Film: "Brassed Off" (1995).
Mark Herman's bittersweet comedy set in North Yorkshire in 1992 in the run-up
to another pit closure mixes Ealing-style comedy with stark political truths.
In a film where the characters are rather too broadly drawn, Pete Postlewaite
offers an utterly convincing performance as Danny, the dedicated leader of the
colliery brass band, who refuses to believe the band should die with the mine.
He finds an unexpected ally in Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald), a beautiful newcomer
to the band, who turns out to be working for the management, albeit with the
best intentions.
The film becomes darker as we see the increasing desperation of Danny's son
Phil (Ballykissangel's Stephen Tompkinson), who was imprisoned during
the 1984 miners' strike and is still hopelessly in debt. Only the band can
bring everyone together but Herman resists the temptation to give way to
sentimentality. A delightful cast including Ewan McGregor, Sue Johnston and
Jim Carter enlivens this earthy film, but what really makes it stand out is
the rousing music performed by the real-life Grimethorpe Colliery Band.
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