Brassed Off

Think Ken Loach by way of Coronation Street . . . got it? . . . well, that's what this movie is like. A merry comedy of cornets and coal, trombones and Thatcher, this charming little British flick takes Yorkshire coal miners and industrial action as its subject and weaves a delicate, little mist of coal dust around it.

Set in a fictional mining community called Grimley, the film paints a nostalgic view of life up north. Here the people enjoy shouting, eating greasy food and drinking in pubs. They also form a hot colliery brass band, who please the community by playing rousing, deep, sustained booming sounds. An evil shadow is cast over such an idyllic existence - a shadow in the shape of Margaret Thatcher. She wants to close the pits forever. Boooo! And, rather than being worried about the fact that this signifies a threat to their livelihood and is indicate of the failure of British industry on the whole, the occupants of Grimley are petrified about the future status of their beloved brass combo.

Our cinemas are so rife with representations of America that any film made and set in Britain is a breath of fresh air - and what with it starring a tousle haired version of Britain's most popular young actor (Mr McGregor), it couldn't be better. By turns funny, and often bittersweet, Brassed Off is undeniably also a political film - but this only serves to make it more attention-grabbing.

Pauline & Conra