A CURIOUS MIX OF BRITISH FOLK MUSIC AND AMERICAN POLITICS
Born February 7, 1946 actor Pete Postlethwaite was best known perhaps for his Oscar-nominated role in the 1993 film In The Name of the Father. He died January 2, 2001 after a long battle with cancer. He was 64.
One of THE HOBBLEDEOY’S all-time favorite films is writer/director Mark Herman’s Brassed Off (1996). This scene features the legendary Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald, Stephen Tompkinson, and Ewan McGregor, but the true star here is the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, who perform the music.
The Concierto de Aranjuez is by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is by far Rodrigo’s best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the most significant Spanish composers of the 20th century.
Usually performed as a guitar concerto, the flugelhorn arrangement of the Adagio was by Kevin Bolton.
If you have not seen this film, you must. Not currently available on Netflix or Amazon, it’s worth a trip to borrow from the local library.
One of the finest actors of his generation, Pete Postlethwaite, (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) appeared in several favorite films of The Hobbledehoy, including Brassed Off (1996), and Terence Davies’ brilliant Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988).
His international reputation peaked when he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his moving portrayal Giuseppe Conlon In the Name of the Father (1993).
Happy birthday up in heaven, Pete.
The planned Brassed Off Live event at the Hall was sadly cancelled due to coronavirus, but we saw no reason why the show couldn’t still go on in some way, and were delighted to include it as part of our Royal Albert Home series. So on 15 April 2020, we streamed some exclusive Brassed Off content ahead of the film being broadcast on Film4.