61: Three Films by Bill Forsyth (with Ursula Lawrence)

Junk Filter

Comedy writer Ursula Lawrence (Drunk History, Adam Ruins Everything) returns to the podcast from Madison, Wisconsin to discuss three great films from the Scottish writer/director Bill Forsyth, whose early self-financed successes laid the groundwork for Scotland’s film industry to flourish.

We talk about three of Forsyth's best films: his first studio project, the highly-acclaimed Local Hero (1982) with Peter Riegert and Burt Lancaster, 1984’s Comfort and Joy, his “serious comedy” about an ice cream van turf war in Glasgow (based on true events!) and his American debut, 1987’s Housekeeping with Christine Lahti, based on Marilynne Robinson’s great novel, an underseen masterpiece sadly orphaned by Columbia Pictures during a studio regime change.

Patrons of the Junk Filter podcast receive access to additional exclusive episodes every month: some of our notable previous guests include Jacob Bacharach, Jared Yates Sexton, David Roth, Bryan Quinby, Sooz Kempner and more! Sign up at https://www.patreon.com/junkfilter

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Trailer for Local Hero (Forsyth, 1982)

Trailer for Comfort and Joy (Forsyth, 1984)

Horrible trailer for Housekeeping (Forsyth, 1987) to give you an idea of how badly Columbia Pictures marketed the film.