Geoff Coupe's Blog

Reflections on life at “De Witte Wand”…

Pride

There’s a new film coming out (if you’ll pardon the pun): Pride. It tells the true story of a group of lesbians and gay men from London who went deep into the Welsh valleys to support the miners during the dark days of the miners’ strike in the mid-1980s.

It looks as though it’s wonderful, and will take me back to remembering those times. There’s a good interview with actor Bill Nighy and writer Stephen Beresford here.

Addendum: Mark Simpson has a terrific post about the film and his recollections of being involved with the LGSM group. Shake that bucket!

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4 responses to “Pride”

  1. Matt Healy Avatar
    Matt Healy

    I grew up in Wisconsin so didn’t learn much about coal mining growing up. But my wife’s family came from Appalachia so I have heard a lot about the industrial history of coal mining from her father, who was born not far from when the events described in this article happened:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain

    Reply
    1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
      Geoff Coupe

      Matt, thanks for that reference – a piece of history that I didn’t know about.

      Reply
      1. Matt Healy Avatar
        Matt Healy

        Very few Americans know about it either — I learned it from my father-in-law. My own father, a retired HISTORY PROFESSOR, had not known this story until I told him (he had of course been aware generally that labor relations in the Appalachian coal mines in the 20th century were not exactly sweetness and light).

        Reply
  2. Matt Healy Avatar
    Matt Healy

    PS: I highly recommend the film Matewan, about this history. One of the best lines is delivered by James Earl Jones in the role of a black miner. Referring to a certain racial epithet he allows as how he is accustomed to white folks using that word, “but DON’T call me a SCAB!”

    Reply

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