By William Wolf

PRIDE (2014)  Send This Review to a Friend

When British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ruthlessly waged her cruel campaign against coal mine workers struggling to protect their jobs and keep the mines open, there was a unique alliance in the fight against her. Lesbians and gays struggling for their own rights offered support for the miners. Out of this real-life saga comes the wonderful film “Pride,” an emotionally stirring drama that is also rich in comedy and a great example of how solidarity can be forged even in unexpected ways. “Pride,” written by Stephen Beresford and skillfully directed by Matthew Warchus emerges as one of the year’s best films.

While some movie companies spend millions trying to produce meaningless blockbusters, along comes this unusual reality-based film, set in London and Wales and full of heart and soul, with an excellent cast depicting characters in a range of action and relationships. Many bases are touched, including gay men and lesbians fighting for their rights and recognition for who they are as individuals, miners fighting the good fight to preserve their livelihood in face of Thatcher’s warfare against the working class, the effort to overcome bias among miners toward homosexuality, the courage of those among miner families who feel such prejudice is wrong, the political climate of the time (1984), and the underlying specter of the burgeoning AIDS epidemic. According to notes at the end of the film, AIDS would claim the lives of two leading characters in the film. We are also privy to family divisions that need to be breached.

Getting all this into “Pride” is a tall order, but the film succeeds because it is character-based, not an exercise in polemics. Yes, there are some impassioned declarations, but they come from characters who have something to say in rallying the troops, affirming their principles and learning from new experience.

Mark Ashton, played by Ben Schnetzer, is a force in stirring financial support for the miners among his coterie of gays and lesbians. A key character among the miners is Dai Donovan, a union representative from a South Wales mining town played by Paddy Considine, who welcomes the support and shows up in London to meet the gay rights contingent offering to help the miners. Not unexpectedly, when a bus with the gay and lesbian Londoners arrives in the mining town, the response is definitely mixed.

Maureen (Lisa Palfrey), an embittered widow of a miner, epitomizes the hostile action. Veteran actress Imelda Staunton as Hifina, is spirited in the opposite direction, enthusiastically welcoming the newcomer support. Another key character among the miners is played by the always fascinating Bill Nighy as Cliff, a low-key union officer who is on the welcoming side and the brother-in-law of Maureen, who at one point tells her that her husband would not have been in favor of her stance. Later we learn something revealing about Cliff in a touching scene, one of the many that the film contains.

The excellent cast also includes in a broad assortment of roles Dominic West, George MacKay, Joseph Gilgun, Faye Marsay, Liz White, Menna Trussler, Andrew Scott and Freddie Fox. All add significantly to the story that unfolds under the expert screenplay and direction.

Between the moment we hear the soundtrack with Pete Seeger singing “Solidarity Forever” at the start to the huge Gay Pride demonstration toward the end, the film is punctuated with scenes that can produce surges of emotion and well-earned tearful responses. There surely will be an extra thrill for those who ardently believe in unions and fight for gay and lesbian rights. Ultimately the British miners lost and mines closed as coal became increasingly obsolete. But the heroism of those who fought and those who supported them is gloriously captured in the highly original and entertaining “Pride,” which implicitly offers lessons for those who need solidarity in today’s battles. A CBS Films release. Reviewed September 29, 2014.

  

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