Brassed Off

Brassed Off
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mark Herman
Written by	Mark Herman
Produced by	Steve Abbott
Starring	Pete Postlethwaite Tara Fitzgerald Ewan McGregor Jim Carter Mary Healey Melanie Hill Philip Jackson Sue Johnston Peter Martin Stephen Moore Stephen Tompkinson
Cinematography	Andy Collins
Edited by	Michael Ellis
Music by	Trevor Jones
Production companies	Prominent Features Channel Four Films Miramax Films
Distributed by	FilmFour Distributors
Release date	1 November 1996(1996-11-01)(United Kingdom)
Running time	107 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£2.8 million
Box office	£3 million

Brassed Offis a 1996 Britishcomedy-drama filmwritten and directed byMark Hermanand starringPete Postlethwaite,Tara FitzgeraldandEwan McGregor.

The film is about the troubles faced by acollierybrass band,following the closure of theirpit.The soundtrack for the film was provided by theGrimethorpe Colliery Band,and the plot is based onGrimethorpe's own struggles against pit closures. It has been generally very positively received for its role in promoting brass bands and their music. Parts of the film make reference to the huge increase in suicides that resulted from the end of the coal industry in Britain, and the struggle to retain hope in the circumstances.

In the United States, the film was promoted simply as aromantic comedyinvolving McGregor and Fitzgerald's characters.

Context

The film is set ten years after theyear-long strike in 1984–85by theNational Union of Mineworkers in Britain.Before the privatisation ofBritish Coal,a wave of pit closures took place. Depleted of resources and in debt following the labour militancy of 1984–85, the miners were unable to continue a resistance against the policies of the government. Many had been in debt ever since the long strike, and were prepared to take redundancy money whilst it was on offer.

TheNational Coal Board(NCB) arranged private ballots to determine between closing a pit immediately with compulsory redundancies or taking a pit to a review procedure to determine whether the pit should be privatised. Although miners had a tradition of fighting for their jobs, the risk of losing the redundancy money on offer by going forwards to privatisation swung the votes in most ballots to be in favour of pit closure and redundancy. The loss of hope, pride and fighting spirit in previously proud mining communities was the basis for the idea of being "brassed off", an expression used in the North of England meaning "angry".

Beginning in early 1993, groups of miners' wives camped outside some pits' gates and outside theDepartment of Trade and Industryin London.This is referred to in the film. It contrasts with the muted response from the mineworkers, some of whom sangShut the pit!to the tune of the songHere We Go!from the 1984–85 strike.

Plot

Gloria Mullins has been sent to her home town of Grimley to determine the profitability of the pit for the management ofBritish Coal.She also plays theflugelhorn,and is allowed to play with the localbrass bandafter playingConcierto de Aranjuez,affectionately known as “Orange Juice” by the characters, with them. The band is made up of miners from whom she must conceal her purpose. She renews a childhood romance with Andy Barrow, which soon leads to complications. Andy is bitter about the programme of pit closures and determined to fight on, but is also realistic about the circumstances and predicts a 4-to-1 majority for closure and redundancy.

When Andy realises Gloria is working for management, he accuses her of naïvety for thinking the Coal Board is even considering the pit's future and argues that the decision to close would have been made years earlier. It is later revealed, during a confrontation between Gloria and colliery management, that the decision was made two years prior and was to have proceeded regardless of her findings. The report was simply a PR exercise to placate the miners and sympathetic members of the public.

The passionate band conductor Danny Ormondroyd finds he's fighting a losing battle to keep the rest of the band committed. His son Phil is badly in debt and becomes a clown for children's parties, but this fails to prevent his wife and children leaving him. In debt, Phil votes for the redundancy money, which he becomes ashamed of. As Danny collapses in the street and is hospitalised, Phil suffers a mental breakdown while entertaining a group of children as part of a harvest festival in a church. He refers to himself as "Coco thescab"—a name he was called by a debt collector whom he had asked to wait until the redundancy money came through. Eventually, Phil tries to hang himself but is taken to the hospital. Phil reveals to Danny that in light of the colliery's closure, the band has decided not to continue playing.

When band member Jim realises Gloria is working for management, he is unimpressed with Andy's relationship with her. In a pub conversation, the other miners are not particularly concerned and feel Jim is being too harsh. When Andy says he should be old enough to make his own decisions, Jim responds with, "Old enough to be a scab, then?" The pub falls silent, as the word was an extremely serious insult in a mining community and implies treachery to the working class. Jim then withdraws the insult and says that Andy is just "stupid". Later, Jim asks Gloria to leave the band and mocks her attempts to fund the band's trip to the National Finals.

Intending it to be their last performance, the band, in full uniform and wearing their miners' helmets and lamps, playsDanny Boy(the famous Percy Grainger arrangement ofLondonderry Air) late at night outside the hospital. Andy, having lost his tenor horn in a bet, whistles along with his hands in his pockets. After they finish, they all switch off their lamps.

Whilst the band is playing in the National Semi-Finals, the outcome of the ballot is announced as 4-to-1 in favour of redundancy, as Andy had predicted.

After Gloria sets up a bank account to fund travel to the National Finals, the band is brought back together to compete. Andy wins his tenor horn back in a game of pool. The band forgives Gloria when she gives them her earnings from compiling the report (rejecting it because it's "dirty money" ) and travels to the final at theRoyal Albert HallinLondon(Birmingham Town Hallwas used to film these scenes),where they are amused by the inability of the woman on the dressing room's PA system to pronounce 'colliery'.

