Tom Brown's School Days (1940)

Item was never shipped

The vendor never shipped this item. They shipped another DVD instead, which I had to pay to return to them, registered mail. They never responded and never reimbursed for my having to pay to correct THEIR mistake.

Amazon credited my account for the cost of the item I should have received. I will never recommend that anyone buy from this vendor.
November 2, 2007

"What's a school boy to do with moral principles?"

If you liked Boys Town and Goodbye, Mr. Chips, you'll enjoy Tom Brown's School Days. Rugby is a boarding school in England where Dr. Thomas Arnold (Cedric Hardwicke) has reformed the goings on. His hard work has paid off and has helped the attending boys to learn integrity and confidence. Some boys have gained too much confidence, and bullies like Flashman (Billy Halop) have begun to cause problems. Tom Brown (Jimmy Lydon) is new at the school; his father went to Rugby when he was young too. Tom relies on East (Freddie Bartholomew) as his mentor, but cannot escape Flashman's reign. The code at the school is to tell no tales, or in other words not to rat on each other. This makes it difficult for Tom to have friends and to enjoy the school.

The cast is really exciting to see. Lydon is appropriately naive and sweet in his part, a character to sympathize with. Halop is best known for his stint with the Dead End Kids as a tough kid from the streets. Fellow Dead End star Leo Gorcey once commented that Halop was the most talented kid in the group. Also featured here is an adolescent Bartholomew. He is just as good an actor as ever, but as many child stars experience, his career was on the decline. It is fortunate that we have a rare glimpse into his later life with this film. October 11, 2007

Tom Brown's School Days

A coming of age movie. It reminds me of growing up and the right of passage all young men go through.

I still like "The Happy Years" the best, but I have been unable to find this movie. You sent to me what I thought was The Happy Years in a three DVD set, but I was disappointed to learn it was not one of the three. August 1, 2007

Wonderful, lively story, abounding in charm.

Based upon true persons and the true experiences of the author. An exciting story of life at a boy's boarding school in England in the early 1830's. Shows the many adventures of new student Tom Brown with only a few minutes in the classroom. The real life headmaster of the school, Dr. Thomas Arnold, and his challenge to motivate the boys; "if they wish to govern others, they must first learn to govern themselves." A very lively story of friendship, with humor, adventure, and clever boyhood mischief. The bully, the Flashman, is well played, as are the many charming supporting characters.

The 1973 version is good, but lacks the great charm and lively pace of this 1940 version. However, the 1973 version has an almost completely different story; so if you have seen one; you can watch the other without repeating yourself.

There is either a sequel or this copy cut part of the story. I saw other scenes on television with the same actors. This version had at least one sentence cut. Amazon should put the sequel or the full length on DVD, and restore it (not remaster, not lighten and wash out). There is also a different 1951 version on TCM dot com for $20. January 19, 2007

A gem of a film

A lovely film that shows sir cedric Hardwicke in fine form.

It is the grand father of all of the inspiring school films such as Dead poets society et al.

A good film alround December 15, 2006

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