Director is Mark Herman but the movie themes remind Ken Loach and its stories about people losing jobs but keeping their dignity... Basically everything is inspired by events that really took place over Margaret Thatcher Government (when the film is set). Miners living in a Yorkshire small town (Grimley), when laid off, try to continue the activity of their band, though sadness due to economic repression is a real threat to it. But Ewan McGregor and Pete Postlewait (who on earth might forget him after "In the name of the father"?) are really powerful, two thumbs up. Altogether I really appreciated the way this film tells of fight for self-respect and courage.
156 Reviews
Banding - more than just a hobby
climbingtuba213 October 2006
I just want to correct a couple of things that the previous reviewer makes about the film.
Firstly, from a musical point of view, Gloria does not enter the Grimley bandroom with an obligato cornet, it's a flugelhorn.
The fact that a woman has entered the band room is important. For a long time, the brass band was the domain of men. Women weren't allowed to play in the bands and indeed, this is still the case today in two of the biggest names in the banding world.
Underpinning all this is the fact that the film is (at least) semi-biographical. The events unfolding in the film mirror in no small way the same events which befell the Grimethorpe pit in 1992, and impacted on the world-famous Grimethorpe Colliery band. Thatcher's Britain did result in the pit closing down, and threatened the band's future. The band did take the stage at the National Final, and so the reason that the band don't turn professional is because there is no room in the banding movement for a professional band.
For a point of information, there are 4 basses in a Brass Band, 2 Eb and 2 Bb (not 2 or 3). Oh yes, and bandsmen most certainly do carry there instruments through the street without a case, especially bass players.
On a slightly different point, Phil does not have a gambling habit. He is still paying off the loan that he took out in 1982 to cover the loss of earnings because "suspended I were. 18 b****** months it took that lot to sort it out. 18 b***** months on strike pay. That's how big a f***** deal it is mate."
Firstly, from a musical point of view, Gloria does not enter the Grimley bandroom with an obligato cornet, it's a flugelhorn.
The fact that a woman has entered the band room is important. For a long time, the brass band was the domain of men. Women weren't allowed to play in the bands and indeed, this is still the case today in two of the biggest names in the banding world.
Underpinning all this is the fact that the film is (at least) semi-biographical. The events unfolding in the film mirror in no small way the same events which befell the Grimethorpe pit in 1992, and impacted on the world-famous Grimethorpe Colliery band. Thatcher's Britain did result in the pit closing down, and threatened the band's future. The band did take the stage at the National Final, and so the reason that the band don't turn professional is because there is no room in the banding movement for a professional band.
For a point of information, there are 4 basses in a Brass Band, 2 Eb and 2 Bb (not 2 or 3). Oh yes, and bandsmen most certainly do carry there instruments through the street without a case, especially bass players.
On a slightly different point, Phil does not have a gambling habit. He is still paying off the loan that he took out in 1982 to cover the loss of earnings because "suspended I were. 18 b****** months it took that lot to sort it out. 18 b***** months on strike pay. That's how big a f***** deal it is mate."
Effective Combination of Uplift and Economic Reality
noralee19 December 2005
"Brassed Off" is a surprisingly tough anti-Thatcher flick, and I did have some problem with the thick accents now and again.
While I could have done with a bit more romance, there was an excellent story line of working class difficulties to attend to that is similar to downsizing heartbreak here.
Pete Postlethwaite as the band leader/black lunged ex-coal miner was terrific, but so was Stephen Tomlinson as a guy with just everything against him under so many pressures.
Yeah it's a heartwarming story of trying to keep dignity vs. Big Business, it's not a fantasy but upliftingly realistic.
Ewan MacGregor took what could have just been the male ingénue role and was quite intense with it.
Amazingly - there's no child abuse in it, what a relief these days. Everyone here really loves their kids, their jobs, their community, their colliery band. It's just the Tories (and management) they hate.
I just hate to think how hopeless things are for them after the movie ends.
(originally written 6/14/1997)
While I could have done with a bit more romance, there was an excellent story line of working class difficulties to attend to that is similar to downsizing heartbreak here.
Pete Postlethwaite as the band leader/black lunged ex-coal miner was terrific, but so was Stephen Tomlinson as a guy with just everything against him under so many pressures.
Yeah it's a heartwarming story of trying to keep dignity vs. Big Business, it's not a fantasy but upliftingly realistic.
Ewan MacGregor took what could have just been the male ingénue role and was quite intense with it.
Amazingly - there's no child abuse in it, what a relief these days. Everyone here really loves their kids, their jobs, their community, their colliery band. It's just the Tories (and management) they hate.
I just hate to think how hopeless things are for them after the movie ends.
(originally written 6/14/1997)
Very moving and beautiful
grendelkhan15 April 2003
I was lucky enough to catch this movie in the theater and still luckier to come across it again on video. How anyone can call it a comedy is beyond me. Yes there are some laughs, but there are far more tears; some of pain, some of joy. This is a drama with a sense of humor. You have to keep a sense of humor to survive when life kicks you in the gut.
I've read some reviews condemning the politics of this film. Well, I applaud the political message. I grew up near an industrial town; one centered on the auto industry, heavy machinery, and agri-business. As I got older, I watched it disintegrate, through the 70's and 80's, as the grain embargo, auto industry woes and recession bled the life out of the town. It has never recovered. Many of us felt that Reagan and Thatcher, and their descendants, were monsters who sold their people out for a quick buck; while the parties that were supposed to represent the workers and middle class joined in the takings. To us, this isn't an anti-Thatcher film; it's the truth.
The performances of this film, particularly Pete Postlethwaite and Stephen Tompkinson, as well as Ewan McGregor and Tara Fitzgerald are top notch. There is a sweet and painful romance here; but it is the community of the miners, through the life of the band, that is the center here. The music is beautiful and will move you. The piece played as the pit closure is finalized stirs so many emotions. The rendition of "Danny Boy" brings tears to your eyes. The review in our local alternative paper said the surprise near the end would reduce even the hardest heart to tears, and they were right.
There is so much to see and love about this film, regardless of your political beliefs. Music does matter, but the people who create it matter, too. Communities matter, love matters. This is what good filmmaking is all about. See this film. You'll laugh a bit, cry a lot, get angry, become sad; but, you'll never be bored.
I've read some reviews condemning the politics of this film. Well, I applaud the political message. I grew up near an industrial town; one centered on the auto industry, heavy machinery, and agri-business. As I got older, I watched it disintegrate, through the 70's and 80's, as the grain embargo, auto industry woes and recession bled the life out of the town. It has never recovered. Many of us felt that Reagan and Thatcher, and their descendants, were monsters who sold their people out for a quick buck; while the parties that were supposed to represent the workers and middle class joined in the takings. To us, this isn't an anti-Thatcher film; it's the truth.