Before departing, Phil leaves a note for Danny saying they are going to the finals. Danny arrives just in time to see the band win the competition with a stirring rendition of theWilliam Tell Overturefinale, during which Phil notices his wife and children in the audience. Danny refuses to accept the trophy; he states that only human beings matter and not music or the trophy. He continues, "This bloody government has systematically destroyed an entire industry.Ourindustry. And not just our industry—our communities, our homes, our lives. All in the name of 'progress'. And for a few lousy bob. "

However, following this gesture, Jim takes the trophy anyway. The band celebrates their victory as Andy and Gloria kiss on the upper deck of an open-topped bus travelling through London, while Danny leads the band inLand of Hope and Glory.

Cast

• Ewan McGregoras Andy Barrow, the band'stenor hornplayer
• Pete Postlethwaiteas Danny Ormondroyd, the band'sconductor
• Tara Fitzgeraldas Gloria Mullins, the band'sflugelhornplayer
• Stephen Tompkinsonas Phil Ormondroyd, the band'stromboneplayer
• Jim Carteras Harry, the band'seuphoniumplayer
• Philip Jacksonas Jim, one of the band'stubaplayer
• Peter Martinas Ernie, one of the band'stubaplayers
• Melanie Hillas Sandra Ormondroyd
• Lill Roughleyas Rita
• Sue Johnstonas Vera
• Mary Healey as Ida
• Stephen Mooreas McKenzie, the colliery manager
• Peter Gunnas Simmo
• Bernard Wrigleyas Chapman
• Katherine Dow Blyton as Nurse
• Sally Ann Matthewsas Waitress

Production

The film is set in "Grimley" in the mid-1990s, which is a thin veil forGrimethorpe,a mining village inSouth Yorkshirewhich had been named as the poorest village in Britain in 1994 by theEuropean Union.The nearby areas of theDearne Valleyand theHemswortharea were also identified as in need of serious aid.

The hospital scene, with Pete Postlethwaite in bed, was filmed atDoncaster College,not a hospital. The festival scene inDelphwas filmed on Monday 23 October 1995.

The soundtrack for the film was recorded by theGrimethorpe Colliery Band,the story roughly reflects Grimethorpe Colliery Band's history, and the film was largely shot in Grimethorpe.

Reception

Brassed Offreceived an 80% approval rating onRotten Tomatoesbased on 49 reviews, with anaverage ratingof 6.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Brassed Offcombines inspiring drama with populist socioeconomics to create a film whose familiar outlines are filled in with genuine and surprisingly palpable emotion. "

The film was one of Film Four Distributors first major releases and opened on 203 screens in the UK with a gross of £466,058 in its opening weekend, finishing third at the UK box office behindDragonheartandThe Nutty Professor.It went on to gross £2,128,437 in the UK.

The film's reputation has grown considerably since its initial release.Brassed Offis ranked 85th on the BFI list of Top 100 British FilmsA reevaluation in 2018 concluded, "Like Danny’s speech at the Royal Albert Hall, the film is honest, poignant and powerful. Twenty years on, its message is still all too relevant. And the music is bloody great, by the way."

Soundtrack

The film score forBrassed Offincludes a large number of pieces from the brass band repertoire, played by theGrimethorpe Colliery Bandconducted by John Anderson, alongside an original score composed byTrevor Jones.

Track listing

No.	Title	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Death or Glory"	Robert Browne Hall	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	2:49
2.	"A Sad Old Day"	Trevor Jones		0:48
3.	"Floral Dance"	Katie Moss	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	2:59
4.	"Aforementioned Essential Items"	Trevor Jones		0:32
5.	"En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor"(Flugelhorn solo: Paul Hughes)	Joaquín Rodrigo	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	4:04
6.	"Years of Coal"	Trevor Jones		0:35
7.	"March of the Cobblers"	Bob Barrett & Edrich Siebert	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	3:09
8.	"There's More Important Things in Life"	Trevor Jones		1:47
9.	"Cross of Honour"	William Rimmer	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	2:14
10.	"Jerusalem"	Hubert Parry	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	2:23
11.	"Florentiner March"	Julius Fučík	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	4:47
12.	"Danny Boy(Londonderry Air) "	arrangedPercy Grainger	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	3:07
13.	"We'll Find a Way"	Trevor Jones		3:25
14.	"Clog Dance"	John Marcangelo	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	2:40
15.	"Colonel Bogey"	Kenneth J. Alford	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	3:15
16.	"All Things Bright and Beautiful"	William Henry Monkarranged Simon Kerwin	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	2:04
17.	"William Tell Overture"(Cornet solo: Shaun Randall)	Gioachino Rossiniarranged G.J. Grant	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	3:23
18.	"Honest Decent Human Beings"	Trevor Jones		1:37
19.	"Pomp and Circumstance"	Edward ElgararrangedJ. Ord Hume	Grimethorpe Colliery Band	3:19
Total length:				48:57

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	Gold	35,000^
^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Stage adaptation

Paul Allen adapted Mark Herman's screenplay for the stage, the production premiering at theCrucible TheatreSheffield on 17 March 1998, with music performed by theGrimethorpe Colliery Band.The play transferred to theRoyal National Theatrein June before embarking on a UK tour.In 2014 a new UK tour was mounted by the Touring Consortium Theatre Company, coinciding with the thirtieth anniversary of theminers' strike.

In popular culture

A sample of a monologue performed by the main character Danny (Pete Postlethwaite) is used in the opening of the song "Tubthumping",on the 1997ChumbawambaalbumTubthumper:"Truth is, I thought it mattered; I thought that music mattered. But does it bollocks! Not compared to how people matter".

See also

• BFI Top 100 British films
• The Full Monty(1997)
• Billy Elliot(2000)
• Pride (2014 film)

External links

• Brassed OffatIMDb
• Brassed OffatBox Office Mojo
• Brassed OffatRotten Tomatoes