Review of The History Boys (2006) by Jake G — 02 Feb 2010

THE HISTORY BOYS was the perfect nightcap for an Anglophile such as myself, a witty, fast paced thinker that delivers on all the right emotional levels. Even watching it on my laptop, late at night, I became completely absorbed in the world of the students and their passionate, caring teachers.

Centered around a late-teens group of English schoolboys, and taking place in the early 80's, the play and its resulting adaptation is concerned with the plight of eight ambitious lads seeking entrance to Oxford and Cambridge. Helping them to prepare for the battery of exams are a charming ensemble of adults. The least charming, the headmaster (Clive Merrison), is a bounderish sixty-something with sky high expectations and little tolerance for the boys' clever antics. Mrs. Lintott (Frances de la Tour), is the sole estrogen-influenced professor, and she acts out her role with a kind of world-weary flair, a been there done that feel that you feel you can rely on. The most objectionable to the thin skinned is Hector (Richard Griffiths), an eccentric culture maven who's other interests are out of bounds when under 18.

So far I've tried to write the review without the word "gay," because that's the aspect of the film most American audiences seem to dwell on. The concept of sexuality is altogether more open minded in Britannia, and experimentation seems to be expected to a degree in all- male schools, a concept that seems alien across the pond. There's a lot of the stuff in the movie, the experimentation, but it's more suggested than shown and in the end rather harmless. However, this seems to be the thing others get hung up on, unfortunatelly, rather than the expert handling of mood, a sense of melancholy that Alan Bennett, the playwright, excels in.

Other than that actors sometimes seem to forget they're in a movie rather than a play, the cast is superb in their respective roles, entirely believable. The soundtrack might be worth a few euros too, made up of some inspired early 80's postpunk and new wave cuts.

The direction really is good too, because although the attentions seems to be more on the words, camera angles and shots are visually very interesting and must be acknowledged.

The lion's share of the credit, though, should go to the screenplay, which has the crucial boon of being adapted by the playwright, Alan Bennett, himself. One-liners and witticisms abound, and clever references and wordplays will not be missed by the culturally clued-in and attentive eared crowd.

Though I'm a bit disappointed in my fellow Yanks' panning of the film, THE HISTORY BOYS is nonetheless fully satisfying and entertaining for the open minded. The word, I think, is "stonkers." Absolutely stonkers!