The performances of this film, particularly Pete Postlethwaite and Stephen Tompkinson, as well as Ewan McGregor and Tara Fitzgerald are top notch. There is a sweet and painful romance here; but it is the community of the miners, through the life of the band, that is the center here. The music is beautiful and will move you. The piece played as the pit closure is finalized stirs so many emotions. The rendition of "Danny Boy" brings tears to your eyes. The review in our local alternative paper said the surprise near the end would reduce even the hardest heart to tears, and they were right.
There is so much to see and love about this film, regardless of your political beliefs. Music does matter, but the people who create it matter, too. Communities matter, love matters. This is what good filmmaking is all about. See this film. You'll laugh a bit, cry a lot, get angry, become sad; but, you'll never be bored.
underground musical offering
Philby-37 March 1999
"The best thing about being working class is getting out of it" said a notable Australian Labor politician (Neville Wran, premier of NSW 1976-1986). The coal miners in "Brassed Off" thought so too, but found redundancy not what it was cracked up to be. At the start, pits are closing all over Britain, but the Grimley colliery in South Yorkshire is still open and making a profit. After a hard day's dirty work down the mine there's nought like a session with the band to blow out the dust. Let by total obsessive bandleader Danny (Peter Postlewaithe) the boys play a surprising range - Rodrigo's "Aranjuez" (we call it "orange juice" says Danny), Rossini's "William Tell" overture and lots of Elgar and other English sentimental favourites - "Jerusalem," "Danny Boy," "Colonel Bogey" and "All Things Bright and Beautiful."
Though possible closure is on the horizon, things are fairly cozy until pretty young Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) walks in with a vintage obbligato cornet and asks to join. She's a woman (shock, horror!) but granddaughter of a former member and after a demonstration of her musical prowess is allowed in. Brooding young Andy (Ewan McGregor, unforgettable in "Trainspotting") has kissed the young lady years previously and falls for her again.
The band have their problems, especially Phil (Stephen Tompkinson) son of Danny the leader. Phil has an unfortunate gambling habit that keeps him broke and his family on the financial edge. In the background the future of the mine is becoming bleaker.
In the meantime Danny, who is developing a very bad cough, decides the band can make the national championships at the Albert Hall, and despite bailiffs, mendacious mine management, feral hospital matrons and British weather they get there.
This film in many ways is an update of the fine, well crafted "Ealing" comedy of the 1950s, celebrating the triumph of ordinary people over adverse circumstances, officialdom and middle class pretentiousness, through their own determination and talent. For the 90s the comedy has a harder edge and the political element more overt. At the end we are reminded of the hundreds of pits closed and 250,000 jobs lost in Britain between 1984 (the year of the great miners' strike) and 1994. But surely the filmmakers are not arguing the miners should still be down below. Global warming alone means coal has had its day. The real crime was the failure to invest in alternative employment and to allow the destruction of the communities which had grown up around the mines. The British State, which owned the mines for 40 years after World War Two, proved a harsher master than the old private owners, especially when the Bad Baroness herself, Margaret Thatcher, decided to sell.
On the strength of their performance here, the (mythical) Grimley band could easily turn professional, like the similarly displaced workers in "The Full Monty." Unlike "The Full Monty" the "Brassed Off" crowd don't step outside their mind-set - they are still chained to their working class attitudes and the future looks like happening without them. They escape from the working class to the underclass, clutching a year's salary most of them will soon be parted from. The traditional happy ending of the Ealing comedy is here only symbolic. Still, the miners' spirit shines through and you can't help admiring their grit. And the music's nice.
Though possible closure is on the horizon, things are fairly cozy until pretty young Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) walks in with a vintage obbligato cornet and asks to join. She's a woman (shock, horror!) but granddaughter of a former member and after a demonstration of her musical prowess is allowed in. Brooding young Andy (Ewan McGregor, unforgettable in "Trainspotting") has kissed the young lady years previously and falls for her again.
The band have their problems, especially Phil (Stephen Tompkinson) son of Danny the leader. Phil has an unfortunate gambling habit that keeps him broke and his family on the financial edge. In the background the future of the mine is becoming bleaker.
In the meantime Danny, who is developing a very bad cough, decides the band can make the national championships at the Albert Hall, and despite bailiffs, mendacious mine management, feral hospital matrons and British weather they get there.
This film in many ways is an update of the fine, well crafted "Ealing" comedy of the 1950s, celebrating the triumph of ordinary people over adverse circumstances, officialdom and middle class pretentiousness, through their own determination and talent. For the 90s the comedy has a harder edge and the political element more overt. At the end we are reminded of the hundreds of pits closed and 250,000 jobs lost in Britain between 1984 (the year of the great miners' strike) and 1994. But surely the filmmakers are not arguing the miners should still be down below. Global warming alone means coal has had its day. The real crime was the failure to invest in alternative employment and to allow the destruction of the communities which had grown up around the mines. The British State, which owned the mines for 40 years after World War Two, proved a harsher master than the old private owners, especially when the Bad Baroness herself, Margaret Thatcher, decided to sell.
On the strength of their performance here, the (mythical) Grimley band could easily turn professional, like the similarly displaced workers in "The Full Monty." Unlike "The Full Monty" the "Brassed Off" crowd don't step outside their mind-set - they are still chained to their working class attitudes and the future looks like happening without them. They escape from the working class to the underclass, clutching a year's salary most of them will soon be parted from. The traditional happy ending of the Ealing comedy is here only symbolic. Still, the miners' spirit shines through and you can't help admiring their grit. And the music's nice.
Matters of music and of people
ToldYaSo3 August 1999
You don't have to be a fan of brass bands to enjoy "Brassed Off", but it couldn't hurt. The music is a central focus of the film, but not as a compromise to the story of a town in turmoil. Coal mines being shut down in the name of progress puts many men out of work which naturally also jeopardizes the existence of the colliery band. The music combined with brilliant storytelling (and editing) is merely a platform for some superb acting, particularly from Pete Postlethwaite.
Having lived all my life in a large metropolitan city, I cannot relate first hand to the plight of a small town community. Despite that, I found the story intriguing even though it may seem the outcome is somewhat predictable.
