Der Engländer der auf einen Hügel stieg und von einem Berg herunterkam

This film is a gentle, affectionate portrait of a village in Wales, its people and its Mountain. Within the village, there are long standing feuds and traditions. Then, two Englishmen arrive with a job to do and history is made. It may or may not be based on a real Welsh village. The writer and many of the names in the credits have Welsh sounding names. The scenery is beautiful and the characters are delightfully observed. It is a piece set at the time of the First World War. It has echoes of Under Milk Wood, of The Shooting Party, and of Clochemerle. Kenneth Griffith was memorable in Clochemerle and plays the Reverend Jones in this film. At first, Hugh Grant seems to be playing yet another floppy haired, romantic hero, but as the film unfolds, there is greater depth to his character. The harsh reality of mining is simply portrayed and we are reminded of the heightened need for coal in wartime. The Great War itself casts a shadow over the whole village, making the film poignant and touching.

I feel sorry for those folks who *don't get* this movie! Based on actual events around 1917, we are privileged to have a glimpse at what life was like in a small coal village in South Wales. The casting was superb! I especially liked the inter-action between Reverend Jones and Morgan. And who could possibly not love Tara Fitzgerald as Betty! The film starts out with some interesting trivia about how people got their names back then- very quaint yet logical to attach an occupation to their names! The photography was wonderful at showing off the unspoiled landscape- I really felt like I was a part of the events. This movie inspires me to want to visit the final resting place of Reverend Jones with a handful of earth from my own garden!

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain is directed by Christopher Monger and written by Ivor Monger. It stars Hugh Grant, Ian McNeice, Tara Fitzgerald, Colm Meaney and Kenneth Griffith. Music is by Stephen Endelman and cinematography by Vernon Layton.

Set in 1917, plot finds Grant and McNeice as two English cartographers who arrive in the Welsh village of Ffynnon Garw to measure what the locals proudly proclaim to be Wales' first mountain. However, it turns out that the "mountain" is 16 feet below the required 1000 feet requisite so therefore can only be classed as a hill. This news causes disgust amongst the locals, who then set about stopping the cartographers going home whilst they attempt to build atop of the hill to make it over 1000 feet.

A film with a big title that is matched by the size of its heart, Monger's film owes much to those fun community based pictures that filed out of Ealing Studios back in the 40s and 50s, Re: Whisky Galore! and The Titfield Thunderbolt. We can also safely place it the whimsy category where something as wonderful as Local Hero sits, while the old British comedy staple that encompasses an obsession with size (The Mouse That Roared) watches over the film like an approving British cinematic angel.

Homespun humour marries up with the utterly engaging view of quirky village life to provide us with just under 100 minutes of entertainment. Although clearly simple in plot and structure, to simply dismiss it as such does not do justice to the fine work of the ensemble cast and the writing of Ivor and Chris Monger. With Grant doing what he does best, the amiable nervous fop, picture has a lead actor fully comfortable with the tone and texture of the production, while around him there are a number of fine character actors putting delightful meat on the comedy bones of oddball characters with names such as Morgan the Goat, Johny Shellshock, William the Petroleum and Betty from Cardiff! Best of the bunch is Griffith as Reverend Jones, a grumpy, stubborn eccentric who underpins everything so wonderfully skew-whiff about life in Ffynnon Garw.

As for the writing? The screenplay has a wonderful ear for small village dialogue, while in amongst the value of community spirit theme, sits a near sombre observation of the effects of war on such a community. The production design is appealing, with Layton's photography around the Powys locations a visual treat, and Endelman's music has a suitably warming and jaunty feel; even if it starts to get a touch repetitive later in the piece. It doesn't have widespread appeal, it's clearly a film aimed at a small portion of film fans that love those films mentioned earlier. But in an era when film is being smothered by CGI and visual gimmickry, revisiting something like The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain offers up a most refreshing and diverting experience. 8/10

This was a very pleasant surprise, a nice movie with one of the simplest "plots" you'll ever see yet one that was fun to watch develop.

There are no nasty characters. They aren't all goody-goodies, either, but they're all interesting people to watch. The story is simply about a pair of cartographers (map makers) who measure a "hill" in Wales and much to the displeasure of the locals, it isn't tall enough to be considered a mountain, which is what the townsfolk always considered it. So, the locals work together to build it up so it will qualify to be officially labeled a mountain. Sounds simple and even stupid, but it isn't. Along the way, a romance buds between Hugh Grant and Tara Fitzgerald. There also is some nice cinematography in here.

Some might find it boring but I didn't. There was just something about this, a charm that made me feel good as I watched it and had me smiling even more by the end. This is a "sleeper," a movie you might pass up..... but don't.

As one descended from Welsh coal miner expatriots of Pennsylvania, I do wish all those who doubted the technical accuracy issues would just leave a good thing alone for a while. Give it a rest and enjoy what is there.

What is really wrong is that two leads were played by Irish actors playing Welsh folks (were there no good Welsh actors available?) the roles of Betty and Morgan the Goat.

What was right was to try to represent deeply held values and emotional personalities in the brief time and plot space of a lovingly made film. Apart from that, it was so much like when I visited Ystrad Rhondda, Treorchy, and Ebbwvale and saw the faces of my ancestors in old photographs now appear on the human faces of the locals.

The Grandfather said that the story was "epic." That claim is always a stretch unless the story speaks to you individually. If it resonates with your DNA, it is epic to you. My DNA is doing much better for the experience. If your DNA is not Welsh, take the time to watch a movie that speaks directly to you.

Meanwhile, I am putting it back in the VCR. Best wishes to you!