Monday 1 July 2019

A Comedy On This Day: Brass (2 July 1984)


 A rather conceptual exercise in parody ('trouble at mill' period drama rendered as Dallas-style super-soap), Brass must be one of the most un-ITV comedies produced during the channel's heyday. Particularly as it was broadcast at 8 o'clock on a Monday evening, rather than during the 10 P.M. Sunday 'difficult comedy' slot. I do wonder how audiences responded to the unfamiliar register of the comedy, especially as it lacks the guidance of a laugh track to steer the viewer in the direction of what to find funny.

 Granada certainly had faith in the project, with two 13 episode series made in quick succession. Something that comes across is the craft and wit of all the parties involved when presented with the chance to show how their skills worked when used unconventionally, from the writers (Coronation Street stalwarts Julian Roach and John Stevenson), director and actors, through to the design and costume.

 How much of it is actively funny - rather than clever -
though, is very much a matter of individual taste. Only one scene really made me laugh in this, a hustings meeting for a by-election - a familiar ritual with its expected rhythms of address and response that can be disrupted for comic purposes - where the hapless Conservative candidate (son of the ruthless businessman) lectures the impoverished rabble on "Wage cuts - the key to prosperity". Timothy West's Baron Hardacre justifies the convention of such meetings:
 Dressing for dinner in the jungle. Leaving a glass of sherry for Father Christmas. Begging the peasants for their votes at elections. Meaningless charade if you will, but we call it civilization.

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