Having just purchased the DVD, I found the brief write-up on the box to be way off the mark. It touts this film as some kind of romantic and hilarious comedy, never once even grazing past the real subject matter of the film. This is another perfect example of the continued miscalculated promotion of a truly well crafted film that "Muriel's Wedding" also fell victim to. I'm not sure what the promoters were thinking, but if you set someone up for a hilarious romantic comedy and what they receive is a thoughtful serious and sometimes depressing film, are they going to be happy just the same? There are graciously some light moments and humourous turns in this otherwise sombre subject matter, but this film doesn't have a happy ending. But it sure does have a moving one. Postlethwaite's performance hits you in an unexpected way and you'd have to have a heart of stone to not be moved by it.
Any success that the film enjoys now that's it's strictly on video, is likely to come from very strong word of mouth. I had been told how good it was and enjoyed it immensely. Now that I've seen it twice, and thus been twice moved, I wait for a reasonable time to pass so that I may watch and enjoy it again as I am bound to do.
Having lived all my life in a large metropolitan city, I cannot relate first hand to the plight of a small town community. Despite that, I found the story intriguing even though it may seem the outcome is somewhat predictable.
Having just purchased the DVD, I found the brief write-up on the box to be way off the mark. It touts this film as some kind of romantic and hilarious comedy, never once even grazing past the real subject matter of the film. This is another perfect example of the continued miscalculated promotion of a truly well crafted film that "Muriel's Wedding" also fell victim to. I'm not sure what the promoters were thinking, but if you set someone up for a hilarious romantic comedy and what they receive is a thoughtful serious and sometimes depressing film, are they going to be happy just the same? There are graciously some light moments and humourous turns in this otherwise sombre subject matter, but this film doesn't have a happy ending. But it sure does have a moving one. Postlethwaite's performance hits you in an unexpected way and you'd have to have a heart of stone to not be moved by it.
Any success that the film enjoys now that's it's strictly on video, is likely to come from very strong word of mouth. I had been told how good it was and enjoyed it immensely. Now that I've seen it twice, and thus been twice moved, I wait for a reasonable time to pass so that I may watch and enjoy it again as I am bound to do.
The Miner Key in the Major Range
intelearts19 April 2007
Brassed Off stands out from the usual comedy of manners by it's passion, verve, and the fact that it did what good films do: came along and hit the right chord at the right time.
And it still does.
Even now watching it again it is genuinely a funny, moving, and great experience. It is like watching a sports comedy but with brass bands.
Yes, it is does wear its heart on its sleeve and it is both a comedy and a tearjerker; but it has a real soul, focusing on a colliery band and their lives by using comedy rather drama is a smart way to tell something of what happened to those 250,000 men (and their families) who lost their jobs in 140 pits across Britain. What makes Brassed Off great is that is does not scream, instead it uses real humour and light touches to make its point, and it is watchable because it's genuinely a good, moving film.
With a good solid cast, including a young Ewan MacGregor and the excellent Pete Postlewaithe, solid directing, and more than a touch of northern rough humour, the films charms and disarms the viewer.
Definitely worth viewing from a human drama, and comedic point of view: it's fun, funny, moving, heartwarming; and reminds us that hope, dignity, and pride are still worth playing for.
And it still does.
Even now watching it again it is genuinely a funny, moving, and great experience. It is like watching a sports comedy but with brass bands.
Yes, it is does wear its heart on its sleeve and it is both a comedy and a tearjerker; but it has a real soul, focusing on a colliery band and their lives by using comedy rather drama is a smart way to tell something of what happened to those 250,000 men (and their families) who lost their jobs in 140 pits across Britain. What makes Brassed Off great is that is does not scream, instead it uses real humour and light touches to make its point, and it is watchable because it's genuinely a good, moving film.
With a good solid cast, including a young Ewan MacGregor and the excellent Pete Postlewaithe, solid directing, and more than a touch of northern rough humour, the films charms and disarms the viewer.
Definitely worth viewing from a human drama, and comedic point of view: it's fun, funny, moving, heartwarming; and reminds us that hope, dignity, and pride are still worth playing for.
Utterly wonderful in every way
loz-11 March 2003
This is British Cinema at its very best and has been my favourite film of all time since I first saw it on the big screen. I cannot think of two more powerful performances committed to celluloid than those of Peter Postlethwaite and Stephen Tompkinson. There is so much emotion in "Brassed Off" that anyone who fails to be moved must have a heart of stone...if indeed they have a heart at all. People I know (or reviews I have read) that didn't like the film have criticised the intense political messages within it, but in my opinion these folk are missing the point entirely. It's true that there is a fierce undercurrent of anti right wing leaning running through the movie, but to portray the characters any other way would be factually inaccurate. Some may view Thatcher as a Saint, but characters like those in Brassed Off can only ever view her as an evil tyrant. Anyway I'm going off on a tangent now. My point is this: Brassed Off is a very humane picture that paints a picture of early eighties folk who have been robbed of their livelihood, yet still manages to be funny, charming, heartwarming, heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. A truly wonderful film.
not a feel-good movie
SnoopyStyle21 September 2015
It's the 90s Yorkshire, England. Gloria Mullins (Tara Fitzgerald) is assigned to her hometown of Grimley to evaluate the coal mine. The Thatcher government is closing coal mines all throughout the country and replacing them with nuclear power. The Grimley Colliery Brass band is a beloved tradition and almost as old as the mine. Gloria plays the flugelhorn and joins the band. She reconnects with childhood love Andy Barrow (Ewan McGregor). Sick band leader Danny Ormondroyd (Pete Postlethwaite) tries to rally the dispirited men.
This is not necessarily a feel-good movie. It has the light quirky moments in a movie dealing with some darker working class matters. This is a place broken by the inevitable closure. This is not an uplifting story about the little guys overcoming great odds to save the mine. There is no solidarity. It is a great slice of a crumbling pie. Tara and Ewan are a good looking pair. It's Pete Postlethwaite that truly steals the audience's heart.
This is not necessarily a feel-good movie. It has the light quirky moments in a movie dealing with some darker working class matters. This is a place broken by the inevitable closure. This is not an uplifting story about the little guys overcoming great odds to save the mine. There is no solidarity. It is a great slice of a crumbling pie. Tara and Ewan are a good looking pair. It's Pete Postlethwaite that truly steals the audience's heart.
How can people watch this & miss the point entirely?
queen_of_anarchy26 November 2006
Why did I say that? Because most of the negative comments come from right wing liberal haters who have entirely missed the meaning behind the film. I even read one which announced "keep politics out of my entertainment"!!!
Sorry, but the story is based around real events & the politics of the miners & the times are an integral part of that story. One poster (from Scotland who should have known better) stated :
"I think the problem I have is this film really plays up to the clichéd northern stereotypes it's almost offensive , the male characters all work down the pit , play in a brass band etc that it's impossible to believe in them as real human beings."
