Pride (2014 film)  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Related e

Wikipedia
Wiktionary
Shop


Featured:

Pride is a 2014 British historical comedy-drama film written by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus. Based on a true story, the film depicts a group of lesbian and gay activists who raised money to help families affected by the British miners' strike in 1984, at the outset of what would become the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign.

Plot

Upon watching the news about the miners' strike, gay activist Mark Ashton realises that the police have stopped harassing the gay community because their attention is elsewhere. He spontaneously arranges a bucket collection for the miners during the Gay Pride Parade in London. Encouraged by the success, he founds "Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners". Among its first members are 20-year-old closeted student Joe Cooper and an older gay couple Gethin and Jonathan, whose bookshop (called Gay's the Word) they use as headquarters.

LGSM faces opposition from the mining community who do not wish to associate with them, as well as within the gay community who feel that the miners have mistreated them in the past. Frustrated by the lack of response, the activists instead decide to take their donations directly to a small mining village named Onllwyn in Wales. Dai Donovan, spokesperson for the miners in Onllwyn, comes to London to meet their new allies. Though he is startled by the revelation of what "L" and "G" stand for in their name, he expresses his gratitude in a short, eloquent speech at a gay bar and the cause takes off.

In Onllwyn, the Women's Support group led by Hefina Headon and Maureen Barry debate whether to invite LGSM to the village as a thank you; Hefina's camp favours gratitude from all camps, whilst Maureen's camp considers the gays abhorrent. First-time volunteer Siân James speaks up fiercely in favour of inviting LGSM and is asked to join the committee. When LGSM arrives in Onllwyn, they are met with a frosty reception and Maureen leads a walkout after Mark's speech to the village. However, the next day Jonathan shares with Siân his knowledge of harassment laws and abuse of police power; the fiery Siân marches down to the police station to demand the release of illegally detained miners. Many grateful miners acknowledge LGSM's role in their release, relations begin to thaw and the two communities quickly become close. Finding herself on the outside, Maureen contacts a tabloid about the situation in Onllwyn. The resulting story humiliates The National Union of Miners, who call a vote on whether to accept LGSM's support.

Back in London, Mark declares that they will embrace the labels in the tabloid and throws an enormous concert at the Electric Ballroom headlined by Bronski Beat, attended by Dai, Hefina and a number of the women from the village. Mark is badly shaken when he encounters a former lover who implies that he is terminal with AIDS. The festival "Pits and Perverts" raises thousands of pounds for Onllwyn, but the Union vote moves forward three hours without notice, and without Dai or Hefina, Maureen's camp succeeds in voting to refuse further help from LGSM. Disillusioned and haunted, Mark abandons LGSM. Gethin, who initially refused to participate due to his own experience coming out in a mining village, attempts to campaign alone and is violently assaulted and hospitalised. Joe is outed when his parents find photos from Onllwyn and he is kept away from the group.

In March 1985, the Miners' Strike is over. The miners of Onllwyn gather to go back into the mines. Joe sees the news and sneaks off to Onllwyn to show solidarity, where he encounters Mark. Mark confronts Joe about hiding his activism and homosexuality from his parents. When Siân drives Joe home in the LGSM donated van, humiliating his conservative family, Joe decides to leave home.

On the morning of the 1985 Gay Pride Parade, Mark returns to the group and apologises for abandoning the cause. He leads LGSM to the Parade, where they are joined by hundreds of miners in a show of solidarity. The closing scenes reveal that the Labour Party incorporated rights for gays and lesbians in their party programme under pressure from the National Union of Mineworkers, Siân was later elected to Parliament and that Mark Ashton died of AIDS two years later.

Cast

Template:Div col begin

LGSM members

  • Ben Schnetzer as Mark Ashton, founder of LGSM
  • Joe Gilgun as Michael (Mike) Jackson, Mark's best friend.
  • Faye Marsay as Stephanie (Steph) Chambers, the sole lesbian among the LGSM founders.
  • Dominic West as Jonathan Blake, Gethin's partner and the second person diagnosed with HIV in the UK. He has not developed AIDS and remains alive.
  • Andrew Scott as Gethin Roberts, Jonathan's partner and a Welshman who was alienated from his village when he came out sixteen years prior.
  • Freddie Fox as Jeff Cole, an effeminate man popular with the Onllwyn children.
  • Chris Overton as Reggie Blennerhassett, Ray's partner.
  • Joshua Hill as Ray Aller, Reggie's partner.
  • George MacKay as Joe "Bromley" Cooper, a fictional LGSM member and audience surrogate.

Women's Support Group members

  • Imelda Staunton as Hefina Headon, member of the strike committee.
  • Jessica Gunning as Siân James, wife of Martin.
  • Liz White as Margaret Donovan, member of the strike committee and wife of Dai.
  • Nia Gwynne as Gail Pritchard, wife of Alan.
  • Menna Trussler as Gwen, an elderly member, and widow of William, who was a miner.
  • Lisa Palfrey as Maureen Barry, a widow and sister-in-law of Cliff who is against LGSM support.

Other characters

  • Bill Nighy as Cliff Barry, a leader of the men's union.
  • Paddy Considine as David (Dai) Donovan, a leader of the men's union and member of the strike committee.
  • Rhodri Meilir as Martin James, a leader of the men's union.
  • Sophie Evans as Debbie Thomas.
  • Karina Fernandez as Stella, an LGSM member who broke off to form an all-female group Lesbians Against Pit Closures.
  • Jessie Cave as Zoe, Stella's girlfriend.
  • Monica Dolan as Marion Cooper, Bromley's mother.
  • Matthew Flynn as Tony Cooper, Bromley's father.
  • Olwen Medi as Gethin's mother, who initially disowned him for being gay.
  • Kyle Rees as Carl Evans, a miner who asks Jonathan for dancing lessons.
  • Jack Baggs as Gary, Carl's friend who also asks for dance lessons.
  • Jams Thomas as the Miners Union Leader.
  • Deddie Davies as The Old Lady at Bingo.
  • Russell Tovey as Tim, apparent ex lover of Mark.




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Pride (2014 film)" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

Personal tools