O Inglês que Subiu a Colina e Desceu a Montanha

I feel sorry for those folks who *don't get* this movie! Based on actual events around 1917, we are privileged to have a glimpse at what life was like in a small coal village in South Wales. The casting was superb! I especially liked the inter-action between Reverend Jones and Morgan. And who could possibly not love Tara Fitzgerald as Betty! The film starts out with some interesting trivia about how people got their names back then- very quaint yet logical to attach an occupation to their names! The photography was wonderful at showing off the unspoiled landscape- I really felt like I was a part of the events. This movie inspires me to want to visit the final resting place of Reverend Jones with a handful of earth from my own garden!

Of the two comments so far, one is for, one against. Can't let that stand! I loved this movie. Not boring at all. Loved Hugh Grant (much better than in 4W&aFuneral). Loved EVERYBODY, even the dour surveyor. The humor is so subtle and insidious, the acting so underdone, the writing so sparkling, the plot so effervescently predictable in macro, but not in micro. The film score is wonderful, too, using as it does actual Welsh melodies rearranged into big 'movie soundtrack' full orchestration. And has there ever been a more beautiful cinematographic masterstroke than the torches on the mountain at sunset? I think not!

Those two adjectives say it all. Hugh Grant is at his best as a shy WWI era officer whose task it is to measure the mountains of Wales. He plays very well against Colm Meaney, a rogue and scoundrel who finds his better nature despite himself.

This film was crippled before an American audience because of its slow pace and long title. The humor is subdued, and often buried under accents that many moviegoers must have been unfamiliar with. But I believe this film only improves with repeated viewings. The actors do a uniformly good job, and play their characters with great heart.

The soundtrack stands out as one of the best as well. It adds to the mystery and beauty of the region and adds a unique feel to the film.

Children may find it too slow and dull, but anyone with an appreciation for a good, heartwarming story will enjoy it. I recommend it in particular to those with a love for the British Isles in general, or Wales in particular.

I know the area where this film was made and I have met many of the locals who's lives were affected by the film crews. People's windows were removed and replaced with older looking ones, some residents were sent on fully expensed holidays and telephone poles were taken down.

Most of the remarks I heard were quite negative, but at least the local pubs and hotels were full. Hugh and the other stars stayed at the Lake Vrnwy Hotel which is about 7 miles away from Llanraedr Ym Mochnant the village where the pub, garage etc were situated.

The pub in the movie wasn't a pub at all, but it is now. After the film crew packed up, the Hargest sign in the shop next door was left and is still there.

The police station was fake and is actually the village bus shelter which had a structure built around it.

The butchers is real and a very good butchers it is too. Run by Roger Evans for many years now, his wife played a small part in the film, she appears at the school and announces "we've come for the children".

The mountain which is shown in the film looming over the background of the village, is actually three miles away at Peny Bont Fawr. I've spent considerable time in the locality, staying at Peny Bont and I always called it Hugh Grant's mountain.

There are some very nice pubs in the area and the scenery is breath taking. If you are in Llanraedr, you can drive up to the Pystil Falls, the highest waterfall in Wales.

Go in late spring and the falls are at their fullest, following the melting of the mountain snows.

Incidentally, the pub that wasn't a pub is now a real pub and has been for about 4 years now.

This film is a gentle, affectionate portrait of a village in Wales, its people and its Mountain. Within the village, there are long standing feuds and traditions. Then, two Englishmen arrive with a job to do and history is made. It may or may not be based on a real Welsh village. The writer and many of the names in the credits have Welsh sounding names. The scenery is beautiful and the characters are delightfully observed. It is a piece set at the time of the First World War. It has echoes of Under Milk Wood, of The Shooting Party, and of Clochemerle. Kenneth Griffith was memorable in Clochemerle and plays the Reverend Jones in this film. At first, Hugh Grant seems to be playing yet another floppy haired, romantic hero, but as the film unfolds, there is greater depth to his character. The harsh reality of mining is simply portrayed and we are reminded of the heightened need for coal in wartime. The Great War itself casts a shadow over the whole village, making the film poignant and touching.