Brassed Off!

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The National Coal Board (NCB) arranged private ballots to determine between closing a pit immediately with compulsory redundancies or taking a pit to a review procedure to determine whether the pit should be privatised. In 1974, Elgar Howarth brought Grimethorpe to the Harrogate Festival for an even more notable event – the premiere of the band’s first commissioned work. Brass band history was made when Harrison Birtwistle conducted his own ‘Grimethorpe Aria’. Although some of the audience on that occasion were obviously startled by the unfamiliar sounds they were hearing, the success of the work marked the beginning of a partnership between two sections of music that had before been considered totally separate. Philip Wilby commented “a sure triumph of the human spirit, a sense of liberty and resurrection drawn out of sorrow and pain” The lads were visibly moved by this very emotional rhetoric from Frank and turned on their heels determined to play the performance of their lives.

As Frank explained, “…the whole point of the series is to bring together great musicians who have made their reputations in other areas of music, and see them, with a Brass Band creating different sounds and styles”.

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Before I get to them again, I need to talk about the moment the film really turns. “How you feeling?” “Death’s door. And the bastards still take the piss!” On arriving in Japan the band were welcomed to an official reception provided by the Japanese Brass Band Association where there were representatives from 11 bands from around the Tokyo area. After a day off on the Sunday to get over the jet lag, it was down to work. More recently, the excellent Pride achieved something similar, by telling a harsh, often unpleasant story with some very, very strong comedy. And further examples include the likes of Billy Elliot, East Is East and the more recent Sing Street. Not for nothing are films like these amongst the best comedy movies of the last couple of decades. For theirs isn’t the key relationship in the film. Ultimately, that honour falls to father and son, to Danny and Phil.

Originally a small Hamlet – Grimms Farm – it became noteworthy at the turn of the century with the discovery of Coal and the establishment of an important colliery. And yet, Grimethorpe’s claim to fame stemmed not solely from the colliery itself, but from the brass band that bears the same name. It’s as the Grimley Colliery Band are seen enjoying their finest ever moment, that the Grimley Colliery itself suffers its worst. Brassed Off doesn’t over-fuss this, rather it marks the considerable contrast. Gloria Mullins has been sent to her home town of Grimley to determine the profitability of the pit for the management of British Coal. She also plays the flugelhorn, and is allowed to play with the local brass band after playing Concierto de Aranjuez, affectionately known as “Orange Juice” by the characters, with them. The band is made up of miners from whom she must conceal her purpose. She renews a childhood romance with Andy Barrow, which soon leads to complications. Andy is bitter about the programme of pit closures and determined to fight on, but he is also realistic about the circumstances and predicts a 4-to-1 majority for closure and redundancy. When Andy realises that Gloria is working for management, he accuses her of naïvety for thinking that the Coal Board is considering whether the pit has any viable future and argues that the decision to close Grimley would have been taken years earlier. It is later revealed, during a confrontation between Gloria and the management of the colliery, that the decision to close the colliery had been made two years previously, and that this was to have gone ahead regardless of the findings of her report; the report was simply a public relations exercise to placate the miners and members of the public sympathetic to their plight. The contest management were very supportive, and allowed us to delay the start until 6.15pm in the hope he may turn up. They also sanctioned the use of a borrowed player, but because of the No.1 draw, it had to be from the band drawn last, Hammonds Sauce Works and in particular a young man by the name of Billy Rushworth. We were delighted to hear this, but more dismay came when we found that they were rehearsing in Shipley, and even a helicopter wouldn’t get Billy to the hall in time. We resigned ourselves to going on stage with only 2 horns. Did you know anything about this period of British history? Has it inspired you to learn more? Discuss how movies can teach us about the past.

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Holden, Stephen (23 May 1997). "Brassed Off (1996) Sentimental Coal Dust With a Brass Band". The New York Times. From the dreariest of landscapes, the glint and gleam of an inimitable brass sound lit up the lives of men who worked in darkness. Emerging from the pit, they made for the bandroom where, with a discipline natural to an industry where self-control means life or death, they practised and rehearsed to the impeccable standards which have won them recognition as masters of their art. The film also stars Ewan MacGregor who falls for the beautiful Gloria, and Stephen Tompkinson as Danny’s son Phil whose life is slowly being destroyed by the uncertainty surrounding him. A strong acting cast is, of course, augmented by the Grimethorpe Colliery RJB Band who supplied the bulk of the fictional Grimley Band as well as playing all the music. Said Mark Herman “It was interesting to blend four or five actors with a real band to the extent that people can’t see the join, which means that the band had to be as good at acting as the actors were as musicians. I need, therefore, to declare my cards here. The late Pete Postlethwaite was and is one of my favourite actors of all time. In the 90s in particular, barely a month went by without him appearing in a new film.