The coal mine in a northern English village may be closing, which would also mean the end of the miners' brass band.The coal mine in a northern English village may be closing, which would also mean the end of the miners' brass band.The coal mine in a northern English village may be closing, which would also mean the end of the miners' brass band.
- Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards
- 10 wins & 7 nominations total
- Greasley
- (as Ken Colley)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPete Postlethwaite was heavily criticized by ex-miners for claiming he supported the 1984 strike, but believed people should never burn coal. The last remaining coal mines in the UK closed largely as a result of the 2008 Climate Change Act.
- GoofsThe result of the vote for redundancy seems to take place on a Saturday, when the regional final for the brass band is also held. Some miners are shown leaving their shift. Saturday work had been eliminated from the National Coal Board long before the film is set. An announcement as important as a redundancy vote would not have been made on a Saturday.
- Quotes
Danny: This band behind me'll tell you that that trophy means more to me than owt else in the whole world. But they'd be wrong! Truth is, I THOUGHT it mattered. I thought that MUSIC mattered. But does it bollocks? Not compared to how people matter. Us winning this trophy won't mean bugger-all to most people. But us *refusing* it - like what we're going to do now - well, then it becomes news, doesn't it?
[flurry of press camera shutters]
Danny: You see what I mean. That way, I'll not just be talking to myself, will I? Because over the last ten years, this bloody government has systematically destroyed an entire industry. OUR industry. And not just our industry - our communities, our homes, our lives. All in the name of "progress". And for a few lousy bob. I'll tell you something else you might not know, as well. A fortnight ago, this band's pit were closed - another thousand men lost their jobs. And that's not all they lost. Most of them lost the will to win a while ago. A few of them even lost the will to fight. But when it comes to losing the will to live, to breathe, the point is - if this lot were seals or whales, you'd all be up in bloody arms. But they're not, are they, no, no they're not. They're just ordinary common-or-garden honest, decent human beings. And not one of them with an ounce of bloody hope left. Oh aye, they can knock out a bloody good tune. But what the fuck does that matter?
[gasps emotionally, close to tears]
Danny: And now I'm going to take my boys out onto the town. Thank you.
[rapturous applause and standing ovation]
- Crazy creditsOn some prints, the words "The End" remain onscreen as three additional lines of "definitions" are added one by one underneath:
- 1. closure (as in 140 pits since 1984)
- 2. termination (as in 250,000 jobs)
- 3. conclusion (as in draw your own...)
- Alternate versionsThe British release does not have the dictionary definitions at the start or end of the film. These were added to the American release to introduce the US audience to British slang. The end of the film has the same information, but just as normal text.
- SoundtracksDeath Or Glory
Written by Robert Browne Hall (as R. B. Hall)
Firstly, from a musical point of view, Gloria does not enter the Grimley bandroom with an obligato cornet, it's a flugelhorn.
The fact that a woman has entered the band room is important. For a long time, the brass band was the domain of men. Women weren't allowed to play in the bands and indeed, this is still the case today in two of the biggest names in the banding world.
Underpinning all this is the fact that the film is (at least) semi-biographical. The events unfolding in the film mirror in no small way the same events which befell the Grimethorpe pit in 1992, and impacted on the world-famous Grimethorpe Colliery band. Thatcher's Britain did result in the pit closing down, and threatened the band's future. The band did take the stage at the National Final, and so the reason that the band don't turn professional is because there is no room in the banding movement for a professional band.
For a point of information, there are 4 basses in a Brass Band, 2 Eb and 2 Bb (not 2 or 3). Oh yes, and bandsmen most certainly do carry there instruments through the street without a case, especially bass players.
On a slightly different point, Phil does not have a gambling habit. He is still paying off the loan that he took out in 1982 to cover the loss of earnings because "suspended I were. 18 b****** months it took that lot to sort it out. 18 b***** months on strike pay. That's how big a f***** deal it is mate."
- climbingtuba2
- Oct 12, 2006
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Brassed Off!
- Filming locations
- High Street, Grimethorpe, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, UK('In Cod We Trust' fish and chip shop and Spar supermarket)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,576,331
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $52,534
- May 26, 1997
- Gross worldwide
- $2,589,012