"The History Boys" -- a movie review

[Dave (imported)]

It'a about a group of boys at a british school who are trying to get into one of the very prestigious Oxford Colleges.

It's an interesting movie and why am I being so easy on it?

IT started out as a stage play and the BBC cut about an hour from it and made it into a movie. It's tough to do a bad job on an Alan Bennet play. In fact, if you are BRitish, damn near impossible to make an adaptation that sucks. . .

Alan Bennet also wrote "The Madness of King George" and "A Private Function" - the later is one of the great comedies of all time.

Richard Griffiths is one of the teachers - an older man who gives rides home to the boys and fondles them. The boys all know it and put up with it. He teaches them more than the usual and he asks that they enjoy life and move into their lives.

Steven Campbell Moore is another teacher, very young, barely out of college himself who acts as a substitute and was hired to help this class make it into college.

It is a good and satisfying comedy and drama. There is a scene at the beginning done entirely in French that is hysterically funny even for those like me who can't say or understand a word of French without sounding awful. . . suffice to say that a pantless boy, prostitution, Ypres, and shell shock all make an appearance in this segment.

By the way - y'all know Richard Griffiths as Bottom in "Midsummers Night's Dream" and Falstaf in the "Merry Wives of Windsor" and Uncle Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films. He passed away in 2013.

[Paolo]

I may have to give this one a look; it sounds interesting.

I've heard of the film from playing "Six Degrees of Harry Potter," where you try to connect an actor in one film to Harry Potter via associations in films with other actors. Never watched it, though.

Of course, Griffiths was the connection, as I recall.

[nullovult (imported)]

Ah Richard Griffiths!..After doing a bit of fondling in the hilarious film "Withnail & I" as well as I re-call!!..hahaha..lol..!!

Another fine actor that will be sorely missed,but thankfully he had longer than some recently..thinking of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and of course Heath Ledger and going back to my youth..River Pheonix!

Yes,have seen "The History Boys",could do with seeing it again me thinks.

[gareth19 (imported)]

In addition to Richard Griffiths as Hector; The History Boys also has Frances de la Tour as Mrs. Linott; In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, she appears as Madame Olympe Maxime, Hagrid's love interest. Dakin is played by Dominic Cooper who is in Mama Mia, and Rudge is played by Russell Tovey who also appeared in "Looking."

[Dave (imported)]

There's a bunch of British actors who learn from at least the equivalent of US college if not high school how to act Shakespeare and do many parts on the stage. When they get in TV shows and movies then you see that stage work come out in good, solid performances.

Griffiths played Martin Dysart the psychologist opposite Daniel Radcliffe as the patient who does bad things with horses in Peter Schafer's Equus (the stage play)

Frances DeLaTour is excellent in her role.

[Paolo]

I watched this one tonight. Thoroughly enjoyed it, which, for me, is saying something.