PRIDE

 

For me, Pride kind of flew in under the radar; I just didn't really notice it - shame on me! Again a new offering of Sky Movies, when it popped up on telly I was attracted by the stellar list of names on the cast list. By the end I was utterly blown away, aching with laughter and swelling with pride myself that such a film came about, and thankful that I had finally seen it.


In short, Pride is very close to perfect for me. Inspired by the true events that surrounded the miner's strike of the early 1980s, it tells of how an opressed yet courageously outspoken group of London-based lesbians and gay men sought to aid the struggle of the miners, in particular focusing on a small, traditional Welsh mining village.
What follows is a totally unique blend of brilliantly written, and brilliantly performed comedy, tension and eventual heart that shines through the film pretty much from beginning to end.


As ever, I have to say a few words about the astonishing cast. Staple acting talents came into their own in ways I for one had never seen before. The amazing Imelda Staunton was a corking concoction of staunch Welsh value, heroism, heart and some truly brilliant bits of comedy. Dominic West simply owned his role as Jonathan Blake, an ailing yet amazingly bright gay actor, who added a mix of maturity and madness to the group. Paddy Considine was welcomely warm and grounded as Dai (though I thought that Welsh accent was a tad strained every now and then). We also got some sublime performances from more mature Welsh talent that sadly does not often appear on the big screen - such as the hilarious and happily harmonious Menna Trussler as Gwen, as well as a cracking cameo from Stella's Deddie Davis.
Finally the ever-brilliant Bill Nighy headed up the more established cast with yet another jewel in his crown as Cliff Barry - perfectly timed, perfectly spoken, perfectly delivered. As with most things I have senn him in, Bill Nighy was a joy to watch.


We also got to see a contingent of younger up-and-coming stars who you may not be as familiar with, but regardless most were just as superb. George MacKay executed his character of the naive yet warm-hearted Joe/"Bromley" very well, Joe Gilgun was dryly humerous and a nice change in tempo as northern lad Mike Jackson, and rising star and supreme acting talent Andrew Scott was fantastic as gay bookshop owner Gethin Roberts. Along with Andrew Scott, Faye Marsay was the highlight for me within the younger casting contingent as Stephanie Chambers - hers was a performance of brilliant balls, sexy sass, and warm value.


Sadly the main, and only real casting misfire came for me in one of the young leads - Ben Schnetzer as Mark Ashton, founder of the LGSM group. On the face of things, his performance was very good - his character's accent was flawless (I would never have guessed he was a New Yorker) and he moves from scene to scene with just enough sass and punch to justify his presence. However, I thought throughout every shot that featured him there was more than a tinge of strut and the wrong kind of arrogance in everything he did. You might say this was an important part of his character, but for me it just soured his performance a tad which was indeed dissapointing.


That aside, and perhaps the fact that the narrative from Wales to London and vice versa was a tad disjointed - I loved Pride. I have no doubt it will become a future British classic, and I feel all those who were involved should carry an enormous amount of pride  themselves - for they have given audiences something quite rare, quite lovely and quite wonderful.