The British coal miners' strike of 1984-85 serves as the inspiration behind the fact-based Pride, which despite the bleak historical context is also a feel-good movie that centers on the unlikely partnership that developed between the out-of-work miners and London's gay and lesbian community, who collected funds to support them even though the two groups seemed to have little in common—except that both felt abused by the conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. Directed by Matthew Warchus, the script cannily personalizes the tale by focusing on a small coterie of fundraising city activists and the strikers in a small town in South Wales, who together develop a relationship that is eventually transformed into a warm friendship, ultimately leading in turn to the Miners' Union throwing its weight behind a movement to add the promotion of gay rights to the platform of the Labour Party. Like similar historical films, Pride conflates characters and adds some fictional figures—notably Joe (George MacKay), a closeted young man who misleads his reactionary parents about what he's doing in order to join the LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners)—but also boasts a strong veteran cast that includes Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, and Paddy Considine. Pride deals with serious matters—not only Thatcher's union-busting but also the arrival of the AIDS epidemic—but still emerges as a warm and uplifting crowd-pleaser. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “True Story” featurette (16 min.), deleted and extended scenes (10 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this well-made historical film set in Thatcher's Britain.] (F. Swietek)
Pride
Sony, 120 min., R, DVD: $30.99, Blu-ray: $34.99, Dec. 23 Volume 30, Issue 1
Pride
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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