Solomon and Gaenor

This was a classic case of the Romeo and Juliet syndrome. The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is moving such as this movie was. Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, and Soloman and Gaenor are of the three favorites of mine in this genre. The ending of Soloman and Gaenor is saddening. The most moving scene, though also troubling, was when Soloman fought with Gaenor's brother...."Where's Gaenor?"...his famous line as he got the crap beat out of him. It was brave and stupid at the same time. A good love story. 7 out of 10.

"S&G" is the story of a pair of young adults, a Jewish man and a Welsh woman, who come together in 1911 Wales when times were tough, families ties were necessarily strong, and intense antisemetic feelings existed among the Welsh population. At issue is whether the star-crossed lovers are the victims of youthful infatuation and libido or so deeply in love they can persevere against all odds. "S&G", a well crafted film shot in Wales, spoken in three languages, with fine performances by the leads, is not likely to be a popular film owing to the many negative, foreign, or esoteric issues involved. However, its integrity cannot be denied.

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.

I watched this poignant film after a week of slogging through the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and was happy to relax with a quiet simple story. Instead I found a riveting tragedy of a young couple in falling in love, and by doing so, breaking the rigid rules that held their different social orders together. The setting was South Wales in 1911, a turbulent time of changing social order. These was not the happy singing miners of "How Green Was my Valley", you knew that these miners had a desperately hard life.

Gaenor belonged to a proud chapel-going Welsh mining family holding together through hard times and strikes. Sundays were spent in the chapel where they accepted being publicly chastised for their transgressions.

Solomon was a Russian Jewish peddler whose family had fled persecution in Europe. When things got tough for the miners they would take it out on the small Jewish shopkeepers. The misalliance threatened and was unacceptable to both groups, who depended on sticking together for their survival. What was seen by the families as fleeting young love, was actually something much deeper and lasting, which ultimately led to tragedy.

Everyone in the film was well cast, especially Ioan Gruffudd who was excellent in the role of Solomon.

Being Welsh, and being able to speak the language, I was particularly drawn to this film. This film is also part of the A level syllabus which is taught on Welsh courses, and even for Welsh learners. I see that many people have commented on the content of the film, and the effects of the love story in general. I would like to comment on the 'language' ethic of the film. As the film is trilingual, we notice it immediately raises a cultural conflict. However, most people have found that the film was shot in Welsh and English for the purposes of 'Welsh' audiences. I watched the Welsh version the other day, and it just doesn't make sense. To me, each culture is represented by the language that's spoken, be it Welsh, English and Yiddish. I see English as particularly symbolic as it provides a bridge between the Welsh/ Yiddish culture, which is embodied by Solomon and Gaenor. Why then, is it necessary to have a Welsh version where Solomon can coincidentally speak Welsh with a wonderful accent?? I was very confused by this. I think the English version should remain as it is, as this is the true purpose of the film- to present a story of forbidden love within the diversity of culture. English is a very important part of the film, and to record a Welsh version of it just seems pointless to the meaning of the story. I have every intention of thinking of this as a Welsh film, but that small difference has made a difference to its whole intention. Apart from this, the English version provided us with excellent acting, a wonderful score and a meaningful portrayal of love an Wales.