It was a colliery band - of course all the male band members worked down the pit - that was the crux of the story. And why does working down a pit & playing in a brass band diminish you as a real human being?
According to a poster from Yorkshire, who lived through the pit closures, it was VERY true to the times. Mr Scotland is being a bit elitist I think. I'm an Australian who cringes (&, if comedy, laughs) at the depiction of the stereotypical Aussie (think "Kath & Kim" if you get it over there) but that's only because I'm not one. However, the country's filled with them!!
It was a magnificent & moving film which captured the essence of the Thatcher years of destruction. If your not familiar with the period then do yourself a favour & read a bit about the history behind the pit closures etc before you watch this film - you'll enjoy it a whole lot more.
For you fellow Greenies out there, yes, I agree coal mining must cease but you don't go and pull the safety net away from a community without having something else to take its place. BTW. the closures didn't lower the use of fossil fuels anyway - the UK just started to import coal instead.
Sorry, but the story is based around real events & the politics of the miners & the times are an integral part of that story. One poster (from Scotland who should have known better) stated :
"I think the problem I have is this film really plays up to the clichéd northern stereotypes it's almost offensive , the male characters all work down the pit , play in a brass band etc that it's impossible to believe in them as real human beings."
It was a colliery band - of course all the male band members worked down the pit - that was the crux of the story. And why does working down a pit & playing in a brass band diminish you as a real human being?
According to a poster from Yorkshire, who lived through the pit closures, it was VERY true to the times. Mr Scotland is being a bit elitist I think. I'm an Australian who cringes (&, if comedy, laughs) at the depiction of the stereotypical Aussie (think "Kath & Kim" if you get it over there) but that's only because I'm not one. However, the country's filled with them!!
It was a magnificent & moving film which captured the essence of the Thatcher years of destruction. If your not familiar with the period then do yourself a favour & read a bit about the history behind the pit closures etc before you watch this film - you'll enjoy it a whole lot more.
For you fellow Greenies out there, yes, I agree coal mining must cease but you don't go and pull the safety net away from a community without having something else to take its place. BTW. the closures didn't lower the use of fossil fuels anyway - the UK just started to import coal instead.
One of the final nails in the coffin of the outgoing (1997) Conservative government
DesbUK28 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
BRASSED OFF is a 1996 movie from England - written and directed by Mark Herman - in that tradition of those movies about the working classes attempting to better themselves: THE FULLY MONTY, BILLY ELLIOT and MADE IN DAGENHAM being other prominent examples. At the time it seemed like one of the last nails in the coffin of the outgoing Tory government.
It's set in a real-looking Yorkshire mining town a few years after the 1984/85 miners strike, where the local coal mine is about to be closed. The miners (Ewan McGregor, Jim Carter, Stephen Tompkinson and others) find solidarity in their brass band under their conductor - retired miner Danny (the late Pete Postlewaite in his finest screen role), a man for whom music matters above all else.
The pit closes, but the band makes it to the national brass band competition final at the Albert Hall. On winning, you expect Danny to make some sentimental speech about how - in spite of everything - music holds the band together. Instead, he delivers probably the explicit political diatribe against the then Conservative government and the devastation unemployment inflicts on people. It's a superb moment in a film with its heart and soul in the dying working class communities of Yorkshire. This isn't a piece of Ken Loach-like realism - it's prettified and sentimentalised for a mainstream audience, yet the movie looses nothing for it.
At the close, the brass band play Elgar's Pomp and Circumstace March Number 1 as they pass the Houses of Parliament. It's meant to be ironic but it's also very touching.
It's set in a real-looking Yorkshire mining town a few years after the 1984/85 miners strike, where the local coal mine is about to be closed. The miners (Ewan McGregor, Jim Carter, Stephen Tompkinson and others) find solidarity in their brass band under their conductor - retired miner Danny (the late Pete Postlewaite in his finest screen role), a man for whom music matters above all else.
The pit closes, but the band makes it to the national brass band competition final at the Albert Hall. On winning, you expect Danny to make some sentimental speech about how - in spite of everything - music holds the band together. Instead, he delivers probably the explicit political diatribe against the then Conservative government and the devastation unemployment inflicts on people. It's a superb moment in a film with its heart and soul in the dying working class communities of Yorkshire. This isn't a piece of Ken Loach-like realism - it's prettified and sentimentalised for a mainstream audience, yet the movie looses nothing for it.
At the close, the brass band play Elgar's Pomp and Circumstace March Number 1 as they pass the Houses of Parliament. It's meant to be ironic but it's also very touching.
Wonderfully warm and human film
rps-213 January 2004
This film has everything: Humour. Poignancy. A message. Human characters. Warmth. A great cast and good story. Interesting locales. Creative techniques. (Watch for the clown scenes and especially the one in the playground.) "Brassed Off" was (and is) a powerful editorial indictment of the Thatcher government of the time. Yet it does not preach other than in the opening and closing credits which are pithy and innovative. Anytime you see something with the Channel Four label on it, you know it will be interesting, provocative and a little different. They outdid themselves on this.
Music as a weapon
valadas12 March 2001
In 1995 the Tory Government in Great Britain goes on with the policy initiated by Mrs Thatcher in 1984 of closing down coal pits and mines, making thousands of people jobless and miserable. Against this dramatic background which brings despair to a lot of families causing a lot of domestic trouble, a bunch of miners and a girl unite themselves with the aim of maintaining alive an old brass band in a Yorkshire mining town as a way of fighting the mine closure. We hear music that warm our hearts up and makes us forget for a moment the miners' drama. Despite some sentimental cliches like the one of the estranged wife who comes at last to see her husband play and that one of the dying band director who flees away from hospital to watch the band performance, this film conveys a message of will and solidarity in a rather efficient though sober way. It's worth seeing.
Annoyingly naive and simplistic view of the world
dementos28 February 2001
This movie features just about every cliche about the 'evils of capitalism'. Most importantly, all hard-working men are good and honest, while management and government are mean and cold-hearted. This is not a question of politics, but rather one of common sense and most basic economics! At times this general naivity and simplicity gets so annoying, it pretty much spoils the movie.
Almost perfect
moosic19 May 2002
I have seen Brassed Off many times, I do in fact own it, and every time I watch it it never fails to move me. There are certain moments that stick out to me as either breath taking or harrowing.
1) That famous 'Concierto d'Aranguez' scene. The first time I saw this scene it took my breath away, literally. When used well music can move you in a way words can't. The juxtaposing of this piece of music against the union's meeting is one of them. I haven't been this moved by a piece of music with actions since then apart from the Roxan sequence in Moulin Rouge.
