Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where we look at trailers for upcoming movies.

Most Trailer Tuesdays I post a trailer along with a bunch of screencaps that either highlight interesting moments from the trailer or which show off the film’s visuals.  However, not every film I want to bring your attention to needs that level of analysis or imagery.  So today we’ve got a trailer that speaks for itself with its excellent cast and interesting subject matter.  So without further ado, here’s the trailer for Pride:

Pride tells the true story of an unlikely alliance formed between conservative, small-town miners and LGBT activists in the UK in 1984.  This movie is of particular interest to me, not because I’m gay, British, or was aware of anything happening in 1984 (the year I was born, in fact), but because I happen to be a mining engineer in my professional life.  There aren’t a lot of movies directly about mining, although movies like Avatar often make easy villains of the mining industry, and those that are generally don’t paint mining in a very positive light.  There are certainly some very good reasons for this, but regardless, mining is an important part of our society yet features surprisingly rarely on film.  (Compare mining movies with the numerous movies about farmers, both of which produce all of the raw materials we use for everything in our lives.)

The UK miners’ strike of 1984 was a major event in the UK’s recent history, when miners went on strike to protest the government’s plans to close a number of the coal mines in the country.  Workers went on strike, but because of the nature of the coal industry in the UK at the time donations to the union in support of the strikers went to the government instead, so groups were encouraged to partner directly with individual mining communities to support those on strike.  One such group was “Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners,” which partnered with several villages to raise money to support the families of the miners on strike.  The clash between the traditionally conservative miners and the LGBT group forms the heart of the film, as in traditional movie style (I imagine, not having seen the film yet) the two groups learn that they have a lot to learn from each other.

Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton team up again (they were in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows together, though not onscreen at the same time, among other works) as two members of a small village in Wales.  On the other side of the aisle, Dominic West leads the LGBT group that sets out to help.  It’s a win-win situation, as the LGBT activists have experience fundraising and organizing events and can bring money to the town, while they in turn get an additional platform to express their ideas.  One of the main events organized was a “Pits and Perverts” benefit, which took its name from a newspaper headline reporting on the alliance.

The movie looks to be striking a “dramedy” tone, with plenty of moments of humor mixed with the harsh reality being faced by both groups during that time.  I’ll be curious to see how the film ends, as the strike was ultimately unsuccessful, but the LGBT movement greatly benefited from the alliance.  In some ways I feel like society has come a long way in the 30 years I’ve been alive, but negative attitudes towards LGBT individuals are still widespread, particularly in traditionally conservative pockets and in tight knit industries like mining.  Being from the US, this film offers me a different perspective than what I’m used to, and it’s hard for me to imagine this sort of coming together here in the states.  Of course, in many ways the divisions in our society are wider now than they ever have been as people struggle to hang on to outdated or unpopular beliefs or opinions.  Yet 30 years ago, two wildly different groups were able to unite to help each other, so it must still be possible today.

What do you think?  Does Pride look interesting?  Are you familiar with the true story behind the film, or are you old enough and British enough to remember it?  Am I the only one who would just assume that Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton are in this movie based on nothing but a description of the film?  Because they seem like a perfect fit to me.  What’s your favorite mining movie?  Can you even name one?  Let me know in the comments!