Being a Welshman, and one who lives in the locality where parts of this movie were filmed (I was lucky enough to be able to spend a couple of hours watching some of the filming in the village of Nantymoel, near my home), I guess I was always going to have a soft spot for this movie.
That aside, 'Solomon a Gaenor' is one of the few (if not only) film I've found that represents an accurate depiction of life in the coal mining valleys of South Wales - a hard, grim and pretty depressing time and place in many ways. The setting, story and performances (with Ioan Gruffudd and Nia Roberts outstanding in the lead roles) hits the nail squarely on the head and draw you into the bleak, harsh lives of the protagonists. The supporting performances are also top notch, with Maureen Lipman particularly impressive.
It was refreshing to see the native languages of the characters used throughout the film. I'm not a Welsh (or Yiddish!) speaker, but the added realism created by the use of these languages far outweigh the minor inconvenience of subtitles.
To answer a couple of points I've picked up from other Comments about this film on the site - firstly, the language is WELSH, not Gaelic. Secondly, there are variations of the Soundtrack available, with versions fully in Welsh and Yiddish (with English subtitles), and a more English based version.
This is not (thankfully) a movie that panders to base demands for a happy story, a happy ending or plenty of action. It is a very good, well made, well acted portrait of life in the valley's of South Wales in times past. Highly recommended for discerning movie goers.
