Review: The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill And Came Down a Mountain
Tonight we dug out The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain. We hadn’t seen it in a while and thought we take another look. It’s one of those movies that just make you feel better about being a part of the human race.
Based on the novel of the same name written by Christopher Monger, it tells the story of the mountain Ffynnon Garw in Wales. The townspeople took pride in having the first mountain in Wales (as you move west from England). World War I is raging in Europe and the people work hard to supply coal for the war effort. Then into town come two Englishmen to measure the mountain for the survey maps. Lo and behold the mountain is only a hill. The villagers band together to keep the Englishmen in town long enough for them to build a mound on the mountain, to have it remeasured, and return it to its status as a mountain.
It’s really the story of the indomitable will of people to not give up, to continue in the face of incredible odds in order to save what is important to them. To give them pride, to do something important, something that they can feel and see and touch. By maintaining the mountain status of Ffynnon Garw, they can forget the war and the men who may never make it back — they will maintain the home that they left behind — they will keep their mountain and the village intact.
It really is a heart-warming story of a community pulling together. I love happy endings. There’s a letter about the book, movie, and the mountain written by Ed Sullivan of Visalia, California for Professional Surveyor, Nov./ Dec. 1998. The story is really about Garth Mountain and the town of Taff’s Well. So there is some basis in fact for the novel and movie.
Simply done with no big fight scenes or special effects, it’s a simple film of hope and the spirit. A feel good movie that make one feel that maybe the human race sometimes gets it right.