Brassed Off!
|
List Price: Our Price: $12.67 You Save: $2.32 (15%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $9.31 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of Brassed Off!
Movie Review: Terms of Endearment for Coal Miners?
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm reviewing the vhs version here because I think more people will see it and I'm not going into any "extra's" anyhow.
So lets get to the movie. I titled my review as such because when I did a "Big Fish" review, someone else called that film the "Terms of Endearment for men". Which I didn't get. (If you read my review on that movie (please do and if it is helpful rate me please!) It was more about the adventures of one man, Edward Bloom, than about the relationship dynamic between a father/son. Maybe the lack of a relationship, throw some "Postcards From the Edge" in there and really confuse people-but I don't know. That comparison was making a purse out of a pigs ear if you ask me. And if you're reading this, you're asking me, -sorta.
I should note that you have to read my "about me" section if I tend to wander. It'll mangle your mind.(Reference to another film-Velvet Goldmine, 5 Stars also)
So back to "Brassed Off" and time to stop being brassed off about the "Big Fish" review.
It's an older movie but since it's set in one of those
Ireland/Scotland/Wales/North Britain villages that never age it's timeless. It could be happening yesterday for all we know except for a brief reference to Margaret Thatcher as the current Prime Minister at the beginning. The story is typical and well known. It's been done with great success in
many films, the most popular probably being "The Full Monty" which also went on (inexplicably) to be a broadway musical.
The "MANAGEMENT" (ooh they MUST be evil) are deciding whether the coal mine that supports the town is viable or not. Lines are drawn, we are supposed to root for the litle guys who of course aren't the scabs and all of them just happen to play in the only other viable operation the town has going for it, a brass band.
That is after they climb out of the mine shaft covered in soot, swinging their lunch-buckets at the end of the day, and are suitably cleaned up. You can picture it already can't you? Hard working lads who enjoy a pint now and then.
Immediately we are introduced to the the character of "Glorious [...] Gloria"(Tara Fitzgerald) who left the town sometime ago. How happy under the circumstances that not only does she play the fluglehorn brilliantly, she also works for MANAGEMENT; and has a shared past first sexual experience with Andy (Ewan McGregor), a trumpetor himself. She just doesn't feel the need to disclose that bit of information to anyone, not even poor Andy.
This fits neatly into what is essentially a sideline to the story.
The heart of it is Danny (Pete Postlethwaite), the bands conductor, and Phil(Stephen Tompkinson), his son who got into a lot of financial trouble during the last strike at the mine years ago and is losing everything, including his family and eventually part of his mind now that MANAGEMENT is back in town. It is this story that holds "Brassed Off" together, not
the Ewan/Tara subplot that the box cover wants to sell copies from because of Ewan McGregor's fame.
I am a giant Ewan McGregor fan, just look at my profile and lists and you'll see that, but this movie is soooo not about him. He is a bit player. If that is what you are shopping for then ok, it's a good part, small but good.
Other than that it is the story of how a town can drag itself out of the ashes, how a father and son can have a relationship together that isn't manly or sappy but real. It is a story of how sometimes when you have very little to hold on to it's better to hold tighter when giving up would be the easiest thing to do. Spoiler alert if you read the next paragraph!
The ensemble casting was perfect. These were real people. This was a real place. It has a happy ending -I'll spoil that for you but isn't that what you want? A happy ending?
This is a film that depicts people who have reached the very lowest they can go and the very highest they can acheive, and yet there is still room for more hope and happiness at an unfinished ending. I highly recommend this to anyone who liked the Full Monty. I recommend this and add that you wil enjoy it more. I also recommend the soundtrack. Who knew Danny Boy by a brass band could be so
moving?
Movie Review: An absolute gem of a movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
The heritage of the English coal mines (collieries as they are called) has been a mixed one of industrial production, labor strife and music. Music? Indeed, the existence and competition of employee brass bands formed as a diversionary activity for the miners is overlooked by most people born outside of the English coal mining commmunities. What began as a mild diversion has since provided a rich legacy of music that should not be ignored. But musical legacy notwithstanding, there are other factors at play in this wonderful little movie like the Tory policies of Margaret Thatcher's U.K. and the forced closure of many mines over recent years.The idyllic (although certainly not prosperous) existence of one such group of miners is attacked on two fronts; first by threats to close down the colliery, but the addition of a woman (Tara Fitzgerald) to the all male ensemble is even more unsettling. Her talent as a flugelhornist is as bothersome to the members of the band, as her beauty is to one bandmate in particular (Ewen MacGregor). Ms. Fitzgerald has to be the best kept secret in the British cinema as she combines fantastic ability with an almost sublime beauty. I'd rent a "How to Fix a Flat Tire" movie if it featured Tara's face and lyrical voice.
Besides the lovely Ms. Fitzgerald, two other actors stand out. Ewen MacGregor shows more range in this role than both of his Star Wars appearances thus far (he also has a much better script to work with). And Pete Postlethwaite would have received an Academy Award nomination had more people simply seen this movie. Postlethwaite is something of a British William H. Macy; he's always rock solid in his character and talented enough to give uniqueness to each character he plays.
Faced with the extinction of their jobs and way of life, the members of the Grimley Colliery Band rally around their leader (Postlethwaite) as they battle economics, black lung and an evolving world. Their quest is to win the nationwide band competition at Prince Albert Hall. Despite a misstep or two along the way, usually aided by an extra pint at the pub, they work their way into the finals. Beyond that, you'll have to watch the movie.
