The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Christopher Monger

Writers:

Ivor Monger (story)
Christopher Monger (writer)

Release Date:

12 May 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A romantic comedy about a town that wouldn't give up. A man who couldn't get out. And the mountain that brought them together.

Plot:

When an English cartographer must tell a Welsh village that their mountain is only a hill, the offended community sets out to change that.

Plot Keywords:

Mountain | Hill | Wales | Welsh | WWI

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Hugh Grant	...	Reginald Anson
Tara Fitzgerald	...	Elizabeth aka Betty from Cardiff
Colm Meaney	...	Morgan the Goat
Ian McNeice	...	George Garrad
Ian Hart	...	Johnny Shellshocked (Jones)
Kenneth Griffith	...	Reverend Jones
Tudor Vaughan	...	Thomas Twp
Hugh Vaughan	...	Thomas Twp Too
Robert Pugh	...	Williams the Petroleum
Robert Blythe	...	Ivor
Garfield Morgan	...	Davies the School
Lisa Palfrey	...	Blod Jones
Dafydd Wyn Roberts	...	Tommy Twostroke
Ieuan Rhys	...	Sgt. Thomas
Anwen Williams	...	Mavis

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #33696) | Iceland:L | Finland:S | Germany:12 (w) | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Gyrn Moelfre, Powys, Wales, UK

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

It took quite a long time to find a filming location that could pass for Taff's Well in 1910; the original location (where the true story came from), to the north of Cardiff, now has several large wind turbines and electricity pylons prominently placed, and the village is surrounded by a modern industrial estate.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The Bristol Channel should be visible from the hill. Also missing is the Taff River and Castell Coch.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: For some odd reason, lost in the mists of time, there's an extraordinary shortage of last names in Wales. Almost everyone seems to be a Williams, a Jones, or an Evans. To avoid widespread confusion, Welsh people often add an occupation to a name. For example, there was Williams the Petroleum, and Williams the Death. There was Jones the Bottle, and Jones the Prize Cabbage...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Fast Show: Oh (#2.1)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Men of Harlech

A gentle, affectionate portrait of a village in Wales

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.