ON THIS DAY: 1996: Yorkshire mining movie Brassed Off hits cinemas for first time - PICTURES
It was a movie that combined tragedy and comedy, politics and music - and brought the plight of South Yorkshire miners on to cinema screens world-wide.
By The Newsroom
Tuesday, 1st November 2016, 9:37 am
Updated Wednesday, 16th November 2016, 3:51 pm
Stephen Tompkinson and Pete Postlethwaite in Brassed Off.
Exactly twenty years ago today, on November 1, 1996, Brassed Off was released and, excuse the pun, it arrived with little fanfare.
Written and directed by Mark Herman and starring Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald and Ewan McGregor, it told the troubles faced by a colliery brass band following the closure of their pit and was loosely based on the story of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and their own struggles against the closure programme.
The poster for the movie.
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Gradually, word spread about the movie and it became a box office smash and has gone on to become one of the most highly-regarded British movies of recent years, managing to weave a plot featuring not only some comic touches but also a host of harrowing scenes that helped spell out the misery of Margaret Thatcher’s decimation of the region’s mining industry.
The film is set in Grimley’ in the mid-1990s and the film was largely shot in Grimethorpe although several scenes were shot in Doncaster town centre including a scene shot outside Doncaster Minster.
The film told the story of a brass band's struggles against pit closures.
The closing scenes were shot at the Royal Albert Hall.
Ewan McGregor also starred in the movie.
Ewan McGregor and Tara Fitzgerald filmed scenes in Grimethorpe.
The movie was a slow burner at the box office.
The movie carried a strong political message.
Doncaster Minster and the old Doncaster College site in Church View were used as filming.
Grimethorpe Colliery Band provided the music for the film.
The poster for the movie.
The film told the story of a brass band's struggles against pit closures.
The closing scenes were shot at the Royal Albert Hall.
Ewan McGregor also starred in the movie.
Ewan McGregor and Tara Fitzgerald filmed scenes in Grimethorpe.
The movie was a slow burner at the box office.
The movie carried a strong political message.
Doncaster Minster and the old Doncaster College site in Church View were used as filming.
Grimethorpe Colliery Band provided the music for the film.
