Brassed Off


Photo Courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival

Buy this video from Reel.com Music from Amazon.com: Buy The Soundtrack.

Review, by Liza Bear

"Caught In The Web" Inter(net)views, QuickTime:
"I'm Tara Fitzgerald" with Tara Fitzgerald (1.0mb)
"Power of Community" with Tara Fitzgerald (1.3mb)
"Flugelhorn?" with Tara Fitzgerald (1.4mb)
"A Bit Surprised" with Mark Herman (0.7mb)
"Hello WWW" with Pete Postlethwaite (0.3mb)
"Not Embarrassed" with Pete Postlethwaite (0.8mb)
"I'm Here in Utah" with Stephen Tompkinson (0.5mb)
"Musical Experience" with Stephen Tompkinson (1.5mb)

Slides

Using a delightful amalgamation of music, class struggle, and a Yorkshire mining town, British directon Mark Herman has combined seemingly disparate elements to create a charming, extremely touching drama about a somewhat alien mi ieu.A description of the plot is wholly inadequate to convey the intelligence, emotional powet and spirit of Brassed Off.

The mining pit of Grimley is facing closure by the government, threatening the livelihood of most of the community's denizens. Given the choice between a substantial onetime payment or a strike by the union, most of the miners loudly and vociferously proclaim their solidarity with their labor heritage. In the midst of the turmoil, the town's brass band continues to practice for the upcoming competition, the opportunity to play at Prince Albert Hall, a century old tradition. But morale is low, and some players are planning to quit.

And the band's musical director and conductor Danny (Pete Postlethwaite) is oblivious. Suffering from black lung disease, he sees only the band's tradition and its impossible dream. His son Phil is in dire straits, his wife and kids are about to leave, and he's deeply in debt, but Danny cares only about the band.

Then Danny's hopes are given a tremendous boost with the arrival of the talented Gloria, her flügelhorn under her arm, who becomes the only woman in the previously all-male entourage. Fellow band member Ewan MacGregor is especially attracted, but can their romance survive class war? Will the band persevere? With a resounding and grand style, Bcossed Off is a captivating and engaging journey that reminds us all of the sweeping and elevating power of the arts.
-Geoffrey Gilmore

Directed by: Mark Herman
Written by: Mark Herman
Starring: Tara Fitzgerald, Pete Postlethwaite, Ewan McGregor
Produced by: Steve Abbott, Olivia Stewart
Original Music by: Trevor Jones