The History Boys
THE HISTORY BOYS (15)
D: Nicholas Hytner
20th Century Fox/BBC2/DNA (Kevin Loader, Nicholas Hytner &
Damian Jones)
UK/US 2006
109 mins
Drama
W: Alan Bennett [based on his play]
DP: Andrew Dunn
Ed: John Wilson
Mus: George Fenton
Richard Griffiths (Hector), Frances de la Tour
(Dorothy Lintott), Stephen Campbell Moore (Irwin), Samuel Barnett (Posner), Dominic Cooper (Dakin), James Corden (Timms), Jamie Parker (Scripps), Russell Tovey (Rudge)
The History Boys may have been a very good stage play, but
this transition to the big screen is awkward, clunky, laboured and, regrettably, boring.
The majority of the actors reprise their theatrical roles as
the story follows two teachers with clashing styles as they ready a group of schoolboys for a place at Oxbridge.
Set mostly within the classroom, this doesn't evoke the same
sort passion for it's subjects which came with Dead Poets Society and is, for the most part, talking heads prattling off about history, poetry and classical music.
Richard Griffiths is the standout performances here, followed
closely by Frances de la Tour, while everyone is merely average.
It comes as no surprise that the BBC had some involvement in
the production of this film, it's the kind of pretentious, elitist hodgepodge they seem to insist on spending money on.
6/10
