The Proud Valley 1940
Directed by
Mike Johnson
Made by
Ealing Studios
The Proud Valley Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The Proud Valley (1940). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
David Goliath, Paul Robeson, is an African-American sailor who deserts his ship when it arrives in Wales. He climbs onto the back of a freight train and meets Bert, Edward Rigby, a work-shy man who scoffs at David’s determination to find steady employment. The train rolls into a small mining town, and the pair briefly tries to busk before they are scolded by Mrs Parry, Rachel Thomas, for making unpleasant noise outside her shop. They pause outside a building where a male choir is rehearsing, and David bursts into song, drawing the attention of the choir conductor, Dick Parry, Leslie Phillips, who is determined to recruit him and offers him lodgings at his house.
Despite his wife’s objections, their children side with the father, and Dick persuades David to give life in the mine a try. He is soon put to work as a miner alongside Dick and his eldest son, Emlyn, Simon Lack, despite the racist objections of a lone coworker. The optimism is short-lived: Dick and David accidentally mine near a pocket of gas, triggering a devastating fire that claims many lives. Emlyn wasn’t at the site that morning and rushes in to help; David carries Dick to safety, but the conductor does not survive.
A month passes, and Dick’s choir returns in memory of their lost leader, with David performing solo as tribute. The mine has shut down, and the remaining miners scrape together coal from the spoil heap, struggling to earn what the mine previously paid them and increasingly relying on social benefits. A year later, Mrs Parry is left to raise five children alone. She is visited by Mrs Owen, Dilys Davies, the mother of Emlyn’s fiancée Gwen, who bluntly notes that Gwen cannot marry Emlyn while he cannot provide for her.
Gwen herself later visits the Parry household and vows to marry Emlyn regardless of money, which spurs Emlyn to march to London and demand that the government reopen the mine. He, David, and two other miners make the journey, arriving just after Germany invades Poland. In London, the government is focused on building up the army, and their protestors are kept at bay as the plan to reopen the mine is floated but contested. The team returns to Wales with renewed resolve to reopen the mine, yet a fierce fire engulfs the mine and collapses passages, trapping the rescuers underground.
With oxygen thinning and panic rising, David estimates they have only an hour left to live. A miner finds a weak rock and another attempt to break through with a pickaxe fails. Emlyn decides to leave the group to blast a path with dynamite, but David, aware of the danger to his companions, restrains him and knocks him unconscious, triggering the blast after seizing the dynamite. The blast forces a breakthrough, but the group wakes to find David’s lifeless body nearby, a somber moment that is honored with quiet, communal prayer for his soul.
Ultimately the mine is reopened, and the town lifts their voices in unison as coal flows once more through the tunnels, a testament to resilience in the face of tragedy and prejudice alike.
The Proud Valley Timeline
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Desertion in Wales and freight-train encounter
David Goliath deserts his ship on arrival in Wales and climbs onto the back of a freight train. He meets Bert, a work-shy local, who scoffs at his determination to find work. The pair ride toward a nearby mining town.
Arrival in a mining town and early tensions
The freight-train stops in a small mining town, where David and Bert briefly try to busk for money. They are scolded by Mrs Parry for making unpleasant noise outside her shop. The incident foreshadows Mrs Parry's protective stance over the town.
Choir invitation and a new home
They stop outside a building where a male choir is rehearsing, and David begins singing along. The choir conductor, Dick Parry, is impressed and decides to recruit him and offers lodgings at his house. Mrs Parry objects to taking a boarder, but their children side with their father.
A miner job and racial tensions
Dick secures David a job as a miner to work with him and his eldest son Emlyn. One worker objects due to David's race, highlighting the town's racism. Despite the tension, Dick's offer starts David's new life in the mines.
Disaster strikes the mine
The miners mine too close to gas, triggering a fire that kills many. David manages to carry Dick out of the blaze but cannot save him. The disaster shakes the town and tests its resolve.
A memorial performance and hardship after disaster
A month later, Dick's choir performs at a competition in his memory, with only David performing. The mine has been closed, and the other miners scrounge coal from the spoil heap to survive, with many claiming social benefits. Hope remains fragile as unemployment bites.
Family hardship a year later
A year later, Mrs Parry struggles with five children to care for. Mrs Owen visits and says Gwen cannot marry Emlyn because he cannot earn enough money. The family faces precarious economic conditions and mounting pressure.
Gwen's vow and Emlyn's decision
Gwen visits Emlyn and declares that she would marry him no matter his income, inspiring Emlyn to act. He decides to march to London with David and two other miners to demand the reopening of the mine. The plan embodies defiance against economic hardship.
London march and government resistance
Emlyn, David, and two other miners arrive in London, the day after Germany invades Poland. They hope to persuade the government to reopen the mine. The government, focused on war preparations, rebuffs their plea.
Return to Wales and a second disaster
The miners return to Wales and attempt to reopen the mine, but a large fire strikes again, trapping the team inside. Candles flicker as oxygen runs low, and David and the others face a desperate countdown.
Dynamite plan and confrontation
Emlyn proposes using dynamite to create an exit, but David sneaks away from the plan and confronts him. The dynamite is set and detonates, breaking through the rock and allowing a possible escape.