2) The scene where Phil loses it when playing Mr Chuckles I actually can't sit through. I have to fast forward because the emotion the Stephen Tompkinson manages to portray is so strong it's painful to watch.
Through all of this though I think my favorite scene, the aforementioned 1) excluded, is when they compete in all 14 tournaments and get completely rat arsed. The sight of these brilliant musicians trying to continue playing when they can't see straight, stop laughing, or keep their instruments in one piece is one of the most honest, amusing and humble moments in a film in recent years. there is no flashy camera work, no deeper meaning, just something that says exactly who these people are. Ordinary human beings, not super-heros, and just trying to live life whilst having fun in difficult circumstances. And you really can't play wind instruments drunk, I've tried.
The film is not perfect. It is a bit preachy, especially the end. And McGregor's accent, although he plays the part beautifully, does slip at time, especially in his longer speeches. But the humanity of the film and it's charm out way all of it's faults.
1) That famous 'Concierto d'Aranguez' scene. The first time I saw this scene it took my breath away, literally. When used well music can move you in a way words can't. The juxtaposing of this piece of music against the union's meeting is one of them. I haven't been this moved by a piece of music with actions since then apart from the Roxan sequence in Moulin Rouge.
2) The scene where Phil loses it when playing Mr Chuckles I actually can't sit through. I have to fast forward because the emotion the Stephen Tompkinson manages to portray is so strong it's painful to watch.
Through all of this though I think my favorite scene, the aforementioned 1) excluded, is when they compete in all 14 tournaments and get completely rat arsed. The sight of these brilliant musicians trying to continue playing when they can't see straight, stop laughing, or keep their instruments in one piece is one of the most honest, amusing and humble moments in a film in recent years. there is no flashy camera work, no deeper meaning, just something that says exactly who these people are. Ordinary human beings, not super-heros, and just trying to live life whilst having fun in difficult circumstances. And you really can't play wind instruments drunk, I've tried.
The film is not perfect. It is a bit preachy, especially the end. And McGregor's accent, although he plays the part beautifully, does slip at time, especially in his longer speeches. But the humanity of the film and it's charm out way all of it's faults.
Classic Brit pic
agmoldham1 December 2003
This film works on so many different levels. As a social and political film it captures the impact on people that our ever evolving industrial development has. The story focuses on the closure of a mine that supports an entire community. The management skillfully divide the community by offering rewards for their compliance. There's also a difficult romance that blossoms between a miner (Andy) and a manager (Gloria). Danny is more interested in music than anything else, but by the end of the film he has a different perspective on life. On the face of it this is a very grim movie, but underneath it is warm and shows just how strong the human spirit can be. The outdoor competitions where they get blasted and play very badly was filmed just up the road from me and they're still going strong today. Pete Postlethwaite is a fine actor, Tara Fitzgerald is gorgeous and I've not even mentioned Ewan McGregor so this must be good.
Wonderful movie
drummer-319 March 2002
This is really one of the best British movies for decades. I guess a lot of the people, who don't like the political message or find it unrealistic, just haven't tried to live in a town depending on one huge employer.
I live in such a town. Fortunately the factory is doing well now but when it was in trouble a couple of years ago i can assure you the whole town held their breath.
I think it hits spot on the consequences of Thatcherism which led to closing down a whole industry just because it was "old fashioned".
I think the most fitting comment is made by the conductor in the closing scene at top of a sight-seeing bus through London.: "Come on lads, Land of b***** Hope and Glory"!!
I live in such a town. Fortunately the factory is doing well now but when it was in trouble a couple of years ago i can assure you the whole town held their breath.
I think it hits spot on the consequences of Thatcherism which led to closing down a whole industry just because it was "old fashioned".
I think the most fitting comment is made by the conductor in the closing scene at top of a sight-seeing bus through London.: "Come on lads, Land of b***** Hope and Glory"!!
Simplistic politics gets in the way
stills-620 July 1999
A very familiar story with a bit of British politics. In America, the movie was marketed as a romantic comedy - go figure! (What does the cover picture have to do with the movie?)
I was disappointed in the politics of the movie right away - I thought the idea of trying to save an institution that poses a general threat to the health of the world was tenuous at best, and the movie never really addresses it. The theme of "shame on the Tories" got tiresome after a while. They had reasons for doing what they did beyond the film's accusation of "progress for progress' sake". This type of blind evil in movies is too easy to portray and ultimately unfair.
But just like the lives of the miners, the moments of music make you forget all that and you can appreciate those moments for what they are. Postlethwaite's performance was stunning and he was at his best during these moments.
I was disappointed in the politics of the movie right away - I thought the idea of trying to save an institution that poses a general threat to the health of the world was tenuous at best, and the movie never really addresses it. The theme of "shame on the Tories" got tiresome after a while. They had reasons for doing what they did beyond the film's accusation of "progress for progress' sake". This type of blind evil in movies is too easy to portray and ultimately unfair.
But just like the lives of the miners, the moments of music make you forget all that and you can appreciate those moments for what they are. Postlethwaite's performance was stunning and he was at his best during these moments.
Highly watchable drama with top performances
VisionThing1 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Whoever designed the cover for this film ought to be shot. But don't be put off by its ghastliness or the silly name, Brassed Off is actually a top quality movie.
The synopsis for Brassed Off must have had an overwhelming potential to turn out either as an exceedingly cheesy film about rugged-coal-workers-who-yet-display-soulfulness-through-music or, possibly worse, as an uplifting musical. Thankfully, it is not a musical. It is not a tacky comedy either. It is actually one of the best dramas I have ever seen.
Granted, the movie is a bit predictable and contains a few scenes that feel overly calculated. But all in all the potentially goofy script unfolds with amazing grace, turning into an enjoyable movie portraying grey, gritty imagery populated by highly competent and flawlessly performing cast. Thanks to them, the end product is not pathetic, but poignant; this is not cotton candy, but main course. Even the compulsory happy ending has an edge to it.
8,5/10
The synopsis for Brassed Off must have had an overwhelming potential to turn out either as an exceedingly cheesy film about rugged-coal-workers-who-yet-display-soulfulness-through-music or, possibly worse, as an uplifting musical. Thankfully, it is not a musical. It is not a tacky comedy either. It is actually one of the best dramas I have ever seen.
Granted, the movie is a bit predictable and contains a few scenes that feel overly calculated. But all in all the potentially goofy script unfolds with amazing grace, turning into an enjoyable movie portraying grey, gritty imagery populated by highly competent and flawlessly performing cast. Thanks to them, the end product is not pathetic, but poignant; this is not cotton candy, but main course. Even the compulsory happy ending has an edge to it.
