The Tunnel

source: The Tunnel

The main highlight was the great voice of Paul Robeson who had to come to the UK to get decent film parts.This a very stirring film albeit that it doesn't tell the real background of antipathy between miners and mine owners.There were so many strikes that Minister of Labour ,Ernie Bevin,had to send men down the mines instead of into the army.Now the coal mining industry in the UK is extinct.

Paul Robeson. The mere mention of the name evokes images of the consummate performer, a Da Vinci of the stage and screen, a presence fully deserving of admiration. Yet, despite his exemplary talent and popularity, his list of movies is pathetically small, which can be attributed to two factors - racism and politics. How sad because Paul Robeson was undoubtedly one of the major figures in U. S. entertainment history and if one wants to know why, one just has to watch the movie Proud Valley, directed by Pen Tennyson. Here Paul Robeson plays a role that transcends the ludicrously ridiculous racial stereotypes that Hollywood wanted Mr. Robeson to play. Imagine for a moment, my friends, Paul Robeson playing a shuffling, mumbling sycophant. An outrage! Yet this is exactly the kind of silly roles that Hollywood would have had Mr. Robeson play if he had so chosen. That he starred in such movies as Show Boat and The Emperor Jones was due in large part to the fact that these films were directed by British directors who truly appreciated Mr. Robeson's talents. In Proud Valley, Robeson delivers an outstanding performance as a miner who makes the ultimate sacrifice so that others may live. The story may seem contrived, but it isn't. The movie is neither sensationalistic or melodramatic. Rather it presents in a straightforward way a story that the audience can understand, appreciate and applaud due in a large measure to the presence of one of truly legendary giants of American stage and screen, Paul Robeson.

This film was shown to a group of Turkish students recently with a surprising result.. they loved it! Robeson suffered all through his career from dud scripts. He was usually cast as an African chief in low budget British made films, in this film he plays the part of a coal miner in Wales. Songs include "Deep River" and "Land Of My Fathers". Robeson was accepted more in England than he was in the USA probably because of his political beliefs. Communist or not he had a great voice and this film shows that given a half decent script he was a good actor. Buy it while you can, these Gems tend to go out of print very quickly never to be seen again for years.

I caught this 1930's curiosity on an outlying PBS channel at 2 a.m.— thank goodness for recorders, otherwise 5 people probably saw it at that hour. In all my years of old movie watching, I don't recall Proud Valley being shown in big market LA. My point is that for decades Robeson's few films were withheld for political reasons, and when finally released, had become dated curiosity pieces with graveyard show times. Too bad, because Robeson is a cultural treasure whose misfortune was to ally with one of the most aggressive anti-racist forces of his time, the American communist party. Whatever the wisdom of that move, given the circumstances, it was an understandable alliance, at least in my little book. Robeson's name may be above the title, but he really shares the starring role with the Welsh mining community he becomes a part of. I expect that's one reason this was his favorite film. He really has only one spotlight vocal, but it's a show-stopper, a terrifically moving version of the old spiritual Deep River. Otherwise, he blends into an ensemble cast, even though his sheer presence remains commanding throughout. It's a good story, about a community surviving the shutdown of its central coal mining industry. There are echoes of leftist styles here, particularly in the mobilized-crowd scenes with their banners, etc. Nonetheless, as another reviewer astutely points out, labor issues are folded into the larger war effort that was then breaking out (late 1939) along the Polish corridor. In fact, by the look of the latter sequences, I wouldn't be surprised if some re- editing and re-shooting were involved to keep abreast of fast moving global events. There are several arresting scenes. The set for the Robeson solo with the huge choral backdrop remains impressive even by today's standards and accentuates this, the film's emotional centerpiece. Another eye-catcher is the unemployed men picking over the mountainous slag heap like starving birds amid growing desperation. Also, the collapsing mine tunnel looks almost too real to be a "special effect", and I'm still wondering how they did it in those days before blue screens and digitalized computers. Anyway, here's hoping Turner Classic Movies finally decides to show a Robeson film, especially this one, at a decent hour, so a broader American public can catch up with a cultural treasure long denied them. Too bad, the great actor-singer-athlete had to go to Europe to find the kind of dignified roles he was so beautifully suited for.

In reviewing the achievements of African-Americans on film in chronological order for Black History Month, we're now at 1940 with the entry of The Proud Valley, considered by star Paul Robeson as his favorite. In this one, he's an American named David Goliah coming to Wales to find a job. After hearing his voice from outside the window while conducting his chorus in rehearsal, Mr. Parry (Edward Chapman) manages to convince David to sing in his choir and gets him a job at the mines where he also works. His son, Emlyn (Simon Lack) also works there and is engaged to Gwen Owen (Janet Johnson). I'll stop there and mention that Robeson is in fine form musically especially when he sings "Deep River" that sends chills down the spine. Perhaps because of his color, his character is sometimes in the background but by the end he does become essential. So for him, I'd definitely recommend The Proud Valley.

