The History Boys (film)

Infobox Film | name = The History Boys


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Nicholas Hytner
producer = Damian Jones
Kevin Loader
Nicholas Hytner
writer = Alan Bennett
starring = Richard Griffiths
Clive Merrison
Frances de la Tour
Stephen Campbell Moore
Samuel Anderson
Samuel Barnett
Dominic Cooper
James Corden
Sacha Dhawan
Andrew Knott
Jamie Parker
Russell Tovey
Georgia Taylor
cinematography = Andrew Dunn
editing = John Wilson
music = George Fenton
distributor = Fox Searchlight
released = 13 October 2006 (UK)
language = English
imdb_id = 0464049
runtime = 104 minutes
gross = Domestic: $2,706,000
Worldwide: $11,121,000

"The History Boys" is a British film released in October 2006. It was adapted by Alan Bennett from his play of the same name, which won the 2005 Olivier Award for Best New Play and the 2006 Tony Award for Best Play. It was directed by Nicholas Hytner, who directed the original production of "The History Boys" at the Royal National Theatre in London, and features the original cast of the play.

Plot

The story is set in a boys' grammar school in Sheffield in 1983. Crowther, Posner, Dakin, Timms, Akthar, Lockwood, Scripps, and Rudge have recently obtained the school's highest ever A-level scores and are hoping to enter Oxford or Cambridge, taking a seventh-term entrance exam in History. The General Studies teacher, known by staff and boys alike by his nickname "Hector" (Richard Griffiths), is their favourite, and works alongside their deputy head and regular History teacher, Mrs. Lintott (Frances de la Tour).

The headmaster, Felix (Clive Merrison), hires an energetic young contract teacher named Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore) to assist Hector and Mrs Lintott in preparing the boys for the Oxbridge entrance exams. Irwin's style is utterly different from Hector's and Mrs. Lintott's; while the older teachers emphasise cultural and factual knowledges and the quest for truth, Irwin urges the boys to put a spin on their historical analysis, to value originality above objective truth.

As the plot progresses we learn that Hector habitually offers some of his students rides home on his motorcycle and surreptitiously fondles his passengers. The boys have all come to a mutual understanding on the subject and, while mildly annoyed, laugh off their teacher's advances and more or less willingly continue to take turns riding home on the back of his bike. This practice eventually lands Hector in trouble as he is reported to the headmaster by a lollipop woman who witnesses his action. The headmaster insists that Hector retire early, and also that Hector and Irwin share a class; when they do, the group engages in a tense discussion about how best to analyze the Holocaust.

As part of their General Studies the class acts out scenes from romantic films and literature, and Posner (Samuel Barnett) sings a love song—Rodgers and Hart's "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"—which he pointedly directs towards Dakin (Dominic Cooper). Later he seeks out Irwin to discuss his attraction to Dakin. Dakin, who characterises himself as an aspiring lecher, is currently pursuing an affair with the headmaster's secretary, Fiona (Georgia Taylor). He is not displeased by Posner's attention, but finds himself interested by Irwin. Gradually, Dakin's quest to impress Irwin on an intellectual level evolves into a flirtatious, potentially sexual pursuit of his young teacher – who, as Posner, his friend Scripps (Jamie Parker) and even Hector note, is visibly attracted to Dakin.

After interviews, when the boys receive their replies through the post, it seems that they have all gained Oxbridge places, except for the group's gauche sportsman, Rudge (Russell Tovey). When Mrs Lintott questions him, it turns out that Rudge had already been told at interview that he has a place, due to a family connection with the college (he lets his interviewers believe erroneously that his father was a scout, college servant, in the 1950s).

Dakin approaches Irwin in his classroom after the celebrations and reveals that he found no record of Irwin's attendance at Corpus, the Oxford college he claimed as his alma mater, and Irwin confesses that he lied about his past. Dakin then invites Irwin to give him a blowjob "as a thank you". They make an appointment to "have a drink" on Sunday. Dakin tells Irwin that he has seen two sides to Irwin—a reckless, challenging intellectual and an uptight, cautious personality—and he cannot reconcile them.

Dakin then proceeds to the Headmaster's office and, by threatening to reveal Felix's own sexual harassment of Fiona, forces him to reinstate Hector.

The boys prepare to leave the grammar school at the end of that term, and Hector agrees to give Dakin a ride home on the motorbike "for old times' sake". However, before they leave, the headmaster runs out and stops them, saying that Hector should not take one of the boys. He suggests that Hector take Irwin instead. Dakin gladly hands the helmet to him, and the screen fades to white as they drive off, the boys waving happily and laughing.

