The Englishman who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain

The Englishman who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain is a 1995 British film with a story by Ifor David Monger and Ivor Monger, written and directed by Christopher Monger. It was entered into the 19th Moscow International Film Festival[1] and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
The film is based on a story heard by Christopher Monger from his grandfather about the real village of Taff's Well, in the old county of Glamorgan, and its neighbouring Garth Hill. Due to 20th century urbanisation of the area, it was filmed in the more rural Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and Llansilin in Powys. The Welsh Male Voice Choir used to provide background music throughout the film was, in fact, the London-based Gwalia Male Choir.
== Plot ==
The film is set in 1917 (with World War I in the background), and revolves around two English cartographers, the pompous George Garrad (Ian McNeice) and his junior Reginald Anson (Hugh Grant). They arrive at the fictional Welsh village of Ffynnon Garw ([ˈfən.nɔn ˈɡa.ru] "Rough Fountain" or "Rough Spring" in Welsh) to measure its "mountain" – only to cause outrage when they conclude that it is only a hill because it is slightly short of the required 1000 feet (305 m) in height. The villagers, aided and abetted by the wily Morgan the Goat (Colm Meaney) and the Reverend Mr Jones (Kenneth Griffith) (who after initially opposing the scheme, grasps its symbolism in restoring the community's war-damaged self-esteem), conspire with Morgan to delay the cartographers' departure while they build an earth mound on top of the hill to make it high enough to be considered a mountain.
== Cast ==
* Hugh Grant as Reginald Anson
* Ian McNeice as George Garrad
* Tara FitzGerald as Elizabeth/Betty from Cardiff
* Colm Meaney as Morgan the Goat
* Ian Hart as Johnny Shellshocked
* Robert Pugh as Williams the Petroleum
* Kenneth Griffith as the Reverend Robert Jones
* Ieuan Rhys as Sgt Thomas
== Reception ==
In regard to its humorous and affectionate description of the locals, the film has often been compared with Waking Ned, a comedy film written and directed by Kirk Jones. The movie has resulted in a stream of visitors climbing to the summit of The Garth, and the Pentyrch History Society and the local community council have erected a notice on the mountain to explain its real historical significance.[3]
== Welsh language ==
One joke in the film which may not be obvious to non-Welsh speakers occurs when a mechanic is asked about a nondescript broken part he has removed from a car, and replies "Well I don't know the English word, but in Welsh we call it a be'chi'ngalw." In Welsh, be'chi'ngalw is a placeholder name, like "whatchamacallit" or "thingamajig" in English.[4] and literally means "what [do] you call" and is a contracted form of "beth dych chi'n galw". The joke is made obvious in the novelisation of the film.
== In popular culture ==
The 13th episode of Veggie Tales, "King George and the Ducky," contained a brief parody of The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountainentitled The Englishman Who Went up a Hill and Came Down with All the Bananas.