8,5/10
Overrated sentimental, tub-thumping tosh!
Andy-14013 October 1998
In spite of a good cast I did not enjoy 'Brassed Off'. The characters are all presented as helpless victims who can only show their pride in order to survive.
Certain scenes such as the bailiffs seizing possessions from Stephen Tomkinson's house just seem added on for pathos. The final concert scenes at the Albert Hall are perhaps the worst in the film, especially the sentimental tub-thumping by Pete Postlethwaite. The music was about the only good thing in the film. Overall it was just a sentimentalised and romanticised view of a defeated working-class pit community which will, no doubt, appeal to the politically inept.
Certain scenes such as the bailiffs seizing possessions from Stephen Tomkinson's house just seem added on for pathos. The final concert scenes at the Albert Hall are perhaps the worst in the film, especially the sentimental tub-thumping by Pete Postlethwaite. The music was about the only good thing in the film. Overall it was just a sentimentalised and romanticised view of a defeated working-class pit community which will, no doubt, appeal to the politically inept.
Kind Hearts and Cornets
john-310921 January 2006
Mark Herman's (1996) film is set in his native Yorkshire shortly after the reign of Margaret Thatcher (1983-1990).
Written by the director in a state of melodic social uproar, this film more than any other tells the inside story of a traditional, northern mining community in crisis.
As we join the impervious Danny (Pete Postlethwaite), whistling as hard as his failing lungs will allow, we begin to get the feeling that all is not quite well. Determined to convince himself that if only the band can win the annual brass band festival in London the community will remain intact, the audience begins to see the cards stacking up against him while at the same time being drawn into his hypnotic, romantic belief.
First the unlikely arrival of glamorous Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) who is staying in only temporary accommodation. While pursuing her professional career.. she has kept up playing the Flugelhorn.. as an elegy to her late father.. another occupational casualty of the industry.
For a moment, she breaks the spell that Danny has woven over his son Phil (Stephen Tompkinson) and workmates Andy (Ewan McGregor), Harry (Jim Carter), Jim (Philip Jackson) and Ernie (Peter Martin). But the reason for her return is more sinister than even she realises.
In 1992, like many others, the pit is under threat of closure as the government progressively favours alternative sources of energy and even alternative sources of coal. The management are muddying the water by offering the workforce redundancy payments as the community closes ranks in a desperate effort to safeguard their way of life.
As the determined, covert machinations of government policy grind inexorably towards their unfeeling end.. every family in the 'Grimley' community is touched by the mounting tension. But the band plays on.
Supplemented by actual musicians from the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, and with sterling performances from Sue Johnson (Vera) and Mary Healey (Ida) many comic moments and situations punctuate the dark undercurrent that permeates the film.
In a triumphant finish that seals the future of the band at least, art and life confront one another at The Albert Hall, London where an brass band competition is held every year.
This is a heart-warming film and a fitting tribute the spirit of all the mining communities whose story is so intricately bound up in it.
Written by the director in a state of melodic social uproar, this film more than any other tells the inside story of a traditional, northern mining community in crisis.
As we join the impervious Danny (Pete Postlethwaite), whistling as hard as his failing lungs will allow, we begin to get the feeling that all is not quite well. Determined to convince himself that if only the band can win the annual brass band festival in London the community will remain intact, the audience begins to see the cards stacking up against him while at the same time being drawn into his hypnotic, romantic belief.
First the unlikely arrival of glamorous Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) who is staying in only temporary accommodation. While pursuing her professional career.. she has kept up playing the Flugelhorn.. as an elegy to her late father.. another occupational casualty of the industry.
For a moment, she breaks the spell that Danny has woven over his son Phil (Stephen Tompkinson) and workmates Andy (Ewan McGregor), Harry (Jim Carter), Jim (Philip Jackson) and Ernie (Peter Martin). But the reason for her return is more sinister than even she realises.
In 1992, like many others, the pit is under threat of closure as the government progressively favours alternative sources of energy and even alternative sources of coal. The management are muddying the water by offering the workforce redundancy payments as the community closes ranks in a desperate effort to safeguard their way of life.
As the determined, covert machinations of government policy grind inexorably towards their unfeeling end.. every family in the 'Grimley' community is touched by the mounting tension. But the band plays on.
Supplemented by actual musicians from the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, and with sterling performances from Sue Johnson (Vera) and Mary Healey (Ida) many comic moments and situations punctuate the dark undercurrent that permeates the film.
In a triumphant finish that seals the future of the band at least, art and life confront one another at The Albert Hall, London where an brass band competition is held every year.
This is a heart-warming film and a fitting tribute the spirit of all the mining communities whose story is so intricately bound up in it.
It's heart's in the right place
joachimokeefe20 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Pete Postlethwaite steals the show from the off as a dedicated band conductor, such as the show is, in the story of how Grimley Colliery brass band wins the national championships with the 'Lone Ranger Theme', as it's known to the working class. Of course, there are many bumps in the road, but Ewan MacGregor and Tara Fitzgerald's romance comes good in the end.
Sentimental, earnest, Brassed Off just about manages not to be condescending to the mining communities, and puts in a few deep digs against the Tory party. As a story, it holds together over the length of the movie, but as a depiction of people with no money and no hope, it's melodramatic. The characters are very simply drawn. Perhaps if it showed genuine desperation it would be too depressing; it's a feelgood story after all, and a difficult situation to draw a positive from.
So you get the triumph of people dedicated (that word again) to music, but you never get the feeling that the band means anything to them beyond being a drain on their finances. They don't practise at home, their music brings them no joy, all they seem to be doing is keeping up appearances for the sake of it and because it's a colliery tradition. Pete Postlethwaite is the only character that expresses genuine passion for what he does, and the rest of them diss him for it.
Brass band performances of popular classics, however immaculate, are rarely deeply moving. The best you can do is admire the skill of a large group of amateur musicians, so the music is unlikely to give you goosebumps.
Then you get people having the bailiffs remove their house contents, and 1000 job losses, and wives and kids moving out, but you don't really sympathise because it's actually only about the brass band - and at least his phone's still connected.
Whatever is important to the characters, Brassed Off assumes with no establishing scenes that you are on board from the start, in the same way it assumes you are on board with the anti-Tory sentiments it embraces. In other words, your sympathy for the characters is taken for granted but never really established by them doing anything beyond playing brass instruments expertly. Perhaps the script is not sentimental enough. It's certainly not sophisticated.
