DramaComedyRomance

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain

- A romantic comedy about a man, a woman, and the mountain that brought them together

When an English cartographer arrives in Wales to tell the residents of the Welsh village of Ffynnon Garw that their 'mountain' is only a hill, the offended community sets out to remedy the situation.

Release Date : 1995-05-12

Language :EnglishWelshTibetan

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : MiramaxParallax Pictures

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Reginald Anson

Original Name : Hugh Grant

Gender : Male

Character Name : Betty

Original Name : Tara Fitzgerald

Gender : Female

Character Name : Morgan the Goat

Original Name : Colm Meaney

Gender : Male

Character Name : George Garrad

Original Name : Ian McNeice

Gender : Male

Character Name : Johnny Shellshocked

Original Name : Ian Hart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Reverend Jones

Original Name : Kenneth Griffith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Thomas Twp

Original Name : Tudor Vaughan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Thomas Twp Two

Original Name : Hugh Vaughan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Williams the Petroleum

Original Name : Robert Pugh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ivor

Original Name : Robert Blythe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Davies the School

Original Name : Garfield Morgan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Blod Jones

Original Name : Lisa Palfrey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Tommy Twostroke

Original Name : Dafydd Wyn Roberts

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sergeant Thomas

Original Name : Ieuan Rhys

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mavis

Original Name : Anwen Williams

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jones the JP

Original Name : David Lloyd Meredith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Thomas the Trains

Original Name : Howell Evans

Gender : Male

Character Name : Evans the End of the World

Original Name : Fraser Cains

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grandfather

Original Name : Jack Walters

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Boy

Original Name : Harry Kretchmer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl in classroom

Original Name : Maisie McNeice

Gender : Female

Character Name : Narrator (voice)

Original Name : Nicholas McGaughey

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

I don't want Ffynnon Garw to be on the map because we begged for it. The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain is directed by Christopher Monger and written by Ivor Monger. It stars Hugh Grant, Ian McNeice, Tara Fitzgerald, Colm Meaney and Kenneth Griffith. Music is by Stephen Endelman and cinematography by Vernon Layton. Set in 1917, plot finds Grant and McNeice as two English cartographers who arrive in the Welsh village of Ffynnon Garw to measure what the locals proudly proclaim to be Wales' first mountain. However, it turns out that the "mountain" is 16 feet below the required 1000 feet requisite so therefore can only be classed as a hill. This news causes disgust amongst the locals, who then set about stopping the cartographers going home whilst they attempt to build atop of the hill to make it over 1000 feet. A film with a big title that is matched by the size of its heart, Monger's film owes much to those fun community based pictures that filed out of Ealing Studios back in the 40s and 50s, Re: Whisky Galore! and The Titfield Thunderbolt. We can also safely place it the whimsy category where something as wonderful as Local Hero sits, while the old British comedy staple that encompasses an obsession with size (The Mouse That Roared) watches over the film like an approving British cinematic angel. Homespun humour marries up with the utterly engaging view of quirky village life to provide us with just under 100 minutes of entertainment. Although clearly simple in plot and structure, to simply dismiss it as such does not do justice to the fine work of the ensemble cast and the writing of Ivor and Chris Monger. With Grant doing what he does best, the amiable nervous fop, picture has a lead actor fully comfortable with the tone and texture of the production, while around him there are a number of fine character actors putting delightful meat on the comedy bones of oddball characters with names such as Morgan the Goat, Johny Shellshock, William the Petroleum and Betty from Cardiff! Best of the bunch is Griffith as Reverend Jones, a grumpy, stubborn eccentric who underpins everything so wonderfully skew-whiff about life in Ffynnon Garw. As for the writing? The screenplay has a wonderful ear for small village dialogue, while in amongst the value of community spirit theme, sits a near sombre observation of the effects of war on such a community. The production design is appealing, with Layton's photography around the Powys locations a visual treat, and Endelman's music has a suitably warming and jaunty feel; even if it starts to get a touch repetitive later in the piece. It doesn't have widespread appeal, it's clearly a film aimed at a small portion of film fans that love those films mentioned earlier. But in an era when film is being smothered by CGI and visual gimmickry, revisiting something like The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain offers up a most refreshing and diverting experience. 8/10