David's death and mourning
The other miners awaken Emlyn to discover David's lifeless body nearby; they mourn and pray for his soul. The tragedy casts a pall over the group as they press on with reopening the mine.
Reopening and communal resilience
The mine is reopened and the town sings in unison as coal moves through the mine. The community bonds over tragedy and renewal, celebrating resilience amid hardship.
The Proud Valley Characters
Explore all characters from The Proud Valley (1940). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
David Goliath (Paul Robeson)
An African-American sailor who deserts his ship in Wales and seeks honest work in a Welsh mining town. He brings resolve, a powerful singing voice, and a willingness to challenge prejudice, ultimately paying with his life in a heroic effort to free his fellow miners.
Dick Parry (Noel Howlett)
Choir conductor and a paternal figure in the town, who rescues David by offering him lodging and a mining job. He embodies leadership and communal aspiration, and dies in the mine disaster, leaving a memory that inspires the town.
Emlyn Parry (Simon Lack)
Dick Parry's eldest son, a passionate and impulsive miner who pushes to reopen the mine and leads the London march. His fervor and bold actions drive the plot forward, but he also faces the consequences of risk-taking.
Gwen Owen (Janet Johnson)
Emlyn's fiancée, who insists on marrying despite poverty, challenging social expectations. Her stance motivates Emlyn to take action, highlighting themes of love and defiance against economic barriers.
Mrs Parry (Rachel Thomas)
Dick Parry's wife and the mother of several children, she embodies endurance and concern for the family's welfare in hard times after the mine disaster.
Mrs Owen (Dilys Davies)
Gwen's mother who challenges the couple's plans by arguing that Emlyn cannot support Gwen financially. Her stance reflects social expectations and the pressures faced by working-class families.
The Proud Valley Settings
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Time period
1939
The story unfolds in the late 1930s, culminating in 1939. It follows the pre-war austerity and rising tensions as Europe moves toward World War II, including the day after Poland's invasion when a march to London is proposed.
Location
Wales
Set in a small Welsh mining town where coal dominates daily life. The landscape is industrial, with terraces, a mine, and a close-knit community. The town's fortunes hinge on the mine's operation, shaping work, risk, and collective singing that underpins its social fabric.
The Proud Valley Themes
Discover the main themes in The Proud Valley (1940). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Racism
David Goliath, an African-American sailor, faces racist objections as he seeks work in the Welsh town. The film examines prejudice in the workplace and how a diverse outsider becomes part of the community through determination and resilience. It portrays how solidarity can challenge discriminatory attitudes, even within a tight-knit workforce.
⚒️
Labor
The mining work is the town's lifeblood, and its collapse forces families into poverty and reliance on social benefits. After the disaster, workers must cope with unemployment and the uncertain future of the mine. The attempt to reopen the mine represents collective action to secure livelihoods and dignity.
🎶
Community & Sacrifice
The town's choir symbolizes unity and shared identity, carried forward as a memorial for Dick Parry. Music binds neighbors and families, offering hope amid hardship. Sacrifice appears in David's actions during the disaster and the group’s willingness to risk everything to restore work and community.
🔥
Disaster & Resolve
A gas-triggered fire devastates the mine, trapping miners and testing their courage. The tense rescue attempt, followed by a fateful decision at the exit, drives home the cost of ambition and hope. The revival of mining afterward completes the arc of resilience and communal resolve.
The Proud Valley Spoiler-Free Summary
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In the shadowed folds of a Welsh coal‑mining valley, the rhythm of daily toil is punctuated by the lilting chords of a village choir and the steady clatter of freight trains winding through mist‑cloaked hills. The community is a tapestry of hardened miners, shopkeepers, and families whose lives are bound to the dark veins of the earth beneath them, while an undercurrent of uncertainty hangs in the air as the world beyond its borders edges toward conflict. Into this world arrives a solitary figure, David Goliath, a young African‑American sailor who abandons his ship and steps onto the rails, his voice a rare, resonant gift that instantly catches the ear of anyone who hears it.
Drawn to the local choir’s rehearsal, David’s unexpected solo draws the attention of the determined conductor Dick Parry, who offers him a place to stay and a chance to join the miners despite the lingering prejudice of some coworkers. In the cramped backroom of the Parry household, David meets the skeptical but good‑natured Bert, a work‑shy local who doubts the newcomer’s resolve, and the stern shopkeeper Mrs Parry, whose initial irritation gives way to a grudging respect for the stranger’s determination. As David begins learning the rhythms of underground labor, he also forges bonds with Emlyn, Dick’s eldest son, whose own aspirations are tangled with family expectations, and Gwen, Emlyn’s steadfast fiancée whose loyalty hints at deeper commitments. The valley’s communal spirit is buoyed by music, faith, and the shared hope of a brighter future, even as the coal seams below whisper of hidden danger.
Against this backdrop of camaraderie and quiet hardship, the valley faces a looming pit disaster that threatens to upend the fragile equilibrium of its people. The tale promises a stirring exploration of sacrifice, resilience, and the power of a single, extraordinary voice to rally a community when darkness descends, leaving the audience to wonder how far one man’s song can carry the hopes of an entire town.
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