British Academy Film Awards
371:Elizabeth Sinclair as Fiona
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697:, similar real-life events
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365:Caroline Guthrie as Gloria
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606:Best Original Screenplay
362:Gilly Gilchrist as Rufus
218:written and directed by
166:31 August 1984
128:Kings Road Entertainment
766:Internet Movie Database
701:List of Christmas films
496:Edinburgh Film Festival
457:Morons from Outer Space
398:Billy Johnstone as Amos
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1062:British Film Institute
746:British Film Institute
695:Glasgow Ice Cream Wars
576:Awards and nominations
368:Ona McCracken as Nancy
231:. The film received a
1325:Scottish comedy films
864:Adil. (23 May 1984).
1320:Films set in Glasgow
1171:That Sinking Feeling
987:. Film4 staff review
671:provided the film's
541:That Sinking Feeling
356:Peter Rossi as Paolo
1290:1980s British films
1227:Gregory's Two Girls
1042:at Rotten Tomatoes.
948:(10 October 1984).
628:Best Cinematography
558:On the other hand,
377:Robin Black as Lily
374:Katy Black as Sarah
214:is a 1984 Scottish
124:Scottish Television
1010:(1 January 1984).
959:The New York Times
639:The Killing Fields
512:The New York Times
492:screened in Cannes
18:1984 Scottish film
1285:1984 comedy films
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876:. Retrieved
874:. p. 22
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769:. Retrieved
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677:Dire Straits
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633:Chris Menges
611:Bill Forsyth
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381:Ron Donachie
351:George Rossi
342:Rikki Fulton
326:as Charlotte
324:Clare Grogan
314:as Alan Bird
300:
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272:
257:
253:kleptomaniac
242:
220:Bill Forsyth
210:
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183:Running time
85:Chris Menges
71:Clare Grogan
54:Bill Forsyth
45:Bill Forsyth
15:
1219:Being Human
1211:Breaking In
1008:Roger Ebert
589:Nominee(s)
560:Roger Ebert
531:Local Hero,
468:adolescence
410:Radio Clyde
393:Iain McColl
330:Alex Norton
249:disc jockey
233:BAFTA Award
216:comedy film
187:106 minutes
75:Alex Norton
41:Directed by
1280:1984 films
1274:Categories
1259:Local Hero
1238:Television
1187:Local Hero
707:References
665:Local Hero
653:Soundtrack
636:(also for
615:Nominated
463:Slayground
451:Dreamchild
438:Local Hero
433:Local Hero
404:Production
170:1984-08-31
110:Production
1154:Works by
931:The Times
914:The Times
897:The Times
797:Big Issue
726:The Times
586:Category
486:Reception
395:as Archie
383:as George
344:as Hilary
332:as Trevor
121:Lake Ltd.
112:companies
91:Edited by
1253:Musicals
1108:AllMovie
689:See also
519:wrote, "
353:as Bruno
338:as Colin
320:as Maddy
292:fritters
268:turf war
200:Language
195:Scotland
99:Music by
59:Starring
1244:Andrina
1119:YouTube
1060:at the
1022:29 July
991:29 July
965:29 July
878:29 July
871:Variety
771:29 July
744:at the
592:Result
562:called
551:Variety
245:Glasgow
229:Glasgow
203:English
192:Country
168: (
155:1984-05
153: (
1262:(2019)
1247:(1981)
1230:(1999)
1222:(1994)
1214:(1989)
1206:(1987)
1198:(1984)
1190:(1983)
1182:(1981)
1174:(1979)
679:album
583:Award
247:radio
161:Cannes
159: (
1163:Films
673:score
595:Ref.
535:Film4
1086:IMDb
1024:2013
993:2013
967:2013
880:2013
773:2013
646:Won
529:and
460:and
305:Cast
239:Plot
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