But no discussion about Brassed Off would be complete without mentioning the music. You could find sufficient enjoyment from the music alone. The soundtrack, performed by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band will appeal to almost everyone. It's become one of my family's favorite CD's as well.
Movie Review: Brassed Off!
Summary: 5 Stars
Released at roughly the same time as "The Full Monty," this gem got a lot less attention here in the states, and remains a little-known treasure for those who love British film. True, no middle-aged men get naked on screen, but there are a lot more subtle interpersonal dynamics among the members of the ensemble cast. And the romantic narrative between Ewan McGregor and Tara Fitzgerald is perhaps a little pat, but is certainly one of the most realistic and nuanced love stories in recent cinema.
The closure of a Yorkshire coal pit threatens to throw a thousand blue-collar men out of work on a community that is ill-equipped to handle them and has no other work waiting. Families, marriages, and friendships are imperilled when the reality of economic hardship and collapse looms over them. And through it all the band plays on.
This movie is billed as a romantic comedy, and McGregor and Fitzgerald get their mugs slapped on the DVD case. But that's just because love stories and pretty faces sell. The story really belongs to Pete Postlethwaite as Danny Ormondroyd. Danny is inarguably one of the most conflicted characters you're likely to see in a recent movie. Hollywood likes strict good guy/bad guy divides, but British film trusts you enough to muddy the waters and let you come to your own conclusions.
Danny has given his life to two loves: the coal pit where he works, and the brass band he conducts. The closure of one threatens the future of the other, but he desperately wants to hold the band together long enough to compete at the Royal Albert Hall. It doesn't quite dawn on him that his zeal for the band, ignoring the threatened pit closure, is alienating him from his community, costing his players their friendships, jeapordizing his son's marriage, and threatening to destroy the very band he loves.
Though the production of this film is motivated by naked political slant, there is enough character drama to catch and hold even those who disagree with the film's opinion. And the music is really, really good. There are enough layers to reward repeat viewing, and a sufficiently varied ensemble to attract a broad audience. Though not for small kids, this is a film most of the family can watch and come away from well-rewarded. And okay, the love story is sweet, so show it to your date. You'll be well-rewarded for it too.
Movie Review: A sublime modern British gem--sadly overlooked
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll bet you don't remember this little gem of a British film at your local cinema...it passed us by quickly and quietly, and I only hope it can have a strong life in video. But the video's cover is just another sign that the studio just didn't know what to make of this movie or how to promote it. Tara Fitzgerald and Ewan MacGregor on the cover make it look like a love story, which is certainly an element of the plot, but one of many, and certainly not the most important. A British mining town is threatened with closure of the mines, which will put much of the population out of work. Unconcerned with this all is Danny (a brilliant Pete Postlethwaite), the leader of the mine's brass band group, so intent on winning the national championships that he doesn't see at first the turmoil as the members of his band face unemployment--including his own son. There's a triumph at the end, but a bittersweet one, when, at the end, Danny declares that music doesn't matter...it's people that matter (a sound bite you probably already recognize--it was sampled at the beginning of Chumbawamba's hit "Tubthumping"). The most logical comparable to this film (and one nearly everyone makes) is "The Full Monty," but this movie came first, and doesn't sacrifice the realities of the British unemployment problem at the expense of laughs. And if you think you don't enjoy brass band music, "Brassed Off" will go a long way towards changing your mind--this is *not* oompah-pah-pah music of your high-school marching band. Music dramatically underscores the lives of the characters and the tone of the movie. As proof, this movie features one of the most absolutely gorgeous wordless sequences in contemporary British film: while the brass band plays an exquisite version of "En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor," the scene cuts back and forth from their practice to the breakdown of negotiation talks between the miners and management--a sublime moment that comes early in the film but sets the scene for many other such moments. Don't miss this one, and don't let the goofy love-story video jacket throw you: this is simply one of the best and most bittersweet British films of recent years.Movie Review: This movie speaks to all of us amateur musicians . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
So, why do we do it? We devote our meager free time to the pursuit of musical excellence, many of us in amateur brass bands, string orchestras, community choirs and the like -- for what purpose?Because we MUST. No matter how dismal or depressed the rest of our lives are, there's always an opportunity to create something beautiful, something truly magnificent, by combining our talents with those of others.
The Grimley Colliery Band is but one example of this. Each member, all men but one newcomer, is facing a crisis -- the closing of the coal mine into which they've poured their sweat and energy for most of their lives, and the uncertain future to follow. Their director, Danny, demanding and hard-headed, has retired from the mine, and doesn't seem to grasp the seriousness of the matter. "Music is EVERYTHING!" he proclaims. The members consider him daft, as they struggle to balance family, the impending union/management show-down, and finances. It's only at a moment of crisis that they realize the point: Danny not only understands the situation, but he also knows that MUSIC is the only thing that will get these proud men through the storm together, whole and with some shred of self-respect.
Pete Postlethwaite is brilliant as Danny; Tara Fitzgerald's understated performance as Gloria, the only female member of the band, gives her character a sense of integrity and honor that could easily have been overlooked in favor of more "marketable" characteristics. The rest of the cast is remarkable. Particularly notable is Stephen Tompkinson as Phil, Danny's son, whose descent into abject depression seems to mirror the daily descent into the black hole of the coal mine -- dark, dirty, and dangerous.
I liked this movie far better than I thought I would when I saw the cover of the DVD. This is less a romance than an examination of many lives made complete -- by music, by the pursuit of beauty and grace, by focused cooperation. It really doesn't get any better than this.