69. Bloasmuziek &...

Lyrics

Ich had al twee maedjes gezeen mit achter op allebei unne saxofoon
Witte bloes, blauw boks mit gael bieze en pas gepoetste sjoon
Nog boete 't dörp heurde ich al 't geretteketet van 'n trompet
Genog gewanjeld, hiej drinke veur os get
In de eerste sjtraot rook 't van wiet weg en ich realiseerde mich verrek
hiej trek nag emus sondigse soep
Det leeg geträöt van die trombones trokke os nao veure euver de sjtoep
Biej de kerk waare natuurlik weer twee cafe's en 'n plein
En sjpeelde 'n fanfaar heel fijn:

Blaosmeziek op eine sjone zóndigmorge
Blaosmeziek bleust mich ómver
Mit toeters en bellen 'n sjoon verhaol vertelle
Zondigmorge blaosmuziek blaos mich riek

Gaef mich eine esbas veur 'n sjtevig fundament
Gaef mich sjuve en die saxe veur de moere van dees muziektent
't Vergulde kaopere daak waert door de bugels en trómpette gemaak
En dan heurs se:

Blaosmuziek op eine sjone zóndigmorge
Blaosmuziek bleust mich ómver
Mit toeters en belle 'n sjoon verhaol vertelle
Zóndigmorge blaosmuziek blaos mich riek
Blaosmuziek op eine sjone zóndigmorge
Blaosmuziek bleust mich nao hoes
Mit toeters en belle 'n pracht verhaol vertelle
Zóndigmorge blaosmuziek blaos mich riek


This song is obviously not in English, but it is neither in Dutch, so I am not going to translate it. It is in the accent of the Dutch province of Limburg. It's a celebration of the Limburgian brass bands and the fanfares they play in every sunday morning. The song basically explains how they are part of the Limburgian lifestyle and identity. One reason Limburg is famous in the Netherlands is for its coal pits, so the movie I linked this song to is about coal pits and brass bands. It doesn't take place in Limburg though (and isn't even a Dutch movie).

The Movie: Brassed Off (Mark Herman, 1996)

I like these contempopary British movies about working class people struggling in the British society. They are pretty bleak, but they vividly present an interesting view of a society that seems to be in decline in any way possible. The small towns in these movies seem to undergo a complete social and cultural breakdown. This breakdown is only sadder because the movies hint that life used to be better. But contemporary British filmmakers also have mastered the genre of the typically British romantic comedy with lovable losers and sharp dialogue. Brassed Off is a combination of these two genres, but it surprised me that it is much more focused on the first genre. This is indeed first and foremost a movie about the brass band of a local coal mine who tries to win the national brass band championship, but the movie gives a very bleak look at life in the local town where the coal mine is about to close. And the coal mine is basically the lifeline of this town, which already seems to be on the brink of death. It shows how poverty wrecks lives and families and the humor in the movie arises from the bleakness and despair of these people. And while the ending is a bit too sugarcoated, up until then this is a very good movie that knows how to combine drama and humor in a very effective way. While it rightfully blames conservative politics for the living conditions in the town the movie proably als takes a too simplistically socialist stance regarding the closing of the pits

The whole movie is basically summarized in an astonishingly good sequence just at the beginning, which the movie never comes close to topping for the rest of its running time. We see the all male brass band preparing for what may be one of their last training sessions. The pit is about to close, and without a pit there is no need for a brass band according to the members. Some wonder whether they still have to pay contribution for the brass band. They feel they can use the money in better ways. Still, for the band leader Danny (a wonderful Pete Postlethwaite) there is nothing in the world more important than the brass band. And while he is a bit too selfish and too oblivious to the worries of his band members he has a point. The band is the only way that the miners can be heard and that their legacy can be somehow preserved. Working in the mines is mostly anonymous and most of it will be forgotten by the public once the mine closes. That Danny is thinking about his legacy is not surprising. He probably doesn't have much longer to live, as he is coping with coal in his lungs.

Due to the worries of the miners though this session is not going very well. They can't concentrate on their music and Danny's son is so poor that his trumpet is falling apart and he can't buy a new one. But then a young woman named Gloria arrives. She is a flugelhorn player and the granddaughter of Danny's best friend, who passed away a long time ago. After some grumbling and sexist remarks the other band members agree that she can play with them. They play a tune called Concierto de Aranjuez, which the band members usually call the orange juice tune. It is a very beauiful composition and while we hear the music Herman croscutss between the band members playing and a meeting between the miners union and management arguing about what to do with the pit.  As we will find out a bit later on in the movie, Gloria herself is management too, but she is there to save the pit. She wants to show that the pit is still profitable. It doesn't matter much as the authorities have already decided two years ago that the pit should be closed. All the negotiations are just for show.  

What this Concerto de Aranjuez sequence shows above all is why the brass band matters so much for the miners. Their town is a pretty shitty place and they'll probably never get out of it. The music they make is one of the few beautiful things they have, that can make them forget their troubles and give them some joy. The Concerto de Aranjuez is also basically the closest thing they have to going on vaction to Spain. But the sequence also wonderfully shows how meaningless the brass band is in the grand scheme of things and how helpless its members are. While the decisions about the pit are made all they can do is play music. Their music won't help at all in keeping their mine open. And this notion is prevalent throughout the whole movie. Despite it being a film about a brass band, the movie dares to question what point the brass band has and whether it might not have a negative effect of the life of its citizens. It is quite clear that the families (and especially the wives) of the band members suffer from the insistence of the men to play in the brass band and that their playing in it may be quite selfish and financially unrewarding to say the least. Having said that, it never states that the problems of the town are caused by the brass band. It's quite clear that the movie blames the awful Thatcherian politics of those in power for much of the miserable life in town.

Lastky there is a romantic subplot involving Gloria and Andy, one of the youngest band members.  They are played by Tara Fitzgerald and Ewan McGregor in one of his first roles. The plot is quite predictable, but it is charming and sweet with some nice dialogue (Andy: "You're fucking management" Gloria: "I believe that's what you are doing"). An important reason the plot works are McGregor and Fitzgerald, who are both second-billed in the movie. It seems like McGregor and Fitzgerald in 1996 had about the same stature in the filmworld. Fitzgerald even played the romantic interest of Hugh Grant around that time and was in some other relatively relevant movies. Obviously McGregor is now a pretty major actor in Hollywood, while Fitzgerald is pretty much forgotten. That's a shame, because she is really good here.