Brassed Off (1996)

Director:

Mark Herman

Writer:

Mark Herman (writer)

Release Date:

23 May 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Music

Tagline:

Fed up with the system. Ticked off at the establishment. And mad about... each other.

Plot:

The coal mine in a northern English village may be closing, which would also mean the end of the miners' brass band.

Plot Keywords:

Band | Colliery | Brass Band | Hope | Competition

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 10 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Pete Postlethwaite	...	Danny
Tara Fitzgerald	...	Gloria
Ewan McGregor	...	Andy
Stephen Tompkinson	...	Phil
Jim Carter	...	Harry
Philip Jackson	...	Jim
Peter Martin	...	Ernie
Sue Johnston	...	Vera
Mary Healey	...	Ida
Melanie Hill	...	Sandra
Lill Roughley	...	Rita
Peter Gunn	...	Simmo
Stephen Moore	...	McKenzie
Kenneth Colley	...	Greasley (as Ken Colley)
Olga Grahame	...	Mrs. Foggan

Also Known As:

Brassed Off! (USA) (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:14A (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

The advertising slogan on the back of the coach that the band use reads: "Arkwright Travel - New York, London, Paris & Grimley - But mainly Grimley".

Quotes:

[the band have finished playing Danny boy outside the hospital when the Ward Sister appears in the doorway]
Ward Sister: Message from Mr Ormanrod!
Phil: He's awake?
Ward Sister: Yes. He says your Tenor Horn is too soft!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Comedy Connections: Drop the Dead Donkey (#4.3)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

En Aranjuez con tu amor

Very moving and beautiful

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.