Directed by: Mark Herman
Screenwriter: Mark Herman
Produced by: Steve Abbott, Olivia Stewart
Distributed by Miramax and Channel Four Films,
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Tara Fitzgerald, and Pete Postelthwaite
Brass Band Music by: The Grimethorpe Colliery Band
Synopsis: When government cutbacks threaten a century-old Yorkshire mine, the brass band consisting of the miners and their families struggles to keep it together in the face of economic repression and...When government cutbacks threaten a century-old Yorkshire mine, the brass band consisting of the miners and their families struggles to keep it together in the face of economic repression and emotional turmoil.
Rotten Tomato Freshness: 78%
Skye's Grade: Absolutely Frakking Must See Movie.
Brassed Off Definition:
Adj.,(Colloq)(British slang)
Dejected, Fed up, upset
generally pissed off
(SEE: Miners, American Tax Payers)
Back in the day - that would be the late 1990's - I watched this movie with no real inclination that I would be peeking into the future of 21st century America. In all honesty, my main interest for catching this flick was Ewan McGregor. Fresh off the critically acclaimed film "Trainspotting", he was one of the hottest actors at the time. As superficial a reason as it is, the movie is anything but superficial.
As summarized above, the movie centers around the lives of musical miners facing the threat of a Colliery closure. The unionized employees are given a choice of taking a lump sum payoff or review proceedings in the hope of keeping the Colliery open. As the fate of the Colliery is tossed about, the Colliery band played on, eventually winning the British Open Brass Band Championship.
Since 1984, roughly 158 out of 170 coal mining pits were closed following a divisive year long mining strike, which pitted the labor union NUM against the Thatcher government. Unfortunately, the big losers in this battle were the miners and their families. In response or retaliation to this strike, nearly all coal mines in Britain were deemed nonviable and closed by the government.
It couldn't happen here, right? Who would believe that our government would take over a private industry and dictate its existence? Who would take the lump sum payoff over a steady job? Well, we did on November 4, 2008 - we voted for the payoff - '95% of all Americans will receive a tax cut'. This is far from over, the Obama administration has fired the CEO of General Motors and slashed the marketing budget of Chrysler. All while industries across the board are laying off employees by the thousands. A bleak picture indeed, as bleak as when the musicians return from a successful brass band semi-final to discover their union voted for the bailout and closure of their beloved Colliery.
We have arrived at that point as well, witnessing massive government expansion into the private sector and wondering what the frak happened. The question is, where do we go from here? The movie does provide a ray of hope. Danny, the band conductor and father figure, reminds us of what we have forgotten.
Skye's Grade: Absolutely Frakking Must See Movie.
Brassed Off Definition:
Adj.,(Colloq)(British slang)
Dejected, Fed up, upset
generally pissed off
(SEE: Miners, American Tax Payers)
Back in the day - that would be the late 1990's - I watched this movie with no real inclination that I would be peeking into the future of 21st century America. In all honesty, my main interest for catching this flick was Ewan McGregor. Fresh off the critically acclaimed film "Trainspotting", he was one of the hottest actors at the time. As superficial a reason as it is, the movie is anything but superficial.
As summarized above, the movie centers around the lives of musical miners facing the threat of a Colliery closure. The unionized employees are given a choice of taking a lump sum payoff or review proceedings in the hope of keeping the Colliery open. As the fate of the Colliery is tossed about, the Colliery band played on, eventually winning the British Open Brass Band Championship.
Since 1984, roughly 158 out of 170 coal mining pits were closed following a divisive year long mining strike, which pitted the labor union NUM against the Thatcher government. Unfortunately, the big losers in this battle were the miners and their families. In response or retaliation to this strike, nearly all coal mines in Britain were deemed nonviable and closed by the government.
It couldn't happen here, right? Who would believe that our government would take over a private industry and dictate its existence? Who would take the lump sum payoff over a steady job? Well, we did on November 4, 2008 - we voted for the payoff - '95% of all Americans will receive a tax cut'. This is far from over, the Obama administration has fired the CEO of General Motors and slashed the marketing budget of Chrysler. All while industries across the board are laying off employees by the thousands. A bleak picture indeed, as bleak as when the musicians return from a successful brass band semi-final to discover their union voted for the bailout and closure of their beloved Colliery.
We have arrived at that point as well, witnessing massive government expansion into the private sector and wondering what the frak happened. The question is, where do we go from here? The movie does provide a ray of hope. Danny, the band conductor and father figure, reminds us of what we have forgotten.
Danny's Speech:
A well crafted movie that was years ahead of its time for America. Despite my critical look at this film, I always find it inspirational. Hmmm....after all these years, Ewan McGregor is still HOT!
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