I was told many years ago that this film did not do well at the box office. Perhaps it was too Scottish for non-Scottish audiences! "Laxdale Hall" has been a favourite of mine ever since I first saw it, probably when first released. The age-old theme of Locals-v-Government always goes down well, but it is the characters who really make this film - Kynaston Reeves as the thundering minister with a passion for Macbeth, Prunella Scales as the village schoolmistress (in her first film role, but later better known as Basil's 'nest of vipers' Sybil in 'Fawlty Towers'), and best of all Roddy Macmillan as Willie-John the permanently-pessimistic undertaker who keeps expecting his father's body to be brought from the mainland by ferry but receives something else instead.
The smoothie MP sent from London wants the residents of Laxdale to up sticks and move to a fine new town going by the name of Drumleydubs. The locals are for none of this, and... well, you'll chust have to see for yourself! My favourite quotation came from Meg Buchanan during a downpour. One of the London visitors commented on the foul weather, and she told him, "I wass in London once, and they said it wass raining, but, och, you would neffer have noticed." it was probably a downpour to the Sessenachs!
!!! - - - GOOD NEWS - - - !!! LAXDALE HALL NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD from Panamint Cinema, West Lothian, Scotland - panamint.co.uk
