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--- A Movie/Book Review ---
--- THE ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL BUT CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN ---
--- Christopher Monger --- Writer / Director / Screenwriter
--- The story based upon a true incident, was about Welsh villagers in 1917, building up the local mountain to the required 1000 feet so that English surveyors, who had previously measured it and called it a hill, would record it as a mountain ---
--- The villagers were suspicious of the English surveyors ---
--- His Majesty’s Ordnance Survey ---
--- One villager asks, "I don’t see that it’s possible. How will they measure it?"
--- The other responds, "And what would they be doing with it once they’ve got it?"
--- The first one responds, "By God, that’s the worry of it."
--- That remark leads to the conclusion, "The English come only when they want something." ---
--- The story centered on two diametrically opposed characters, The Rev. Jones and Morgan the Innkeeper --- these two eventually bent half way to come together and rally the support of the entire village ---
--- The village people valiantly struggled to carry dirt and sod up the hill to make it a mountain, meanwhile creating numerous stall tactics to delay the English survey party from leaving the village ---
--- In the end the villagers prevailed --- they delayed the departure of the surveyors and raised the mountain ---
--- The book was more interesting to me than the movie because of my knowledge of surveying, however it was a good book and a good movie ---
--- Hugh Grant plays one of the English survey crew, and Colm Meany plays the part of the innkeeper --- this is one reason I preferred the book ---
--- Although, in honesty, both gave fine performances, I don’t like Hugh because of his off camera immoral escapades, but he had no problem portraying a wimpy Englishman !
--- Casting Colm as the innkeeper, in my opinion, was not a good choice ---
--- First of all, and I imagine to the chagrin of the entire Welsh people, Colm is overwhelming Irish !!! --- sorry alan --- ( and the director was Welsh !!!)
--- Secondly, I have difficulty shaking Colm’s stigmatic Star Trek image --- sorry JWinn ---
--- My favorite character was Miss Elizabeth, aka “Betty” --- portrayed by Tara Fitzgerald --- (Irish mom, Italian dad, born in Sussex) --- It may be that Monger just couldn’t find Welsh actors ? ---
--- Writer/Director Christopher Monger was born in Taff’s Well, and had heard the story from his grandfather and other villagers --- Ffynnon Garw was a fictional name ---
--- The real village is Taff’s Well (Ffynnon Taf in Welsh), and the mountain is Garth Mountain ---
--- The movie was not filmed at Taff’s Well because of so much modern growth ---
--- The filming was done in northern Wales at Llanrhaeadr-yn-Mochnant, about 10 miles west of Owestry, to assimilate village life of 1917 ---
--- Garth Mountain and Taff’s Well are about six miles northwest of Cardiff ---
--- I highly recommend reading this book or seeing this movie ---
--- It is an inspirational testimonial that we all have the ability to come together to accomplish great things for the community ---
--- The movie was released in 1995 ---
--- I named this thread “ Fishing For Sharks” because the beautiful, panoramic camera shots of the Wales countryside reminded me of Jaws ---
--- Besides, who would click on “ An Englishman Went Up A Hill….” ? ---
--- BTW --- According to the latest Ordnance Survey covering Cardiff and Bridgend, the height of Garth Hill is given as 307 meters (1007 feet), making it a mountain !!! ---
---
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.
--- A Movie/Book Review ---
--- THE ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL BUT CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN ---
--- Christopher Monger --- Writer / Director / Screenwriter
--- The story based upon a true incident, was about Welsh villagers in 1917, building up the local mountain to the required 1000 feet so that English surveyors, who had previously measured it and called it a hill, would record it as a mountain ---
--- The villagers were suspicious of the English surveyors ---
--- His Majesty’s Ordnance Survey ---
--- One villager asks, "I don’t see that it’s possible. How will they measure it?"
--- The other responds, "And what would they be doing with it once they’ve got it?"
--- The first one responds, "By God, that’s the worry of it."
--- That remark leads to the conclusion, "The English come only when they want something." ---
--- The story centered on two diametrically opposed characters, The Rev. Jones and Morgan the Innkeeper --- these two eventually bent half way to come together and rally the support of the entire village ---
--- The village people valiantly struggled to carry dirt and sod up the hill to make it a mountain, meanwhile creating numerous stall tactics to delay the English survey party from leaving the village ---
--- In the end the villagers prevailed --- they delayed the departure of the surveyors and raised the mountain ---
--- The book was more interesting to me than the movie because of my knowledge of surveying, however it was a good book and a good movie ---
--- Hugh Grant plays one of the English survey crew, and Colm Meany plays the part of the innkeeper --- this is one reason I preferred the book ---
--- Although, in honesty, both gave fine performances, I don’t like Hugh because of his off camera immoral escapades, but he had no problem portraying a wimpy Englishman !
--- Casting Colm as the innkeeper, in my opinion, was not a good choice ---
--- First of all, and I imagine to the chagrin of the entire Welsh people, Colm is overwhelming Irish !!! --- sorry alan --- ( and the director was Welsh !!!)
--- Secondly, I have difficulty shaking Colm’s stigmatic Star Trek image --- sorry JWinn ---
--- My favorite character was Miss Elizabeth, aka “Betty” --- portrayed by Tara Fitzgerald --- (Irish mom, Italian dad, born in Sussex) --- It may be that Monger just couldn’t find Welsh actors ? ---
--- Writer/Director Christopher Monger was born in Taff’s Well, and had heard the story from his grandfather and other villagers --- Ffynnon Garw was a fictional name ---
--- The real village is Taff’s Well (Ffynnon Taf in Welsh), and the mountain is Garth Mountain ---
--- The movie was not filmed at Taff’s Well because of so much modern growth ---
--- The filming was done in northern Wales at Llanrhaeadr-yn-Mochnant, about 10 miles west of Owestry, to assimilate village life of 1917 ---
--- Garth Mountain and Taff’s Well are about six miles northwest of Cardiff ---
--- I highly recommend reading this book or seeing this movie ---
--- It is an inspirational testimonial that we all have the ability to come together to accomplish great things for the community ---
--- The movie was released in 1995 ---
--- I named this thread “ Fishing For Sharks” because the beautiful, panoramic camera shots of the Wales countryside reminded me of Jaws ---
--- Besides, who would click on “ An Englishman Went Up A Hill….” ? ---
--- BTW --- According to the latest Ordnance Survey covering Cardiff and Bridgend, the height of Garth Hill is given as 307 meters (1007 feet), making it a mountain !!! ---
---
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That gave me a laugh and cheered me up AZ after the old "enemy" defeated my beloved Wales! They may have won a game of rugby but our mountains beat theirs! 
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