Jim Carter puts in a good turn as a curmudgeonly euphonium (NOT trumpet) player - all the band are, in fact everybody is, curmudgeonly - and Tara Fitzgerald is as convincing (though unbelievable) as the limited script allows her to be. Ewan MacGregor has a very cute face, but on this showing he's a shallow, two-dimensional actor.
All in all, Brassed off is a pretty well-rendered, sentimental story about people in recent history who shared an enthusiasm for something completely outdated; it never gets traction on a genuine, touching, authentic human level, in spite of its right-on sentiments.
Worth watching to be able to say, "Pete Postlethwaite was bloody good, wasn't he?". And maybe, "That Thatcher, what a devil incarnate".
Sentimental, earnest, Brassed Off just about manages not to be condescending to the mining communities, and puts in a few deep digs against the Tory party. As a story, it holds together over the length of the movie, but as a depiction of people with no money and no hope, it's melodramatic. The characters are very simply drawn. Perhaps if it showed genuine desperation it would be too depressing; it's a feelgood story after all, and a difficult situation to draw a positive from.
So you get the triumph of people dedicated (that word again) to music, but you never get the feeling that the band means anything to them beyond being a drain on their finances. They don't practise at home, their music brings them no joy, all they seem to be doing is keeping up appearances for the sake of it and because it's a colliery tradition. Pete Postlethwaite is the only character that expresses genuine passion for what he does, and the rest of them diss him for it.
Brass band performances of popular classics, however immaculate, are rarely deeply moving. The best you can do is admire the skill of a large group of amateur musicians, so the music is unlikely to give you goosebumps.
Then you get people having the bailiffs remove their house contents, and 1000 job losses, and wives and kids moving out, but you don't really sympathise because it's actually only about the brass band - and at least his phone's still connected.
Whatever is important to the characters, Brassed Off assumes with no establishing scenes that you are on board from the start, in the same way it assumes you are on board with the anti-Tory sentiments it embraces. In other words, your sympathy for the characters is taken for granted but never really established by them doing anything beyond playing brass instruments expertly. Perhaps the script is not sentimental enough. It's certainly not sophisticated.
Jim Carter puts in a good turn as a curmudgeonly euphonium (NOT trumpet) player - all the band are, in fact everybody is, curmudgeonly - and Tara Fitzgerald is as convincing (though unbelievable) as the limited script allows her to be. Ewan MacGregor has a very cute face, but on this showing he's a shallow, two-dimensional actor.
All in all, Brassed off is a pretty well-rendered, sentimental story about people in recent history who shared an enthusiasm for something completely outdated; it never gets traction on a genuine, touching, authentic human level, in spite of its right-on sentiments.
Worth watching to be able to say, "Pete Postlethwaite was bloody good, wasn't he?". And maybe, "That Thatcher, what a devil incarnate".
Probably the best political social comment film in British cinema history
johnm-skews13 August 2010
I was born into a pit village (Wombwell) and i lived / worked through the miners strike. Not as a miner, but believe me when i say that everyone - EVERYONE who lived in the area at the time was effected in one way or another. The film depicts the relationships that existed at and around the time of the strike and the years that followed. It was a time of turmoil and Brassed Off is spot on in it's depiction of how friends and neighbours / colleagues and workmates / staff employed underground and in management or office roles were at loggerheads.
Nothing can ever truly express the feelings and hardship that was the miners strike and the pit closures that followed.
Arthur Scargill (figure of hate / love / comedic derision or political leader dependent on your background) was WRONG.
Not necessarily in his views but certainly in his prophecy of the future. For even he did not predict the final number of pits that the Thatcherite government would evidentially close.
The film is to many a landmark in British movie standards. To pigeon hole this film as a comedy - musical - political dialogue - does not do the film justice.
If ever a film ticked all the boxes, this is the one.
So sit back and watch a true cinematic epic! And the music (from a heavy metal fan at heart) is fantastic beyond all proportions.
If you don't feel overwhelmed by William Tell or if Danny Boy doesn't bring a tear to your eye - then you may as well give up, as the message and the meaning of this film (that the only really important things in life are what you have always taken for granted) are probably why you never understood films such as Kes.
Nothing can ever truly express the feelings and hardship that was the miners strike and the pit closures that followed.
Arthur Scargill (figure of hate / love / comedic derision or political leader dependent on your background) was WRONG.
Not necessarily in his views but certainly in his prophecy of the future. For even he did not predict the final number of pits that the Thatcherite government would evidentially close.
The film is to many a landmark in British movie standards. To pigeon hole this film as a comedy - musical - political dialogue - does not do the film justice.
If ever a film ticked all the boxes, this is the one.
So sit back and watch a true cinematic epic! And the music (from a heavy metal fan at heart) is fantastic beyond all proportions.
If you don't feel overwhelmed by William Tell or if Danny Boy doesn't bring a tear to your eye - then you may as well give up, as the message and the meaning of this film (that the only really important things in life are what you have always taken for granted) are probably why you never understood films such as Kes.
A very engaging film that doesn't know what it wants to be
justinreynolds4018 December 2015
Before I start I'll say that "Brassed Off" is a silly name for this film. I would have chose something else. "King Coal" maybe? I dunno... anything but "Brassed Off".
Anyway, I'm from one of South Yorkshire's ex-mining communities so I approached this film with a more critical mind. The coalfields have never been depicted well on film so I approached this with low expectations... and it exceeded them.
This film really feels like they did their research. The accents are done pretty well and I definitely feel like I'm looking at a Barnsley mining village when I watch it, so I guess they did well with that. It's one of the better portrayals of South Yorkshire's coalfields, though there are still Northerner clichés in places that bug me.
The main problem with this film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. It doesn't know if it's a comedy or a hard hitting social commentary condemning Thatcher and the Conservative party. If they wanted to do a social commentary they should have just done a straight up social commentary. No need for any romance stuff. It's the social commentary and seeing how these characters cope with the situations they face which interest me the most and make this movie.
There is comedy in here, which does stop the film from getting too depressing and political, though saying that if you're looking for a comedy then you might be disappointed as it does get pretty serious in the middle of the movie as the harsh reality of the situation hits home for the characters. If you're looking for more laughs I recommend The Full Monty instead.
I really wish they would have gotten rid of the unnecessary sub plot; the relationship between Gloria and Andy. To me it brings brings nothing to the movie, but I suppose at the time there was the mentality that "you must have at least one tale of romance in a film". I suppose if that's your thing (like the Jack and Rose romance on Titanic) then you'll like it I suppose. They do have chemistry. It's just not what I think the film should have a large focus on. The mine is closing and this probably had a huge effect on the lives of people in that community. The romance sub-plot is small potatoes.
