The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Just perfect...

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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!

I am continuing my day of Tara Fitzgerald with an old favorite. That is because I am also a huge Hugh Grant fan, ever since Four Weddings and a Funeral. This is his first film since then.My Tara adventure has taken me to England and Ireland, and now Wales, and a quaint village. The villagers, who are proud to live in the shadow of Ffynnon Garw. the "First Mountain in Wales", are determined to thwart the efforts of the English cartographers to turn it into a "hill."Most of the people in this village, except for the lovely Tara Fitzgerald as Betty, are a bit daft. The local Reverend (Kenneth Griffith) is hilarious, and Colm Meaney is the irreverent Welsh opportunist. Assorted characters like Johnny Shellshocked, Williams the Petroleum, Tommy Twostroke, and the Twp brothers add to the excitement.It is Meaney's plan to employ Tara Fitzgerald as the means to keep Grand and his partner in town until thy can add twenty feet to the mountain that really makes the film worthwhile.

The year is 1917, and two English mapmakers come to a tiny Welsh village to survey their so-called 'mountain.' With the war taking all the young men and the harsh life in the coal mines, the local folk have little to be proud of except their peak, but cartographer Anson (Hugh Grant) doubts that it reaches the minimum height required to be officially deemed a mountain and may, in fact, be merely a hill. Rallied by their minister, the entire town sets about making sure it's tall enough.This sweet and folksy comedy has a thin plot and moves at a snail's pace, but still succeeds thanks to the coziness of the village, the close bond the locals share, and Hugh Grant's boyish charms. Filmed just after "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but before he was an international star, Grant is bright, likable, and interesting and not-yet affected by his trademark stammering and eyelash-fluttering. Everything about the picturesque village seems authentic and the folksy humor is ingratiating. Enjoyable if you like character-driven films.

This is a lovely movie; a lovely script based on a lovely true story, lovely acting and character development, and absolutely lovely cinematography. Watching this movie in high definition is simply stunning (mind you, it would be beautiful in a movie theater too, if you could find a clean print anywhere). This is the sort of movie Hollywood consistently made in the "good ol' days" - before the quality of a movie was based on the number of explosions and special effects or its ability to shock an audience. Even my 12 year-old-son said "this is actually a really good movie." If you enjoy curling up on a rainy Sunday watching Tracy and Hepburn, I think you'll enjoy this movie - even more so if you are lucky enough see it in High Def!