The History Boys (2006)

Another brilliant adaptation from a brilliant play

Sometimes you just wonder why some adaptations from some plays are great and some are not. The History Boys is a very good example of a brilliant adaptation. Similar to Proof, The History Boys moved a single location play (sort of, although in the original play there are video footages projected to expand the space for imagination) to a multiple location film production but kept all the essence of the play.

The story is about a group of Oxbridge (Oxford & Cambridge) hopefuls at their last and extra term at their ordinary high school / secondary school after their A Level success. The play brilliantly talks about the validity and truth of history and the comparative and relative aspect of looking at history through a bunch of students and their three very distinct and different teachers. The teachers are the eccentric, free thinking, and completely fluid teaching approach Hector, facts-facts-facts Dorothy and "want anything but dull essays" Irwin. These teachers represent different approaches to their students and central ideas of how we should look at things. And they naturally provide a whole wealth of stimuli to prepare the boys for their Oxbridge dreams.

The teachers were played by three excellent actors - Richard Griffiths as Hector, Frances de la Tour as Dorothy (you can see them both in Harry Potter :) ) and Stephen Campell Moore as Irwin. This dynamic trio provided the much needed weight for the production as compared to the light heart side provided by the boys themselves. Richard Griffiths' performance was brilliant and so were the other two. The monologue by Dorothy about the role of women in history was brilliantly done. Also the double personality of Irwin (outward and articulate in classroom and retreating in personal life) was well portrayed by Stephen.

For the boys, none of them were particularly standing out except for Dominic Cooper who played Dakin. It is not because all the others were badly played or done but because all the parts were so well and balanced that you really feel that they are one group (which is important and central to the production). Dakin as a character stands out more because his beauty was the subject of various sexual tensions weaving in and out of the whole story. The History Boys did show us that how well a production could be if you got the ensemble right. All the boys show a different facet of humanity e.g. Posner's late coming of age and sexuality issues, Scripps' unconditional devotion to this faith while itching inside for sex, Rudge's black sheep role in the group etc. were all portrayal of humanity in one big group.

The dialogues in the movie were well written and there were a lot of quotations (or gobbets as Irwin put in the movie / play) of classic text but they were brilliantly mastered and articulated. Scripps and Posner got good chances of showing their performance range as they were the "performing duo" for the group during classes.

The History Boys is a clear demonstration of a good play with a good adaptation. The thing is all the main characters in the movie were played by the same actors on the stage that made the play a phenomenal success in the theatrical circle. So they really did live the characters' lives when they were shooting it. Alan Bennett brilliant writing once again proved that good writings will win over the audience.

One last thing though, if you do not like anything with same sex innuendos, this might not be your type of film as there are references to same sex issues from time to time. There are no sex scenes or such, but the references and connotations in the dialogues may put you off if you really dislike this kind of material. Otherwise, it is definitely a not to miss movie.
April 9, 2008

Better on the stage?

I bought this DVD on sale, not knowing anything about the movie or the play. It was moderately entertaining (I'd have given it 2.5 stars if Amazon had let me).

There were two things that really stuck out as awkward and just plain *bad* about this movie:

#1. The dialogue. When you see people dressed in the costumes of Shakespeare's era, you expect them to speak a little bit like you might want to have a glossary or Cole's Notes on hand to interpret what they're saying. When you see teen-aged boys in modern clothes speaking in high diction on a screen, it's just laughably awkward. Maybe it works on the stage. On screen, I was wincing in embarassment for the screenwriter. It felt artificial and contrived.

#2. Dakin. Oh boy, I don't know what to say about this. It seemed as though everyone in the movie wanted to sleep with him, from the cardboard cut-out token teenage girl to the teachers. I took my glasses off, put them on, squinted, looked at him sideways and...the guy is unattractive. He's also irritating, and arrogent, and smarmy. It's just not believable that all those people (or even, any people) would want to sleep with him. Every time he appeared on screen I wanted to wave him off so I could watch the other characters.

The film was diverting enough. Lintott, the female teacher was matronly and sensible (in some ways, the only sensible character in the movie, as she seemed to be the only one who didn't want to sleep with Dakin). Posner was dewy-eyed and charming. But they couldn't save this movie from the influence of the unappealing Dakin.
March 1, 2008

THE MOST ENJOYABLE FILM I'VE SEEN THIS YEAR!

THE HISTORY BOYS is the most enjoyable film I have seen this year. There were about 3 mins., late in the film, that made me somewhat uncomfortable (they deal with a planned sexual relationship between a student and a teacher), but otherwise I loved it. The script is amazingly witty and wise, and the acting is first rate throughout! One very funny scene is in French, and I was surprised to discover how much I remember from 3 courses I had long, long, LONG ago. (Using the DVD's subtitles, which show the French words, helped me quite a bit.)

Basically the film shows eight first-rate students at a British "high school" getting ready to take an entrance exam for Oxford, with three teachers prepping them--plus an administrator whose personality is often like 10 fingernails in search of a chalkboard. At the end, after we get the results of their exam, we are briefly told what becomes of the eight students in later life.

The extras on the DVD include a commentary track for the whole film, a short behind-the-scenes video about making the film, and some so-so home movies of the the actors' world tour with the stage play from London to Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, and finally Broadway in New York City, where they were awarded a Tony (the cast of the movie were all in the play). February 14, 2008

One British Movie You Must See!!

When I saw that a movie was being made based on the smash West End play The History Boys I was excited to see the finished product. I must say the movie exceeded my expectations! The movie follows a group of high school boys at a small school in England as they prepare for college interviews. This movie brings out a range of emotions from joy to sorrow. It is well worth your time!! January 7, 2008

One Of The Best Films of 2006

"The History Boys" has to be one of the best films of 2006 and one that will endure. In the tradition of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" and "Dead Poets Society" it is about eight precocious boys on the cusp of manhood eager to get into Cambridge or Oxford. They are awaking to both learning and sex-- at least some of them-- with members of both sexes. Alan Bennett wrote the screenplay based on his brilliant award-winning play. He used all the actors from the stage production. It is difficult to imagine anyone else in these roles-- should the play be staged in your city-- particularly the eight fine young actors.

There are wonderfully funny scenes in the film but underneath is a sense of sorrow or that the world is a serious, sometimes frightening place. The boys to a person are sympathetic although my favorites in no particular order are Dakin, Posner and Timms. Many of us have had at least one Hector from our school days, not necessarily one who groped his male students, but an eccentric who did everything unorthodox in the classroom and nothing by the book, thereby getting into trouble with pedantic deans or headmasters.

As we would expect from the likes of Mr. Bennett, this film is chockfull of memorable lines. Who can forget Timms' description of Michelangelo as a nancy as evidenced in his sculptures of women since they are actually men with women's breasts--he uses the vernacular-- applied with an ice cream dipper? (Mr. Bennett has used this image before). Then there's Ms. Lintott on the ineptitude of men, causing history to consist of women "following behind with the bucket." Or Professor Hector reminding his students that there is no such thing as general studies. Or his description of learning something from someone else as "if a hand has come out and taken you in." And finally, "take it, feel it and pass it on."

This is a movie you will want to see again and again. December 22, 2007

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