It's a good film, though in my opinion The Full Monty did it better. It blended comedy, romance, drama, commentary on masculinity and politics way better. Brassed Off didn't keep it simple, doesn't flow as well, feels like a load of ideas slopped into one and the romance sub-plot is too distracting and ruins the film. I still recommend you watch this though (maybe after The Full Monty). The cast are outstanding, the film has characters that you really want to root for, the music is great, the film at times is incredibly touching and sad and if you live in a ex-mining area like i do the message at the end really hits home.
Anyway, I'm from one of South Yorkshire's ex-mining communities so I approached this film with a more critical mind. The coalfields have never been depicted well on film so I approached this with low expectations... and it exceeded them.
This film really feels like they did their research. The accents are done pretty well and I definitely feel like I'm looking at a Barnsley mining village when I watch it, so I guess they did well with that. It's one of the better portrayals of South Yorkshire's coalfields, though there are still Northerner clichés in places that bug me.
The main problem with this film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. It doesn't know if it's a comedy or a hard hitting social commentary condemning Thatcher and the Conservative party. If they wanted to do a social commentary they should have just done a straight up social commentary. No need for any romance stuff. It's the social commentary and seeing how these characters cope with the situations they face which interest me the most and make this movie.
There is comedy in here, which does stop the film from getting too depressing and political, though saying that if you're looking for a comedy then you might be disappointed as it does get pretty serious in the middle of the movie as the harsh reality of the situation hits home for the characters. If you're looking for more laughs I recommend The Full Monty instead.
I really wish they would have gotten rid of the unnecessary sub plot; the relationship between Gloria and Andy. To me it brings brings nothing to the movie, but I suppose at the time there was the mentality that "you must have at least one tale of romance in a film". I suppose if that's your thing (like the Jack and Rose romance on Titanic) then you'll like it I suppose. They do have chemistry. It's just not what I think the film should have a large focus on. The mine is closing and this probably had a huge effect on the lives of people in that community. The romance sub-plot is small potatoes.
It's a good film, though in my opinion The Full Monty did it better. It blended comedy, romance, drama, commentary on masculinity and politics way better. Brassed Off didn't keep it simple, doesn't flow as well, feels like a load of ideas slopped into one and the romance sub-plot is too distracting and ruins the film. I still recommend you watch this though (maybe after The Full Monty). The cast are outstanding, the film has characters that you really want to root for, the music is great, the film at times is incredibly touching and sad and if you live in a ex-mining area like i do the message at the end really hits home.
A complaint about the film's, for want of a better word, politics
Spleen21 August 1999
I'll begin with what I didn't understand.
Firstly: whether or not people should be payed to dig coal out of the ground, depends on whether society needs coal dug out of the ground. If it turns out that - for whatever reason - we are actually better off WITHOUT the coal being removed from the ground, then we clearly should leave it where it is. (It might be different if coal mining were a pleasant activity. It isn't.) What happens to the people who were previously paid money to mine coal is a separate question: let them starve, subsidise their brass bands, create some other industry, or simply pay them to do nothing, depending on what you think is right. WHY, exactly, are we meant to think that coal mining is inherently worthwhile?
Well, for the sake of argument, let's suppose it is. I've swallowed sillier propositions in order to enjoy a good story. Coal mining ought to be preserved for its own sake regardless of whether anyone requires coal. Okay. So there's this woman named Gloria who wants to stand up for what is noble and save the fabulous coal mines from the evil board of directors; and she mistakenly thinks that writing a report which demonstrates that the mines are economically viable will do this. As a matter of fact she's wrong. AT WORST she misdirects her energies on a project that will have no effect on either the mine or the miners. Why, then, do all of the miners hate her so much? What, even from their point of view, has she done that's wrong? I don't get this, either.
Does this matter? I think it does. When I say that I don't understand the miner's point of view, or what is going on in the debate about whether or not to close the mines, I mean it literally: I don't understand. The film could have explained some of this to me but it didn't. And - this is aesthetically irrelevant but I mention it anyway - clearly the makers of the film were sinking the boot into doctrinaire right-wing politicians. I heartily approve. But with so many comprehensible bones of contention out there, why pick this one?
It's all the more surprising, then, that "Brassed Off" is good after all. Romantic comedy, it's not: in fact it's unremitting gloom, a journey into the heart of depression, offering only two or three moments of joy and no grounds whatever for any kind of hope. We soon learn that brass bands do NOT have a jolly sound. Nor do they sound melancholy: rather they are clean, almost acerbic, a medium for people who want to really HEAR the music, unadorned with schmaltz.
Firstly: whether or not people should be payed to dig coal out of the ground, depends on whether society needs coal dug out of the ground. If it turns out that - for whatever reason - we are actually better off WITHOUT the coal being removed from the ground, then we clearly should leave it where it is. (It might be different if coal mining were a pleasant activity. It isn't.) What happens to the people who were previously paid money to mine coal is a separate question: let them starve, subsidise their brass bands, create some other industry, or simply pay them to do nothing, depending on what you think is right. WHY, exactly, are we meant to think that coal mining is inherently worthwhile?
Well, for the sake of argument, let's suppose it is. I've swallowed sillier propositions in order to enjoy a good story. Coal mining ought to be preserved for its own sake regardless of whether anyone requires coal. Okay. So there's this woman named Gloria who wants to stand up for what is noble and save the fabulous coal mines from the evil board of directors; and she mistakenly thinks that writing a report which demonstrates that the mines are economically viable will do this. As a matter of fact she's wrong. AT WORST she misdirects her energies on a project that will have no effect on either the mine or the miners. Why, then, do all of the miners hate her so much? What, even from their point of view, has she done that's wrong? I don't get this, either.
Does this matter? I think it does. When I say that I don't understand the miner's point of view, or what is going on in the debate about whether or not to close the mines, I mean it literally: I don't understand. The film could have explained some of this to me but it didn't. And - this is aesthetically irrelevant but I mention it anyway - clearly the makers of the film were sinking the boot into doctrinaire right-wing politicians. I heartily approve. But with so many comprehensible bones of contention out there, why pick this one?
It's all the more surprising, then, that "Brassed Off" is good after all. Romantic comedy, it's not: in fact it's unremitting gloom, a journey into the heart of depression, offering only two or three moments of joy and no grounds whatever for any kind of hope. We soon learn that brass bands do NOT have a jolly sound. Nor do they sound melancholy: rather they are clean, almost acerbic, a medium for people who want to really HEAR the music, unadorned with schmaltz.
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