Pride (2014)
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A group of gay and lesbian activists raise money to support families affected by the British miners' strike in 1984.
The story
Upon watching the news about the Welsh miners' strike of 1984, gay activist Mark Ashton realizes that the police have stopped harassing the gay community because they are harassing the miners instead. 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" (LGSM). Among its first members are 20-year-old closeted student Joe Cooper and an older gay couple, Jonathan Blake and Gethin Roberts. LGSM faces homophobia from the mining community and anger from gay people who have been mistreated by miners in the past.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mark Ashton founds LGSM to support Welsh miners during the 1984 strike. The group, including Joe Cooper and the couple Jonathan Blake and Gethin Roberts, faces hostility from both the mining community and some members of the gay community. They travel to a small mining village in Wales to deliver donations. Despite a frosty reception and a walkout led by Maureen Barry, the activists eventually succeed in helping miners get released from illegal detention. Relations begin to thaw as the two communities become close. However, Maureen contacts a tabloid, leading to a union vote on whether to accept LGSM's support. Mark holds a concert at the Electric Ballroom, but the Union eventually votes to refuse further help. Disillusioned, Mark abandons the group, and Gethin is assaulted. In 1985, the strike ends. Joe sneaks off to show solidarity and confronts Mark about his secret life. On the day of the 1985 Gay Pride Parade, Mark returns to the group, apologizes, and leads them to the parade joined by hundreds of miners. An epilogue reveals the Labour Party incorporated gay rights into their programme partly due to a vote by the National Union of Mineworkers, and notes that Mark Ashton died of AIDS two years later.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Matthew Warchus
- Writers
- Stephen Beresford · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Bill Nighy · Cliff Barry; Imelda Staunton · Hefina Headon; Dominic West · Jonathan Blake; Paddy Considine · David "Dai" Donovan; Andrew Scott · Gethin Roberts; George MacKay · Joe "Bromley" Cooper; Joseph Gilgun · Michael "Mike" Jackson; Ben Schnetzer · Mark Ashton
- Genres
- historical comedy-drama
- Themes
- LGBTQ rights; labor movement; solidarity; homophobia
- Tone and mood
- historical; comedy-drama; impassioned; lovable
- Premise and plot tags
- based on a true story; historical; LGBTQ-related; activism
- Source material / true-story basis
- true story
- Content notes
- strong language; sexual nature
- Reception
- The film was met with critical acclaim, described as an earnest, uplifting, and joyous crowd-pleaser. It received positive reviews for its performances and for combining broad comedy with subtle observation.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 92% · scale: percentage · review count: 127; Metacritic · score: 79 · scale: 100 · review count: 36; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film received a 15 certificate from the British Board of Film Classification.; The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.; A stage musical adaptation of the film is in development.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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