Laxdale Hall

A classic tale of the canny Highlanders taking the sassenachs to the cleaners. The essence of the situation has great similarities with other contemporary movies like 'Whisky Galore', and has inspired more modern ones like 'Local Hero'.

The five owners of motor cars in the parish of Laxdale hold a tax revolt to protest the absence of a proper road into a remote village on the Wet Coast of Scotland near Skye. A parliamentary delegation is sent from London to restore order!

All acting performances are wonderful, with early appearances by character actors who went on to become household names. Prunella Scales as a very young schoolteacher; Rikki Fulton as a Glasgow poacher. I particularly enjoyed Kynaston Reeves as the Meenister, Jamieson Clark as the grocer, and of course Roddy MacMillan as the undertaker. And the general, oh the cheneral!

My favourite line is from a bit player, spoken at a public meeting. "Forty miles from the sea? No view of the Cuillins and no river? Man, I would rather live in Hell than in a place like that!"

Truly a way of life that has all but disappeared, even in Applecross where the movie was shot. On my last visit I arrived in the village by one good road and left by another.