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 historical comedy/drama starring Hugh Grant and Colm Meany.

In 1917, two English cartographers come to a small Welsh village to measure the local mountain, Ffynnon Garw, for the official British maps. The villagers are very proud of Ffynnon Garw ("the first mountain in Wales") and are rather upset to learn that that it's just under the 1000 feet required to be considered a mountain, and thus will not appear on the map.

Quickly, the villagers hatch a plan to add a mound to the top to bring it up to the requirement, while conspiring to keep the cartographers in town long enough to measure it again.

Tropes used in The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain include:

• Arc Words: "Do you want me to have to say it all failed because of you?"
• Based on a Great Big Lie: The film heavily implies that it's based on a true story. In fact, it is based on a local legend, but one that has no basis in fact.
• Blatant Lies: It becomes increasingly obvious to Anson and Garrad that the town is conspiring to keep them there, but there's little they can do about it.

Anson: We weren't able to get a train, it appears the lines are flooded. Funny, though, the coal trains seem to be running just fine. Morgan: (beat) Different lines. Anson: Ah, I knew there was a simple explanation. (To Garrad) You see, it's different lines!

• Close Knit Community: When the status of their mountain is threatened, almost everyone in town rallies to fix it. Even the preacher and the barkeeper are willing to work together.
• Distant Finale: The end shows the descendants of the villagers in modern times. They learn that the mound has settled back under 1000 feet, and the final scene shows them hauling dirt by hand to build it back up.
• Distracted by the Sexy: Morgan brings Betty to town in hopes of "distracting" Anson. It ends up working, but not in the way he'd planned.
• I Choose to Stay: At the end, Anson and Betty announce their engagement, with the implication that he returned to the village and married her.
• Is That the Best You Can Do?: When Anson promises to try to come back for another measurement.

Betty: I'll try? Is that the best you can do?

• Is That What They're Calling It Now?:

Morgan: She's just advising me on the refurbishing of my establishment! Mavis: Refurbishing your establishment? I've never heard it called that before!

• Long Title
• Planet of Steves: Discussed. There are only a few last names in the village, so everyone is referred to as both name and occupation (Williams the Petroleum, Jones the Baker, etc).
• Reasonable Authority Figure: With the notable exception of the schoolmaster, everyone in town participates in the plot, including the pastor and and the town constable. They even help sabotage the cartographers' car to keep them in town.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: When the only way to finish the mountain is to work on the Sabbath, the pastor ends up deciding that it's more important to finish what they started, and gives the town his blessing to keep working.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Johnny Shellshocked. His commitment to building the mountain gives him enough purpose to start recovering from his trauma.
  • Also Anson, as it turns out. Though he's largely recovered, this is the reason he's making maps in Britain instead of at war.
• Whole-Episode Flashback: The film is presented as an old man explaining to his grandson how the titular Englishman got his name.