June 21 - The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain

Here is a movie with a scene that happens today - June 21. I hope you enjoy the film and watch it tonight. 

THE ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL AND CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN

During World War One two English cartographers, the pompous Garrad and his assistant Anson come to the Welsh village of Ffynnon Garw to measure the height of what the locals call “the first mountain in Wales”. They tell the locals that a mountain must be more than 1000 feet high and the locals bet on the exact height of their mountain. Their announcement that the hill is only 984 feet is met with consternation. After a public meeting to consider what to do a plan is devised to haul enough dirt from the valley to make up the difference.  Morgan the Goat, reprobate owner of the inn where the Englishmen are staying sabotages their car to keep them in the village until the hill is a mountain. On June 21, 1917, [33:04 to 52:46] after Rev. Jones is unable to convince the schoolteacher to dismiss school, parents get their children out of school so they can help with the plan. Working together, with renewed optimism (which was Rev. Jones intent), the villagers start adding dirt to their hill to make it a mountain. Morgan recruits Betty to charm Garrad and keep him there through a rainy spell during which they can’t haul dirt. However she falls for Anson instead.  In spite of their efforts the two English can’t get out of town until they announce early on Sunday morning that they are leaving by train the next morning. Rev. Jones to the surprise of Morgan takes as his sermon text Psalm 99:9 “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy hill” and tells everyone he is going to haul dirt and that he expects them to do so also.  The villagers haul dirt the entire day, with even Anson helping, until Rev. Jones has a stroke and dies. His burial means the work is not complete until it is too late for Anson to take his measurements. However Betty volunteers to keep him company until the 5 a.m. dawn. The two come down the mountain the next day to announce its height is 1,002 feet and that they are engaged. In an epilogue, when the mountain is re-measured recently it was only 997 feet, so the villagers again haul dirt to the top to  restore it to mountain status.

This is a very low-keyed dry humor kind of film. However I do like it especially since I’m of part-Welsh ancestry myself. The poor English are no match for the slyness and determination of the Welsh. Hir yn byw Cymru! 

When Rev. Jones goes to the school at 34:17 that date is the one on the calendar

Producer - Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Sarah Curtis, Sally Hibbin, Robert Jones,   

                   Scott Maitland and Paul Sarony

Director - Christopher Monger

Screenplay - Christopher Monger

Runtime – 1 hour 39 minutes

Released – May 12, 1995

Starring -

Hugh Grant as Reginald Anson

Ian McNeice as George Garrad

Tara FitzGerald as Betty from Cardiff

Colm Meaney as Morgan the Goat

Ian Hart as Johnny Shellshocked

Robert Pugh as Williams the Petroleum

Kenneth Griffith as the Reverend Robert Jones

Ieuan Rhys as Sgt Thomas

Watch a trailer for The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain