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THE HISTORY BOYS (FILM VERSION) Send This Review to a Friend
Just as “The History Boys” was a major success on the stage in London and on Broadway, the new film version is among the best films of 2006. The adaptation of Alan Bennett’s play--Bennett also wrote the screenplay--retains the intellect, humanity and flavor of the original and is opened up just enough to avoid being stage bound without straining to look like a movie instead of a play. There is nothing in current cinema to equal its examination of the meaning of education in contemporary society while at the same time being enjoyably entertaining and wise.
The film glows with the characterizations and performances that have made the play so lauded. The key speeches are there, and if anything, in close-up some of the performances are all the more striking, whether amusing or emotionally moving.
While the action, set in the 1980s, takes plays in a boys’ school in England with the lads being prepared for university, the central issue addressed can apply to the United States as well. Should success be defined merely as learning what’s needed to move onward, or to really gain an education? The question is embodied in the philosophy of Hector, a portly teacher who is unorthodox in his methods but is attempting to imbue his lads with more than perfunctory knowledge. Richard Griffiths, awarded with honors for his work in the play, gives one of the year’s best film performances as well.
Arrayed on the other side of the issue are the headmaster (Clive Merrison in a superb acting turn), who is comically nasty and is conniving to replace Hector with Irwin, a younger more practical teacher (Stephen Campbell Moore). The headmaster has a weapon. Hector is known to grope students when giving them a ride home on his motorcycle, and the headmaster is using this to force Hector’s early retirement. Frances de La Tour reprises her colorful Mrs. Lintott, who rages against the role to which women have been relegated in history and is sympathetic to Hector.
The drama is riddled with class issues reflected in the way the headmaster looks at the students and in the portrayal of the various boys, all of whom are suitably cast. One of the most interesting is Samuel Barnett as the very likable Posner, who puts his plight very well: “I’m Jewish, I’m short, I’m homosexual and I’m from Sheffield—I’m f--ked.”
Also key is Dakin, seductively played by Dominic Cooper, who sexually taunts the controlled but vulnerable Irwin.
Under the direction of Nicholas Hytner as was the case in the theater, the film is marked by the ensemble feeling attained by the cast on stage. The dialogue continues to bristle with cleverness. There might have been a note at the end clarifying the passage of time, but that’s a quibble. Otherwise, all works smoothly and there are some gorgeous university shots and outdoor scenes that Hytner provides in taking advantage of the film medium. A Fox Searchlight Pictures release.
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