The coal mine in a northern English village may be closing, which would also mean the end of the miners' brass band.The coal mine in a northern English village may be closing, which would also mean the end of the miners' brass band.The coal mine in a northern English village may be closing, which would also mean the end of the miners' brass band.
- Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards
- 10 wins & 7 nominations total
- Greasley
- (as Ken Colley)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPete Postlethwaite was heavily criticized by ex-miners for claiming he supported the 1984 strike, but believed people should never burn coal. The last remaining coal mines in the UK closed largely as a result of the 2008 Climate Change Act.
- GoofsThe result of the vote for redundancy seems to take place on a Saturday, when the regional final for the brass band is also held. Some miners are shown leaving their shift. Saturday work had been eliminated from the National Coal Board long before the film is set. An announcement as important as a redundancy vote would not have been made on a Saturday.
- Quotes
Danny: This band behind me'll tell you that that trophy means more to me than owt else in the whole world. But they'd be wrong! Truth is, I THOUGHT it mattered. I thought that MUSIC mattered. But does it bollocks? Not compared to how people matter. Us winning this trophy won't mean bugger-all to most people. But us *refusing* it - like what we're going to do now - well, then it becomes news, doesn't it?
[flurry of press camera shutters]
Danny: You see what I mean. That way, I'll not just be talking to myself, will I? Because over the last ten years, this bloody government has systematically destroyed an entire industry. OUR industry. And not just our industry - our communities, our homes, our lives. All in the name of "progress". And for a few lousy bob. I'll tell you something else you might not know, as well. A fortnight ago, this band's pit were closed - another thousand men lost their jobs. And that's not all they lost. Most of them lost the will to win a while ago. A few of them even lost the will to fight. But when it comes to losing the will to live, to breathe, the point is - if this lot were seals or whales, you'd all be up in bloody arms. But they're not, are they, no, no they're not. They're just ordinary common-or-garden honest, decent human beings. And not one of them with an ounce of bloody hope left. Oh aye, they can knock out a bloody good tune. But what the fuck does that matter?
[gasps emotionally, close to tears]
Danny: And now I'm going to take my boys out onto the town. Thank you.
[rapturous applause and standing ovation]
- Crazy creditsOn some prints, the words "The End" remain onscreen as three additional lines of "definitions" are added one by one underneath:
- 1. closure (as in 140 pits since 1984)
- 2. termination (as in 250,000 jobs)
- 3. conclusion (as in draw your own...)
- Alternate versionsThe 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.
- SoundtracksDeath Or Glory
Written by Robert Browne Hall (as R. B. Hall)
Films like Brassed Off, which seek to present a view of a sensitive issue, are often derided for not offering a solution which can be written on the back of a cereal box. Personally, I take that as a recommendation!
The point of the film is this: put people in situations that most of us will happily never face, and they react in extreme fashions. There was little or no 'political' argument, other than the fact that the Conservative Government of the time did destroy an entire industry. That same government them spent millions of pounds a year buying coal from Europe and South America. Angry? I would be.
I saw characters portrayed in their entirety, which meant 'scabs' and 'sellouts' rubbed shoulders with the committed and poor. I saw unflattering portraits of basically decent people, prepared to risk friendships and relationships to keep alive an industry which was killing them but without which they could not live. It was a desperate time, and the fact that families have been split since the 1984 strike shows just how deep feelings can run on this issue.
And I saw no skipping over the holes in the logic either. No mention of the 4-1 vote in favour of closing the mine? Half of the chuffing film was about that! What about the fate of Gloria's report? What about Phil, a striker from 1984, voting for closure? Did no-one notice that he was one of the major characters?
I do think that there were some problems with the structure of the film (although it was dramatically more satisfying than the Full Monty). Gloria was unconvincing; the wives were underused, and the speech at the end, yes, I found it embarrassing too!
But please, before you attack the veracity of such a rounded and honest film as Brassed Off, take the time and trouble to watch it properly first!
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Cuivres et charbon
- Filming locations
- High Street, Grimethorpe, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, UK('In Cod We Trust' fish and chip shop and Spar supermarket)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,576,331
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $52,534
- May 26, 1997
- Gross worldwide
- $2,589,012
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