DABBA DAAAAAAAAH! (Brassed Off (DVD))

Member Name: Boonoiy

Product:	Brassed Off (DVD)
Date:	15/11/01 (126 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great music, Great acting, A touching and real tale

Disadvantages: None

The phoenix of the British film industry rose again in 1996 with this great film about the lives of miners caught up in the strikes and closures of the pits back under Maggie and chums. The film, part love story and part "Little people come out on top" is a very much favoured part of my video collection.

Plot:
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The strikes are on, Grimley colliery looks fit to close and the members of the pit's brass band are worried for their futures. The band's conductor, Danny (played by Pete Postlethwaite) wants them to be the best, as they were when he was playing way back, and believes that the music they play and the tournaments they win are all important. Not all the band members believe the same and the band is set to finish too until the arrival of the lovely Gloria Mullins from down south. She's a player too, the flugle, and gets to join the band (mainly for her looks and long legs!) as she was born in Grimley.

The band does well, they're going all the way when the conductor is struck ill from his coughing up soot from the days he used to be a miner. There's a lot of sadness in this, his son is in the band, a very devoted son and a great trombonist. He can't afford much since the previous strikes and he's stuck with a huge lot of debts (can't we all relate to this?). He gets a new trombone as the band looks to be doing so well, heading for the national finals in London, and his wife finds out and leaves him, a lot of hassles come about as a result of the band's continuation and they really want to do well despite all odds.

The love story part is all about the relationship between Gloria and Ewan McGregor's character, Andy, they knew each other as kids and get together after meeting up again through the band! This bit is quite nice really, adds the sentimental touch to the film and makes a good bit of comedy too. The redundancy vote is coming up and nobody wants to b
e seen as a scab, Gloria has hidden her true job in Grimley and it turns out that she's management at the pit. Ewan's in trouble with this and the band turn on him - how was he to know though? All fun and games.

Anyway, the pit finally folds, the relationship blooms and the band.......well, you'll need to watch to find that out, it's the main plot and can't be spoiled!


The characters in the film are great, they are all the typical northern "call a spade a spade" types and have no problems with voicing their opinions, there's a lot of passion in them, for the pit, their livelyhood, the band and their relationships. This makes for a really compelling film and they get funnier each time you watch them perform. The accents are generally good (mainly because they're all northern actors) except for Ewan McGregor who sounds like a constipated Scotsman rether than a northerner. The actors are great, especially Pete Postlethwaite.

Music obviously plays a key part to the film. Lots and lots of big band music and their playing of Rodrigo's concerto "D'Orange juice" will make your spine tingle. There's a lot of great tunes here, you'll recognise a lot of them and they add a lot to the film. Dramatic music, played in rehersal by the band, gets put in on pictures of union discussions and arguments over the pit's future and really adds weight to the drama. The lovey dovey bits have mood music too and the whole thing is really well done.

Overall:
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The film is great, it shows the bleakness of the pit closures and the little rays of hope that sprang out of it, Danny makes a speech at the end of the film which really hits the mark - "If these were seals or whales you'd all be up in arms, but they're not, they're just common, hard working miners."

A great soundtrack and brilliant acting makes this film better each tim
e it is watched. You wouldn't naturally go for a film about a northern brass band on the verge of collapse, but get this one watched, it's really good viewing and suitable for the whole family (if you cover the nippers' ears for the 3 or 4 swearwords in it).

Summary: