In times gone by the premises were occupied by local goldsmiths, who used the fireplace to melt precious metallic nuggets before thwacking them into shape on an anvil that now hangs from the cellar ceiling.
The film's canny writer-director, Sacha Gervasi, focuses on Anvil's struggles and onthe relationship between Mr. Kudlow and Mr. Reiner, and keeps the music-making to a minimum.