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Review #342 of 365
Movie Review of The History Boys (2006) [R] 109 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.75
Where Viewed: Landmark Mayan, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 19 December 2006
Time: 9:45 p.m.
Film's Official Website
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Nicholas Hytner (Center Stage)
Screenplay and Play by: Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Samuel Anderson ("Totally Frank") • James Corden (Starter for Ten) • Stephen Campbell Moore (Amazing Grace) • Richard Griffiths (Venus) • Frances de la Tour (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) • Andrew Knott ("Casualty") • Russell Tovey ("Holby City") • Jamie Parker ("Wire in the Blood") • Dominic Cooper (Breakfast on Pluto) • Samuel Barnett (Mrs Henderson Presents) • Sacha Dhawan (EastEnders: Perfectly Frank) • Clive Merrison ("The Impressionists") • Adrian Scarborough (Vera Drake) • Georgia Taylor ("Blackpool")
Soundtrack: order the CD below
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
A decidedly English play becomes a decidedly English film as the play's original director, Nicholas Hytner, translates Alan Bennett's original award-winning play, "The History Boys", to the screen. USAers unfamiliar with the play, which won six Tony Awards® in 2006 including Best Play, and unprepared without a solid diet of I&I films (Independent and International) are likely to find themselves squirming continuously throughout as the story traces the lives of eight teenage boys preparing for their Oxbridge (Oxford / Cambridge) admission exams under the tutelage of two teachers (school masters) Mr. Hector (Richard Griffiths) and Mr. Irwin (Stephen Campbell) with diametrically opposed teaching philosophies but similar though differently manifesting social morays.
"A decidedly English play becomes a decidedly English film…The History Boys, stands out this year both in its approach and execution."
When the Headmaster of Cutlers's Grammar School, Sheffield, learns that eight students have scored highly enough on the pre-exam to take the Oxbridge exams and interviews which then determine admission to the two famed English Universities, he seizes the opportunity to prepare them more competitively to ensure a better acceptance rate than rival schools thereby assuring his own prominence and that of the school. He therefore hires a temporary schoolmaster, Mr. Irwin, to work with the boys for an additional few hours each week to supplement the teachings in history of their previous history master, Mrs. Lintott (Frances de la Tour) and their current instructor of general studies, Mr. Hector. The boys, each a character archetype into and of himself, include:
- Crowther (Samuel Anderson)—stoic with a chip on his shoulder most of the time and the only black member of the cast,
- Timms (James Corden)—the chubby, likeable lad who sees no point in learning poetry to which none of the boys can relate,
- Lockwood (Andrew Knott)—with his rebellious, red Puma sneakers, he is the strong but silent, understated renaissance man of the lot,
- Rudge (Russell Tovey)—considered the least likely to succeed, polishing him becomes both Irwin's and Hector's greatest challenge,
- Scripps (Jamie Parker)—the future journalist seems to know everyone's business and have his own little spin on it,
- Dakin (Dominic Cooper)—the player of the group with flirtatious behavior and baby John Travolta hair, he's the object of everyone's affection especially his own,
- Posner (Samuel Barnett)—struggling with his blooming same-gender affections believing them to be 'just a phase', his unrequited adoration for Dakin is well known by all, and
- Akhtar (Sacha Dhawan)—marginalized to a degree by the other boys, he adds additional diversity to the group both in religion and ideals.
The boys have developed, over some length of time, an awareness of both the values and shortcomings of Mr. Hector for while they view his flamboyant, impassioned teaching style with both eagerness for the zest of their young lives and reserve as to whether they are actually learning anything applicable to their future exams or life in general, they are wise to the purposes of his 'generous' motorcycle lifts home and occasional groping of their knees. Meanwhile, the arrival of Mr. Irwin sets their world upside down for he lures them into his fold with his hopes high at becoming a permanent instructor through tricks and turns indicating it's more important to know just enough about a topic to fudge one's way through an essay but with enough flair as to avoid the usual pitfalls of a boring recitation of the facts than to properly understand something if one is to impress the readers of thousands of essays from the admissions exams. He declares flair to be more important than fact. The boys, long students of the truth, find his spin on things simultaneously exhilarating, liberating, intriguing, and enchanting. Some, therefore, begin to doubt further the usefulness of Mr. Hector's teachings and to fall under Irwin's spell to various degrees, while others resent both the implications of his style toward that of their former idol and his insertion into their lives. Things grow more complicated when Mr. Hector is observed inappropriately groping a student and set up to be sanctioned by the Headmaster.
