The Shillingbury Blowers

Val Guest was running out of wind by the time he made this film.Since the only UK distributor is shown as Independent Television,one must assume that this never received a cinema release.There is a good cast,including Trevor Howard but not really used to good effect.He is the conductor of the village band.It is truly awful so the council decide he must stand down.In his place they appoint a rather unlikely replacement in pop musician,Robin Nedwell.The band take exception to this and with Jack Douglas as ringleader they decide to play staccato.Eventually there is a conciliation between all the parties which results in a rather stunning recitation.If the film is trying to be funny it isn't and if dramatic lacks any real intensity.

I had never heard of this film until just now when I stumbled upon it amongst a collection of Trevor Howard features. - and I'm glad I did! Howard is the rather aptly nicknamed "Saltie", an elderly gent living in the eponymous village charged with leading their brass band. After a council meeting at which they finally acknowledge that these musicians are to music what Herod was to childcare, he resigns in a fit of pique. They decide to ask new pub landlord "Peter" (Robin Nedwell) to take his place and he, egged on by his enthusiastic-to-fit-in wife "Sally" (Diane Keen), accepts. Before arriving at the village he was a music producer and so when the opening cacophony hurts his ears he is honest! Bad error - and off they strop. A bit of pressure sees them return with a work to rule - and their lack of embellishments and improvisations improves their music no end. What soon becomes clear though, is that it was never the quality of the music that mattered, but the sense of community participation in the band engendered. No-one feels that more than "Saltie" but can "Sally" convince him to bury the hatchet (ideally not in her husband's head)? This is very a gentle, comedic, glance at English rural life and it's values. It has a charm to it and the ensemble cast - including a few familiar faces - add richness to a lovely story of friendship and companionship that probably would not be made at all nowadays. If you come across it, then give it a go - it has a certain feel-good factor to it that leaves an engagingly warm feeling.

This made for television film aimed for the cosy charm of country life as depicted in All Creatures Great and Small. We even see a cow giving birth at one point.

Peter Higgins (Robin Nedwell) is a pop musician who on the insistence of his wife Sally (Diane Keen) has moved to a nice, quaint village. However the locals are upset when Peter replaces Salty (Trevor Howard) as the brass band conductor as the parish council deems them to be awful.

The rest of the band who are mainly old men are rather upset than upstart has usurped Salty and go on a work to rule. They actually sound better.

This television movie is charming and rather expensive looking, although it does look a tad slow now. It lead to a television series as well as a spin off comedy.

Sadly most of the cast from this film are now dead. Notable exceptions being Diane Keen and Miles Anderson who popped up in the Oscar winning La La Land.

Considering that he served his apprenticeship writing scripts for Will Hay the comedies Val Guest directed were consistently inferior to his dramas. Sadly the films in which ended his career with a whimper simply serve to bear this out.

Despite the veteran cast (including John Le Mesurier and the inevitable Sam Kydd) lead by Trevor Howard (described by Diane Keen as a "weatherbeaten local") and contemporary references like the inability of a councillor to get the hang of decimals (which indicates the prevailing mindset) this sub-Ealing comedy about a tone-death village brass band simply bears this out.

Several reviews on here are just being needlessly cruel, and unrealistic. This was only ever intended to be a little feel good TV film, the sort the British industry did many of after WW2.

And it does just that, (albeit this was done well into the 70s), some gentle humour poking fun at British stereoytypes, and some nice countryside settings.

Well acted by a mass of UK character actors, and a couple who were popular at the time from other films, or TV series (Nedwell & Keen in particular).

If you want car chases, or shootings, or people turning into dragons (vice versa?) then it's probably not for you!