Brassed Off

1997 "Fed up with the system. Ticked off at the establishment. And mad about... each other."
7.2| 1h47m| R| en| More Info
Released: 23 May 1997 Released
Producted By: Miramax
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A Yorkshire coal mine is threatened with closure and the only hope is for the men to enter their Grimley Colliery Brass Band into a national competition. They believe they have no hope until Gloria appears carrying her Flugelhorn. At first mocked for being a woman, she soon becomes the only chance for the band to win.

Genre

Drama, Comedy, Romance

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Director

Mark Herman

Production Companies

Miramax

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Brassed Off Audience Reviews

Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!
Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic
Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
TheLittleSongbird Far from it. Don't be fooled by the slightly corny title, the unappealing cover and the misleading advertising that make 'Brassed Off' a lot less than what it actually is. 'Brassed Off' is not a feel good film, nor is it a witty laugh-a-minute comedy with laid on too thick politics to boot.Essentially it is a drama with lots of different elements that helps give it layers, it balances all beautifully and it does know what it wants to be and what it's wanting to be. It has been compared to 'The Full Monty', personally put them on the same level quality-wise but as they are very different films ('The Full Monty' being more feel-good and comedic with some drama in the mix, 'Brassed Off' is more dramatic and emotionally powerful) they are to be judged in their own way.'Brassed Off' has gritty production values while never looking cheap, never trying to be a film on a lavish scale nor did it ever need to be, it's not that kind of film. The music sequences, this is not a musical, are beautifully staged and often powerful, it is impossible too to fault the music itself and how it's played. Or be moved by the "Danny Boy" scene, it over time takes a lot for me to cry, that scene got me.Mark Herman gives the drama and music sequences an edgy pace that is necessary and remarkably executed. The script is cleverly balanced and a finely written script in general, a great mix of acerbic humour, drama that's hard-hitting and tender and politics that never gets heavy-handed (personally didn't have a problem with the delivery of the ending).The story is dramatically powerful and heart-wrenching, while sometimes reminiscent of an Ealing film. That it doesn't finish on a pat and sentimental note, and actually hinting at something more grim and darker, was much appreciated.Nothing to fault the performances too. Ewan McGregor and Tara Fitzgerald are strong in subdued roles. Pete Postlethwaite and Stephen Tompkinson on the other hand are absolutely brilliant, Postlethwaite has rarely been more moving and Tompkinson gives a performance of a lifetime in the film's most complex role. The characters have been criticised for being stereotypes, personally found them very interesting and could really relate to their conflicts.Overall, a wonderful film that is so much more than one would think if seeing it advertised. 10/10 Bethany Cox
DesbUK BRASSED OFF is a 1996 movie from England - written and directed by Mark Herman - in that tradition of those movies about the working classes attempting to better themselves: THE FULLY MONTY, BILLY ELLIOT and MADE IN DAGENHAM being other prominent examples. At the time it seemed like one of the last nails in the coffin of the outgoing Tory government.It's set in a real-looking Yorkshire mining town a few years after the 1984/85 miners strike, where the local coal mine is about to be closed. The miners (Ewan McGregor, Jim Carter, Stephen Tompkinson and others) find solidarity in their brass band under their conductor - retired miner Danny (the late Pete Postlewaite in his finest screen role), a man for whom music matters above all else. The pit closes, but the band makes it to the national brass band competition final at the Albert Hall. On winning, you expect Danny to make some sentimental speech about how - in spite of everything - music holds the band together. Instead, he delivers probably the explicit political diatribe against the then Conservative government and the devastation unemployment inflicts on people. It's a superb moment in a film with its heart and soul in the dying working class communities of Yorkshire. This isn't a piece of Ken Loach-like realism - it's prettified and sentimentalised for a mainstream audience, yet the movie looses nothing for it.At the close, the brass band play Elgar's Pomp and Circumstace March Number 1 as they pass the Houses of Parliament. It's meant to be ironic but it's also very touching.
Ratman-12 Minor spoilers ahoy...Yes I realise this is more a tribute to the man than the film, but frankly I don't care.Steven Spielberg worked with Pete Postlethwaite on Jurassic Park and is quoted as saying Pete was "probably the best actor in the world" and who can disagree? Brassed Off is on TV right now as I type this, being shown in tribute to Pete and in it I believe he reached the pinnacle of his career.I lived through the Thatcher years with miners strikes and the subsequent closer of the pits and heavy industry putting millions on the dole. I was there at a strike meeting held outside a local heavy industry site where thousands were later thrown on the scrap heap. The speech given by Pete at the end of the film sums it up exactly, he delivers it with such passion, I feel that he actually meant it.The supporting cast are superb, not a weak character or actor, but Pete nails this and it is even more poignant that he played a character riddled with cancer. He will be sadly missed."Stop this racket, you'll wake up in the next ward".RIP mate.
pc95 Brassed Off has an enjoyable cast with a heartfelt story of a local town's mine folds, and the way a bunch of the men cope - through a brass band. As a detraction, the film's pacing crawls especially in the first third of the movie. The band represents a good departure though and vehicle for economic commentary without becoming too bogged down in details. Always spectacular, Pete Postleswaite really helps bring emotion and determination in his performance as usual. He single-handedly leads the movie to a good show. Some of his band-mates also prove interesting including his son, whose story takes a lot of the screen-time in order to depict the real economic hardships that's befallen the locality. Ewan McGregor is here as more a supporting character and does a decent bit, but has been better. His role is more subdued. I'm sure this is compared to the Full-Monty, and while not as much fun or delivered as well, Brassed Off has the same spirit. Solidly recommended unless you cant stand slow pacing.