The genre of the dramedy is one which audiences of the USA have grown familiar especially on television, but the topics of this one and the comedy derived from the subjects of pederasty, same gender affairs between students and teachers, and the like will force a broadening of horizons. Likewise, dialogue and subtext so laden with literary references as to even, occasionally, fly over the Headmaster's head, will boggle the mind as will the infrequent segments in French without subtitles. Most USAers probably forget that French used to be the world's language of power and culture, and that most European students must learn to be conversational in at least three of the continent's languages. Not so in the USA. The difference in educational refinement is evident as well. Of course, the themes of the Alan Bennett's play are controversial and highly-charged. As for the film, in general, the acting and directing are all quite good. Often plays do not translate well from stage to screen. This play translated well even with preserving the ending which has the boys playing themselves in the future talking about what has become of them since those pre-collegiate days. Moreover, preserving the original cast and director can be a worthy challenge. The dynamic and evocative cast keeps the film on course, however, Richard Griffiths's performance, I sense, was probably more powerful on stage. There is just something very different about the impact of such a performance when one is in the same room. Among the boys, Andrew Knott and Samuel Barnett stood out most as among the best in the cast. If the film has any weakness, it might be in that the climax was understated a bit in the film and it's almost too smart for its own good. The take home lesson or the moral of the story, in other words, is a bit unclear. Things get all tidied up in the end, and some viewers may not appreciate the results nor how it all comes together. In any case, The History Boys, stands out this year both in its approach and execution. It won't win Best Picture, but it deserves some acknowledgement for tackling provocative topics and forcing everyone to contemplate the value of his or her education, approach to learning, and those who mentored us as we matured.
The genre of the dramedy is one which audiences of the USA have grown familiar especially on television, but the topics of this one and the comedy derived from the subjects of pederasty, same gender affairs between students and teachers, and the like will force a broadening of horizons. Likewise, dialogue and subtext so laden with literary references as to even, occasionally, fly over the Headmaster's head, will boggle the mind as will the infrequent segments in French without subtitles. Most USAers probably forget that French used to be the world's language of power and culture, and that most European students must learn to be conversational in at least three of the continent's languages. Not so in the USA. The difference in educational refinement is evident as well. Of course, the themes of the Alan Bennett's play are controversial and highly-charged. As for the film, in general, the acting and directing are all quite good. Often plays do not translate well from stage to screen. This play translated well even with preserving the ending which has the boys playing themselves in the future talking about what has become of them since those pre-collegiate days. Moreover, preserving the original cast and director can be a worthy challenge. The dynamic and evocative cast keeps the film on course, however, Richard Griffiths's performance, I sense, was probably more powerful on stage. There is just something very different about the impact of such a performance when one is in the same room. Among the boys, Andrew Knott and Samuel Barnett stood out most as among the best in the cast. If the film has any weakness, it might be in that the climax was understated a bit in the film and it's almost too smart for its own good. The take home lesson or the moral of the story, in other words, is a bit unclear. Things get all tidied up in the end, and some viewers may not appreciate the results nor how it all comes together. In any case, The History Boys, stands out this year both in its approach and execution. It won't win Best Picture, but it deserves some acknowledgement for tackling provocative topics and forcing everyone to contemplate the value of his or her education, approach to learning, and those who mentored us as we matured.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring The History Boys (2006)
Cast Members
Samuel Anderson
• James Corden • Stephen Campbell MooreRichard Griffiths
• Andrew Knott • Russell ToveyJamie Parker
• Dominic Cooper • Samuel BarnettSacha Dhawan
• Clive Merrison • Penelope WiltonAdrian Scarborough
• Georgia TaylorDirector
Nicholas Hytner
Playwright and Screenwriter
Alan Bennett
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The History Boys (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
A decidedly English play becomes a decidedly English film as the play's director, Nicholas Hytner, translates Alan Bennett's award-winning play, "The History Boys", to the screen. USAers unfamiliar with the play, which won six Tony Awards® in 2006 including Best Play, and unprepared without a solid diet of I&I films (Independent and International) are likely to find themselves squirming continuously as the story traces the lives of eight teenage boys preparing for their college entrance exams under the tutelage of two teachers--Mr. Hector (Richard Griffiths) and Mr. Irwin (Stephen Campbell)--with diametrically opposed teaching philosophies but similar though differently manifesting social morays. The History Boys, stands out this year both in its approach and execution. It won't win Best Picture, but it deserves acknowledgement for tackling provocative topics and forcing everyone to contemplate the value of his or her education, approach to learning, and those who mentored us as we matured.
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