Fast forward to a few days later, as it is revealed that the bike was in an accident on the way home, possibly caused by Irwin leaning the wrong way on a corner. Irwin was badly injured; Hector did not survive. At the memorial service, the boys sing "Bye Bye Blackbird" and the headmaster gives a trite eulogy. The scene then changes abruptly to an almost empty hall with only the eight boys and Mrs. Lintott present. "Will they come to my funeral, I wonder," Mrs Lintott remarks, before recounting the futures of the eight boys. They have entered a variety of careers: Rudge has become a builder, Dakin a tax lawyer, Crowther a magistrate, Scripps a journalist, Timms the owner of a dry cleaning chain, and Posner a teacher who followed in Hector's footsteps, with similar ambivalence and angst, yet without "touching the boys." Lockwood (Andrew Knott), who entered the army, died as a result of friendly fire at the age of 28 while serving in the York and Lancaster Regiment, an infantry regiment that was actually disbanded in 1968. It is also revealed that Irwin stops teaching and becomes a maker of TV history documentaries.

The film ends with a collection of moments involving Hector, leading up to the moment that a photograph of the entire class was taken at Fountains Abbey, a scene from earlier in the film. The photo spans the entire screen, and the closing credits are played over the photo.

Cast

* Richard Griffiths (Hector)
* Clive Merrison (Headmaster)
* Stephen Campbell Moore (Irwin)
* Frances de la Tour (Mrs Lintott)
* Samuel Anderson (Crowther)
* Samuel Barnett (Posner)
* Dominic Cooper (Dakin)
* James Corden (Timms)
* Sacha Dhawan (Akthar)
* Andrew Knott (Lockwood)
* Jamie Parker (Scripps)
* Russell Tovey (Rudge)
* Penelope Wilton (Mrs Bibby)
* Georgia Taylor (Fiona)

Reception

According to "Time" [cite web| publisher="Time"|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1562682,00.html|title="Time" review|accessmonthday = 17 April|accessyear = 2007] , the film is better than the original play, as the transformation to film improved the 'flow and intimacy' of the production, while preserving the messages it seeks to convey. "Rolling Stone" [cite web| url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/10617368/review/12450509/the_history_boys|publisher="Rolling Stone"|accessmonthday = 17 April|accessyear = 2007|title=The History Boys] notes that some sense of familiarity with the subject of the film is lost in the cutting of nearly an hour from the original play, but the dialogue remains witty and pointed as is the customary style of the author. "New York" [cite web|url=http://nymag.com/movies/listings/rv_54953.htm|title=The History Boys|Publisher=New York|accessmonthday = 17 April|accessyear = 2007] describes the film as 'brilliant and infectious', and filled with Alan Bennett's customary deadpan humour. The author writes as though he simultaneously envies the extrovert characters he has created, yet is happy to stand apart from them. Hector's classes ramble, but manage to inspire the boys to the extent that they are pleased to adopt his approach to learning, and contentedly go along with his eccentric behaviour. The film is peppered with literary references and carries an encouragement to engage with life.

Awards

The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures named "The History Boys" one of the Top Ten Films in its 2006 awards.cite web | url = http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/ | title = National Board of Review of Motion Pictures :: Awards | accessdate = | accessmonthday = December 7 | accessyear = 2006 | ]

The film was nominated for the 2007 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film - Limited Release.cite web | url = http://www.glaad.org/publications/resource_doc_detail.php?id=3953 | title = GLAAD: 18th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Nominees | accessdate = | accessmonthday = February 22 | accessyear = 2007 | ]

Griffiths and de la Tour received BAFTA nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

Trivia

Even though based in Yorkshire, the setting of the school was filmed in Watford Grammar School for Boys and Watford Grammar School for Girls in Hertfordshire.

Even though the film is set in 1983, books can be seen in the library that were not printed until later, for instance Michael Burleigh's book on the The Third Reich, which wasn't printed until 2001.

Several scenes, depicting Hector riding his motorcycle, were filmed on Beacon Hill above Halifax, West Yorkshire, overlooking the town.

Differences from play

Whilst there are several differences between the film and the play due to the contracted running time of the film, among the more obvious ones are:

* In the play, Irwin (now using a wheelchair) leaves television and works in government in an unspecified capacity.
* In the play, Lockwood is a magistrate.
* In the play, Posner attempts to blackmail Irwin in scenes set in the present day. Mrs Lintott describes Posner as living a lonely life, living off a government allotment, keeping "a scrapbook of the achievements of his one-time classmates" and having "a host of friends... though only on the internet, and none in his right name or even gender." She concludes by saying "He has long since stopped asking himself where it went wrong."

References

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt{1|0464049}/ "{2|The History Boys}" {3|{description|] at the Internet Movie Database
* [http://www.subjunctive-history.co.uk/ "The History Boys" Discussion Forum]
* [http://www.recenzenci.pl/recenzja/108/ The History Boys Review] at Recenzenci.pl