2014 British film
Pride is a 2014 British LGBT-related historical comedy-drama film written by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus. It was screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival,[3][4] where it won the Queer Palm award.[5] Writer Stephen Beresford said a stage musical adaptation involving director Matthew Warchus was being planned.[6]
Plot
Based on a true story, the film depicts a group of lesbian and gay activists who raised money to help families affected by the British miners' strike in 1984, at the outset of what would become the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign.[7] The National Union of Mineworkers was reluctant to accept the group's support due to the union's public relations' worries about being openly associated with a gay group, so the activists instead decided to take their donations directly to Onllwyn, a small mining village in Wales — resulting in an alliance between the two communities. The alliance was unlike any seen before but was successful.[7]
Release
Cinema release
Pride premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation and won the Queer Palm award.[9] The film was also screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, with the Washington Post reporting that Pride was "hugely popular with preview and festival audiences".[10] It was released to cinemas throughout the UK on 12 September 2014.[11] In France the film received its release on 17 September.[12] The distribution of the film in the UK and France was handled by Pathé.[13] CBS Films acquired the distribution rights for the film in the United States.[14]
The film received a limited release in the US on 26 September 2014, being screened in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.[15][16]
Ratings controversy
The decision to give the film an "R" rating in the United States by the Motion Picture Association of America, which prevents anyone under the age of 17 from seeing the film unaccompanied by an adult, was criticised as homophobic in some areas of the press.[17] A report written by Ian Burrell in The Independent described the rating as "draconian".[18] The article noted that other LGBT-related films such as Love Is Strange (2014) and G.B.F. (2013) had also received "R" ratings by the MPAA[18]. The MPAA did not give comment on its classification of the film.[17] British LGBT activist Peter Tatchell said: "There's no significant sex or violence in Pride to justify strong ratings. The American classification board seems to automatically view any film with even the mildest gay content as unfit for people under 17."[17][18]
In the UK the film received a 15 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification for "occasional strong language" and two scenes of a sexual nature;[18] one scene in a gay club where men are depicted "wearing 'bondage' clothing",[18] and a comedic scene where some of the characters discover a pornographic magazine in a bedroom.[18]
Reception
Box office
In its opening weekend Pride took £718,778 at the UK box office.[19] The film was the third highest-grossing release of the weekend, behind Lucy in second place and The Boxtrolls, which debuted at the top of the box office.[19] During its second weekend at the UK box office Pride retained its third place position on the charts, with takings of £578,794.[20] The Guardian reported that the film had a drop of just 12% in takings during its second weekend at the box office, as well as a strong weekday performance at the box office, commenting: "After a somewhat shaky start, Matthew Warchus' film is displaying signs of solid traction with audiences."[21] In its third weekend at the UK box office, Pride dropped to sixth in the charts with takings of £400,247 over the weekend period.[22] By its fourth weekend Pride had dropped to tenth place in the box office, with takings of £248,654 and an overall UK gross totalling £3,265,317.[23]
In the US, Pride grossed $84,800 from six theatres in its opening weekend.[24] The film is set for a slow expansion, adding theatres in existing markets for its second weekend followed by release in additional cities from 10 October.[24]
Critical response
Pride has been met with very positive reviews. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes scored the film a 93% rating sampled from 86 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Earnest without being didactic and uplifting without stooping to sentimentality, Pride is a joyous crowd-pleaser that genuinely works."[25] Metacritic gave the film an aggregate score of 80/100 based on 36 reviews.[26]
Geoffrey Macnab, of The Independent, noted how Pride followed on from other British films such as The Full Monty, Brassed Off and Billy Elliot as "a story set in a Britain whose industrial base is being shattered".[27] Macnab, who gave the film a five-star review, praised the screenplay for combining "broad comedy with subtle observation" and noted that director Matthew Warchus "relishes visual contrasts and jarring juxtapositions" throughout the film.[27] Macnab's review stated that Pride retained its humour and accessibility without trivialising the issues addressed in the film.
Peter Bradshaw, reviewing for The Guardian, described the film as "impassioned and lovable".[28] Bradshaw praised performances of the cast, including Bill Nighy's "taciturn shyness" in his portrayal as Cliff and the "dignified and intelligent performance" from Paddy Considine as Dai.[28] Imelda Staunton's performance as Hefina Headon, who died in October 2013,[29] was met with positive reviews by critics. Geoffrey Macnab said Staunton's performance as the matriarchal Hefina was "part Mother Courage and part Hilda Ogden".[27] Ben Schnetzer's performance as Mark Ashton drew positive reviews. Charlotte O'Sullivan, writing for the London Evening Standard, said: "Schnetzer is a New Yorker with an unpromising CV (he was one of the few good things about The Book Thief) and he's fantastic here".[30]
Nigel Andrews, writing for the Financial Times, gave the film one star out of five, describing it as "a parade of tricks, tropes and tritenesses, designed to keep its balance for two hours atop a political correctness unicycle".[31]
