B. Warren I'm pretty much in line with the 'mainstream' reviewers for fav flics; Lawrence, Quai, Dr. Z, 2001, Dr Strangelove, Silence, LA confidential, etc., etc.There are however, many lessor lights, that are so much worth watching. Some are by age and perspective. I loved 'Boat that Rocked', but if you are not of the 60's - 70's R&R era I could see why others would not.This movie 'The Englishman', is rare one. An enjoyable bit of fluff, filled with English humor, fit for all ages, but sharp enough to keep one entertained throughout the movie, which, itself is timeless.If you wish for a lighthearted enjoyable evening with any and all, that you would wish to share a movie night with, this is one. For certain.

SimonJack Others have described the plot of this film. I just add my praise to that of a few other reviewers who saw much more than the gentle comedy in "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill …" The movie was filmed in Wales, and gives us some nice scenic shots of the countryside, with the mountain/hill. But much of the enjoyment of this film is in the character studies. It so nicely gives us a look at several people and their "Welshness." I can't say how folks from Wales may like the depictions; but they are curious, warm, friendly, and very real people shown in this film. All the acting is first-rate. Colm Meany and Kenneth Griffith play wonderfully off each other as pub-owner Morgan the Goat and Reverend Jones, respectively. Hugh Grant is very good in one of his most laid back comedy roles – here as a naturally shy young veteran from WW I. Tara Fitzgerald is very good as Betty. The rest of the cast make up a wonderful variety of different, if not eccentric, characters. This is not a comedy of rip-roaring laughter. It isn't loaded with sight-gags, or witty one-liners. There are a few clever lines, but the comedy of this film is in the everyday lives of the people of this Welsh community, and in the cunning to rouse the community to deal with a mountain of a problem. It is a very clean film, suitable for all ages and audiences. As many others have noted, it's a comedy of warmth that makes one feel good at its end. This film isn't for modern movie-goers who must have a constant flow of adrenalin. Or maybe it is – to help slow them down so they can learn to smell the roses along the way. Regarding the town's problem, it's interesting that there don't seem to be any real set standards for designation of mountains versus hills. The sources I checked seem to agree that the difference is more in the degree of steepness, rather than actual height. Funny though, that the 1,000-foot mark of distinction seemed to come from the U.S., where the British favored more a 2,000-foot mark. The outside scenes of this movie were filmed at Gyrn Moelfre, a hill or mountain in northeast Wales near the border with England. It has an elevation of 1,716 feet above sea level. But it rises just 778 feet above the surrounding terrain. The movie shows people climbing the hill on a trail with switchbacks. Indeed, climbing any hill of good size gives one the "feel" of having scaled a small mountain.The story came from one that director Christopher Monger heard from his grandfather about the village of Ffynnon Taf (Taff's Well), and it's nearby mountain/hill, Ffynnon Garw (Garth Hill). It's located just a few miles north of Cardiff. But because of modern growth, the movie was filmed further away in the middle of Wales near Liansilin.

AaronCapenBanner Christopher Monger directed this droll comedy-drama set in 1917. A young cartographer named Reginald Anson(played by Hugh Grant) comes to a small south Wales village to measure its renowned mountain of which the locals are most proud. They are then dismayed to learn that it is now technically a hill, being short by a small margin. Reginald tries to calm them by assuring that he doesn't suspect fraud, merely that erosion has occurred, so the village leader(played by Colm Meaney) gets the beautiful Elizabeth(played by Tara Fitzgerald) to beguile the cartographer to stay in town long enough for them to build the mountain up to the required length, an effort which will change their lives... Most appealing film for those who like witty and dry humor, and a most original premise is played out well, despite that cumbersome title!

sddavis63 A small village in Wales, relatively close to the boundary separating Wales from England, takes its identity from its proximity to what it considers to be its local mountain. All of a sudden, and quite unexpectedly, two English cartographers from the British Army show up to take a measurement of the hill and - to the horror of the town - the "mountain" is found to be 984 feet tall - 16 feet short of the 1000 feet required to be included on the map as a mountain.Set during the First World War, this movie presents an interesting picture of Welsh nationalism. In today's world, nationalism has acquired something of a bad name. It leads to feelings of superiority, racism, violence, terrorism and wars. The nationalism depicted here seemed to me to be of a more positive type. It wasn't about putting anyone down - it was about these villagers finding something about themselves and their land to take pride in without insulting anyone else - although it's clear that they themselves felt insulted by these two Englishmen having the nerve to question whether "their" mountain was really just a hill, and they set out to do something about it! One of the great lines in the movie was "if this isn't a mountain, we might as well be in England." The movie features good, if not overpowering, performances from pretty much everyone. Hugh Grant as the sympathetic Englishman Anson, and Ian McNeice as his less sympathetic partner - who considers the Welsh to be foreigners - do a fine job, and Colm Meaney has a very significant and well-played role as "Morgan the Goat" (there's some great humour here about Welsh names, that add to an overall wonderful, if somewhat low key, sense of humour throughout.) Tara Fitzgerald was also very good as Betty from Cardiff, who eventually becomes Anson's romantic interest, and also worth noting is Kenneth Griffith as Rev. Jones.Overall, this is a very pleasant journey of self-discovery for almost every character in the movie, and it's immensely enjoyable. 7/10