The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain
6.6 /10 1 Votes
3/4 Roger Ebert Director Christopher Monger Initial DVD release September 7, 1999 Duration Language English | 6.6/10 IMDb 58% Rotten Tomatoes Genre Comedy, Drama Music director Stephen Endelman Country United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date 12 May 1995 (1995-05-12) (US)
4 August 1995 (1995-08-04) (UK) Writer Ifor David Monger (story), Christopher Monger Cast Hugh Grant (Reginald Anson), Tara Fitzgerald (Betty), Colm Meaney (Morgan the Goat), Ian McNeice (George Garrad), Ian Hart (Johnny Shellshocked), Kenneth Griffith (Reverend Jones)Similar movies For Your Eyes Only , Dr. No , You Only Live Twice , The Living Daylights , The Spy Who Loved Me , From Russia With Love | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain 1995 official trailer 1 movie
The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain is a 1995 British film with a story by Ifor David Monger and Ivor Monger, written and directed by Christopher Monger. It was entered into the 19th Moscow International Film Festival and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.
Contents
- The englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain 1995 official trailer 1 movie
- The englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain official trailer hd hugh grant
- Plot
- Cast
- Reception
- Welsh language
- In popular culture
- References
The film is based on a story heard by Christopher Monger from his grandfather about the real village of Taff's Well, in the old county of Glamorgan, and its neighbouring Garth Hill. Due to 20th century urbanisation of the area, it was filmed in the more rural Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and Llansilin in Powys. The Welsh Male Voice Choir used to provide background music throughout the film was, in fact, the London-based Gwalia Male Choir.
The englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain official trailer hd hugh grant
Plot
The film is set in 1917 (with World War I in the background), and revolves around two English cartographers, the pompous Garrad (Ian McNeice) and his junior, Anson (Hugh Grant). They arrive at the fictional Welsh village of Ffynnon Garw ("Rough Fountain" or "Rough Spring" in Welsh) to measure its "mountain" – only to cause outrage when they conclude that it is only a hill because it is slightly short of the required 1000 feet in height. The villagers, aided and abetted by the wily Morgan the Goat (Colm Meaney) and the Reverend Mr Jones (Kenneth Griffith) (who after initially opposing the scheme, grasps its symbolism in restoring the community's war-damaged self-esteem), conspire with Morgan to delay the cartographers' departure while they build an earth cairn on top of the hill to make it high enough to be considered a mountain.
Cast
Reception
In regard to its humorous and affectionate description of the locals, the film has often been compared with Waking Ned Devine, a comedy film written and directed by Kirk Jones. The movie has resulted in a stream of visitors climbing to the summit of The Garth, and the Pentyrch History Society and the local community council have erected a notice on the mountain to explain its real historical significance.
Welsh language
One of the most obscure jokes in the film occurs when a mechanic is asked about a nondescript broken part he has removed from a car, and replies "Well I don't know the English word, but in Welsh we call it a be'chi'ngalw." In Welsh, be'chi'ngalw is a placeholder name, like "whatchamacallit" or "thingamajig" in English. This is made obvious in the novel of the film.
In popular culture
The 13th episode of Veggie Tales, "King George and the Ducky," contained a brief parody of The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain entitled The Englishman Who Went up a Hill and Came Down with All the Bananas.
