Pride

PRIDE commemorates the hitherto unremarked but nevertheless remarkable alliance between Welsh miners and London lesbians and gay men. It is an enjoyable, well-made, sometimes uplifting, movie set in a bleak period of British history. It is a political film, in the best sense: it's about people joining together to take control of their own destinies, a theme which has a long history in UK cinema, going back at least to the fantasy of PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (1949) to the based-on-fact MADE IN DAGENHAM (2010).

It is well-scripted, beautifully directed, skillfully and enjoyably acted. I have one niggle. Not so much with this film in particular, but rather with all those setting out to please a mass-audience whilst also trying to deal with serious issues. The times in which PRIDE is set were very dark, but I don't know that a mainstream movie can make it clear for those that weren't there just how dark they were. The film goes some way to showing it, but it can't really plumb the depths because - well, mainstream movies can't and still stay in the mainstream. It's a dilemma that affects many Hollywood comedies set in the Great Depression, even those, like MY MAN GODFREY (1936) for example, that were made at the time.

Still, PRIDE manages by and large to transcend such difficulties. It is a life-enhancing piece of cinema, which could and should reach a wide audience.

I saw this yesterday at a preview and was particularly impressed by the amazing production values shown in this film, as well as the powerful warmth of the ensemble cast within this. Many stand out, to the point where everyone stands out. My personal favourite performances are probably Dominic West's because of his wonderful energy, fantastic delivery and that the fact that he was playing a gay men (and was significantly less creepy than his Fred West performance) and Jessica Gunning's who played her play with such warmth and fire. That said, Staunton, Nighty and Schnetzer et all had some determination as well, it really is that not to want to give individual props to all.

British humour tends to be our best selling point and this film lays bare just how raw and witty we can be in our dialogue when handling such powerful drama. That said, the film is a very difficult viewing experience, in my eyes. The Miners Strike alone is a very raw and sad event for all to see, especially when there will be absolutely no surprises as to the outcome. On top of this there is a plethora of tragic LGBT issues that further hit the viewer like a fist throughout, be it a family not accepting their gay son, the Miners' refusal to fully support the LBGT community when the going gets tougher (the bleakness of those scenes are particularly devastating), the start of AIDS and the knowledge that these men's lives will never be the same, the occasional violence shown to the gay men… the list really does go on. The fact that there is a strong undercurrent of humour throughout is particularly needed and welcomed, although towards the end it proves hard to laugh at. Many look back to the 80s with total joy, but for many people, they were uncertain, intensely painful years to survive in. This movie is a tribute to them, and the cast and crew provide their joie de vivre with an open, pulsating heart.

Watch this preparing to feel a wide variety of emotions. Not all settling.

Just been to the avant-premiere in Paris: The movie is absolutely magical. Not to oversell it, but it's a must-see. It's funny but very moving, with a perfect blend of "comedy" and seriousness (because these were dark times, both for the miners and the gay community). The dialogues are really good, well though-out, and delivered convincingly by a stellar cast, who are always believable in their roles.

It's not just "good for an indie gay movie" - it's an incredibly powerful movie that ranks right up with the best of them this year (and with stars such as Bill Nighy and Imelda Satunton, and a probably fair budget, it doesn't have an "amateur" / "indie" feel at all either).

Anyway, worth the price of admission (unlike, unfortunately, so many movies these days...)

In the summer of 2014, my wife and I went to a north London dinner party where one of the other guests was Mike Jackson, a leading member of Lesbians and Guys Support the Miners ((LGSM), a support group during the bitter industrial dispute of 1984-85 which provided money and assistance to a mining community in South Wales. He told us how he had been acting as a principal adviser to writer Stephen Beresford and director Matthew Warchus who had crafted the forthcoming film "Pride" which explored this unlikely pairing of groups fighting the iniquities of Thatcher's Britain and he made clear his delight at how the subject had been treated for the big screen.

So, the first weekend that the movie was on show, four of us from that dinner party were in the cinema to view it and we were all thrilled with how brilliantly this story has been told. Some of us even cried.

The film is unashamedly political, both in its representation of the prejudice against homosexuals at a time was AIDS was devastating the gay community and the hostility of ministers, media and police to the miners' fight to keep pits open, but the treatment ensures that this is an immensely entertaining and often very funny work. Although the movie wears its political heart on its sleeve, it avoids an over-simplistic portrayal of the gay cause by showing entrenched opposition to their involvement in the miners dispute from sections of the Welsh community and challenge from gays themselves as to why they should be involved in a workers' strike, although the controversy of the lack of a ballot authorising the strike itself is avoided.

The script is a triumph with every line making an impact and telling us something and there are some wonderful jokes. A disco dancing scene and a solo-to-group singing session are destined to become favourite recollections of a memorable movie. The cast is magical: a combination of distinguished character actors like Imelda Staunton, Dominic West and Bill Nighy (although his South Wales accent is wobbly) and young newcomers like Ben Schnetzer, Joseph Gilgun and George MacKay. And there is remarkable attention to period detail (we had the same design of coffee cup as in an early scene), enhanced by music from the time.

Although GLSM was eventually shunned by the official strike committee and the miners lost the strike and almost all of Britain's pits have subsequently closed, the concluding scenes of the film and the final bits of informative text turn this historic interaction into a success that should inspire the present day gay community and labour movement alike. As Mike Jackson put it in an article about the film: "The one thing the ruling class don't want is solidarity; they don't want us to join the dots up."

I watched this entire film from start to finish with tears in my eyes and a smile plastered across my face.

It tells a beautiful story of a small group of Gay Rights activists who take action to support the striking miners whom they feel are feeling the same oppression that they had once and were currently feeling.

It is a gorgeous story of humanity. The film, in my opinion, perfectly captures the homophobia, bigotry, ignorance and curiosity that the LGBT community deals with showing the spectrum of opinions using the right amount of humour. While I can't speak to the accuracy of the time, I can see my own experiences with LGBT friends of mine and curious people painted across the screen.

This is a must see movie that will show how hate can harm and will also reinforce your faith in humanity.

The actors' performances were all amazing and flawless, from tears to dance sequences.