Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
don't overlook this old gem!, 19 Sep 2003
An often overlooked Ealing treasure, this gentle comedy is filmed around the Crinan canal on Scotland's West coast, Glasgow and on the island of Islay, centred around the crew of a little Clyde puffer called "The Maggie". A real "must" for anyone who wants to see a snip of 1950's Scotland... my kids thought it was great. MacTaggart (the puffer's skipper is a Parahandy figure... and there's the clue... if you recognise the name "Parahandy" from Neil Munro's books (and the later TV series) then you NEED to buy this film. Funny, heartwarming (without being sickly-sweet) with a real sense of a Scotland which has, sadly, been all but lost. It's not all tartan and shortbread either... Glasgow is shown as she was: a dirty but thriving port, full of life and larger-than-life characters. Island life is also shown for what it was: hard, often lonely, with few luxuries but a strong sense of community. "The Maggie" offers no special effects, no car chases, no bad language (and there's not much wrong with any of these in the right film)... but what you do get is a film which absorbs the viewer and by the end, you feel as if you've visited some of those little ports with the crew... a thoroughly relaxing and refreshing experience. Buy it... and hope that if enough of us do, they may also release it on DVD.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
Well crafted gem from the Ealing Studio, 3 April 2003
A simple tale of the seemily bumbling, laid back life of the captain and crew of the Maggie , an old steam puffer working the West Coast of Scotand, coming up against the modern world and progress, as personified by Calvin B Marshall, an American in a hurry. If "The Maggie" is the parent, then many years later "Local Hero" is the child.The characters are believeable, the script a delight and the acting subtley underplayed. Beautifully photographed on location in Western Scotland. It is by turn funny, gently moralistic, and poingnant and no-one should be surprised by the ending which I won't spoil, but needless to say they all live happily ever after. If you enjoyed "Local Hero" "Whisky Galore" "Waking Ned" "Full Monty", then you'll like this.
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(2 customer reviews)
