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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Take The Full Monty, add a sharper emotional edge and replace the strutting strippers with a dignified British band. That's the essence of Brassed Off, a bittersweet gem released in 1996, a year before its more popular (and Oscar-nominated) counterpart. In the Yorkshire town of Grimley, there has always been a coal mine, just as for the last 111 years there has been a brass band and it seems that Danny (the wondrous Pete Postlethwaite) has been the director for every one of those years. Tory economic policies, however, are closing coal mines around the country in favour of nuclear power and Grimley appears to be next on the list. Danny is unfazed by the threat, claiming, "It's music that matters." But some of the men are about to quit the band until the appearance of Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald at her most radiant), who dazzles the all-male group (including old flame Andy, played by Ewan McGregor) first with her beauty, then with her flügelhorn playing. The new member gives the band a boost as they continue to perform and compete but closure remains very real, as director Mark Herman (Little Voice) accompanies the band's performances (played with gusto by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band) with scenes of angry labour-management confrontations and family strife. In this context, some of the characters claim that the music is an irresponsible form of escapism. It becomes clear, however, from a touching performance of "Danny Boy" to the stirring conclusion at Royal Albert Hall, that music is an expression of the human spirit, a bit of beauty and sanity in a harsh world. With defiance, the band can play "Land of Hope and Glory" even when the land offers them neither. --David Horiuchi
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If like me you went through the morally bankrupt eighties accepting the view that the miners were a bunch of self interested thugs then you must see this film. I can't watch it without being deeply moved and feeling totally ashamed of my former opinion.
Of course, Pete Postlethwaite is, as ever, totally brilliant, the other members of the cast superb and the music, the music is just absolutely glorious. What more can you ask than to be entertained, educated an uplifted. Entertainment does not get any better than this!
Of course, Pete Postlethwaite is, as ever, totally brilliant, the other members of the cast superb and the music, the music is just absolutely glorious. What more can you ask than to be entertained, educated an uplifted. Entertainment does not get any better than this!
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As a tenor horn player and Ewan McGregor's future wife (he may not know it yet...), this film combines two of my favourite things in the world. Although the underlying plot line is less than cheerful, focussing on the many British pit closures of the 1980s and 1990s, I can't help but feel uplifted after watching it. For fans of brass banding, there is a cracking soundtrack, with many old favourites; even if you couldn't tell a tuba from a tubular bell, I bet you enjoy the music! All of the actors' performances are excellent, with Stephen Tomkinson's character exceptionally convincing. It is something of a tragi-comedy, with tears being raised nearly as often as laughter, but ultimately it is a feel-good film which will leave you with a smile on your face and, if you're lucky, a few brass band pieces stuck in your head for the following week!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I love this film.
I come from what was once a mining area and grew up in the Eighties when everyone was losing their jobs. The characters in this film are so real, you can imagine bumping into them on the street.
I cry everytime I watch this film. This is what life can be like. It even manages to make the brass band music sound amazing!!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A bloody must-have...
The movie is set in Yorkshire, a region in the northern part of England. In this region a tragedy took place: The Yorkshire industry lived of coal. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Fabian Karg
Brassed Off
Fantastice film. This is a good british film showing life and all its hardships. It is set during the miners strikes. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Janet
shame about the inaccuracies
Excellent story, with its heart in the right place, but why do film-makers always get it wrong when brass bands are concerned? Read more
Published 18 months ago by David Arturovitch
Received a commercial DVD that will not work in the U.S.
I ordered a movie DVD which came from the UK. Problem is the
thing will not work in the U.S. Now I did not know that
there were country (or regional codes) on DVDs, but... Read more
thing will not work in the U.S. Now I did not know that
there were country (or regional codes) on DVDs, but... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Brunswick
Great film
Channel Four developed Brassed Off and The Full Monty at the same time. A man called David Aukin, I think had to decide which to make. Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2007 by Yorkshire Man
This Is England!
I know this film was made in 1996, and was about the miners strikes of the 80s, but it has that wonderful feel and atmosphere of those great english films of the 1960s. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2007 by Hickers
Excellent British film
A film which emphasises British cinema to it's best: passion, emotion, devotion are all encoded in this outstanding 1996 comedy drama. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2006 by Stampy
Totally Brilliant
Very rarely do I see a film that moves me every time I watch it. "Brassed Off" is such a film.
The story is a mix of a Colliery Brass Band's efforts to win the National... Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2004 by Jaydeeare
A real; `Must See` film
Set in a time following the 1984 miners strike, this film combines hard hitting politics as the Thatcher Government closes down the Nations coal industry, with humour, romance and... Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2004 by JRL Smith
Simply great
This is still one of the greatest ever British films. Realism, great music and gritty northern humour, set against the backdrop of the miners' strikes of the Eighties combine to... Read more
Published on 20 May 2004 by M. SIRL
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