One year before the release of John Ford's 2hr. Oscar winning "How Green was my Valley", this 77min. British-made programmer was released, dealing with the same subject: the dangers and personalities of a Welsh coal mining town. Ford would have had it filmed on site in Wales, but with the bombing of England by the Germans, this was considered too risky. Thus, he had an entire Welsh coal town built near his studio. In contrast, the present film was filmed in a real Welsh coal town, mostly before the beginning of WWII. However, the last part of the film was influenced by the beginnings of WWII. Most notably, the finale was changed from the miners taking over the mine, after management refused to reopen it due too a bad gaseous fire that resulted in a number of deaths, to management considering reopening the mine if it could be proven likely safe. In this manner, the film's pro-socialist slant was much muted...........The film is based on the script " David Goliath"(in reference to Paul Robeson's unusual height and robustness) and written by far left writers Herbert Marshall and Friedel Brilliant, specifically to showcase Robeson, who was sympathetic with this theme. In turn, the script was inspired by an African American coal miner who journeyed to Wales in search of work...........SKIP THE FOLLOWING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE LAST PART. Returning to the problem of demonstrating that the mine could be worked safely, so that management would OK reopening it: Management sent a representative to observe the miner's attempts to skirt the dangerous gaseous section. Eventually, he was impressed with their progress. But a potentially happy ending had to wait until another mine disaster was resolved. In a freak occurrence, one of the coal cars started rolling down the inclined track, gathering speed as it progressed. Eventually, it ran over the management representative and a miner, and, when it jumped the track, caused many roof supports give way, resulting in roof collapse, trapping the miners in the mine.(I would judge the runaway car very improbable, as well as the emphasized extensive damage to many wood supports) The miner's oxygen supply was rapidly diminishing, when someone thought of using their dynamite to blast a hole in the wall where it seemed weakest. One of the miners was chosen to push the plunger, resulting in his probable death. But Robeson somehow knocked this miner unconscious, without anyone noticing, and took his place as the plunger, resulting in his death, but providing a source of oxygen and a way for the miners to get out. Skipping over the details of negotiating the reopening of the mine, we see the town folk celebrating its reopening. This is followed by a patriotic glorification of Wales, including a choir singing of the Wales National Anthem: "Land of our Fathers"(English translation)............Robeson relished this film above all his others for several reasons: 1) He gets to sing, with or without a choir backup, a number of Welsh songs. 2)Its statement about how race relations should be. Most Welsh appeared to immediately accept him as an equal person, working along side him in the mine. Perhaps this was facilitated by his strong base/baritone voice that impressed them(He was the 'darky' who famously sang 'Ole Man River", in the 1936 film "Showboat"). 3) He definitely agreed with the socialist slant of the film, even if the worker take over of the mine was deleted.......... I didn't find the film at YouTube. I saw it on TCM. Unless you are willing to wait until its next showing on TV, there is a four film package that includes it, currently available at Amazon, for a quite reasonable price.

Pen Tennyson's best remembered film of the three 1930s movies he made before being killed in action in the Second World War, ‘The Proud Valley' concerns a mining village in Wales which faces change on two fronts – first in finding a new singer for their choir (American bass-baritone Paul Robeson just happens to be passing through Wales looking for a place to work); and second in dealing with a major disaster in the mines. While it may be stretching credibility to place Robeson in this setting, off the screen he developed a long-standing affinity with the people of Wales which lasted throughout his lifetime, and this was the one film he made of which he was truly proud. Whether singing ‘Deep River' with the choir, or working underground with his comrades from the village, he fits in just fine. There is a strong number of character actors in support. Little seen but unlike any other film, ‘The Proud Valley' is a fine testament both to British film-making and the huge community spirit of the Valleys.

Like most Robeson films made in England this half ass "How Green Was My Valley" gives its star a pedestal on which to stand in lieu of a character to play as well as plenty of singing.opportunities.

This is a very good film that gives a rare glimpse of Welsh life that has long since passed. The film begins in Wales just before WWII and a wandering American (Paul Robeson) wanders into town. Despite being a black man, almost everyone accepts him and he is soon a valued member of the community. He also is an important part of the local choral group--something VERY important in this culture. In fact, throughout the film is lots of lovely Welsh singing--and it's perhaps the best part of the movie. But, it's also a great portrait of a way of life that has passed--the grim life of a coal miner. Their struggle is chronicled in this film--with strikes, mining disasters and the like. This sort of plot is not at all surprising for Robeson, as he was a committed life-long socialist--with some communist sympathies. This is NOT meant as a criticism--just explaining his affinity towards the downtrodden and labor unions (which were important in providing a safe working environment for the miners). But I love that the film is not preachy about--it just shows their difficulties as well as their work ethic, values, belief in God and strong wills. A wonderful film and a nice film to see in a double-feature with "How Green Was My Valley"--which as a Hollywood and highly romanticized view of these people. All in all, one of Robeson's best films because he plays not a black man but a man--and a heck of a man at that.