Brassed Off (1996)

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

Director:

Mark Herman

Writer:

Mark Herman

Stars:

Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald, Ewan McGregor

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 10 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In existence for a hundred years, Grimley Colliery Brass band is as old as the mine. But the miners are now deciding whether to fight to keep the pit open, and the future for town and band looks bleak. Although the arrival of flugelhorn player Gloria injects some life into the players, and bandleader Danny continues to exhort them to continue in the national competition, frictions and pressures are all too evident. And who's side is Gloria actually on?

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Plot Keywords:

yorkshire | bare chested male | nudity | male nudity | male rear nudity | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brassed Off!

Filming Locations:

British Waterways Wharf, Friars Gate, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£1,674,359 (United Kingdom), 15 November 1996

Opening Weekend USA:

$52,534, 26 May 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,560,471, 10 August 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Isobel Griffiths Limited, Miramax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nearly twice as many coal mines closed during the two premierships of Harold Wilson (1964-70, 1974-76) than during Margaret Thatcher's premiership. More than 290 coal mines closed under Wilson, compared to about 160 under Thatcher.

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Goofs

When Gloria is playing the Concerto de Aranjuez, the second measure after the Flugelhorn comes in, she plays a note with the second valve that should be played with the first valve. The written note is a B-flat for Flugelhorn (concert A-Flat). Playing with the second valve would produce a B natural, a half step higher.

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Quotes

Jim: Must be an awful lot, having that much guilt you got to buy your way out of it.
Gloria: Jim, I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for you... and Danny.

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Crazy Credits

The beginning of the closing credits is headed by the silouhette of a trumpet.

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Alternate Versions

The British release does not have the dictionary definitions at the start or end of the film. These were added to the American release to introduce the US audience to British slang. The end of the film has the same information, but just as normal text.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

March Of The Cobblers
Written by Bob Barratt (as R. Barrett) and Edrich Siebert (as E. Siebert)
Published by Ardmore and Beechwood Ltd trading as Ambrose Music/EMI Music Publishing Ltd.

User Reviews

Matters of music and of people

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.