The History Boys film review

Review

Cast & crew

The History Boys

(2006)

Alan Bennett's hit stage play, about a group of Sheffield grammar school boys being drilled for their Oxbridge entrance exams, makes an efficient transition to the big screen. Utilising the original stage cast, director Nicholas Hytner wisely opts to change as little as possible, resisting the urge to open up the material cinematically. This brilliantly serves Bennett's screenplay, which is a masterpiece of wit and intellect worn feather-lightly; a perfectly balanced blend undercut with the darker subject of general studies teacher Hector (Richard Griffiths) and his sexual attraction to the boys. Which leads to this thoroughly enjoyable film's only flaw: there's something slightly implausible about these pupils who combine a kind of romanticised notion of male adolescence extracted from Goodbye Mr Chips with an incredible nonchalance towards the subject of homosexuality and their teacher's repeated attempts to cop a feel. Still, it's not a documentary, and this niggle is more than made up for by the performances, which are uniformly first-rate. AS

Contains swearing, sexual references.

Tell us what you think
Email us at rtfilmcomments@bbc.co.uk to tell us what you think of this film. Your comments may appear in Radio Times magazine.

Running time

107min

Country of origin

UK / US

Genre

Drama

Original language

English

Screenplay

Alan Bennett, from his play

Theatrical distributor

20th Century Fox

UK cinema certificate

UK cinema release date

October 2006




awards information


	Award	Category	Name	Nominee/Winner

	British Academy Film Awards 2006	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role	Richard Griffiths	Nominee
	British Academy Film Awards 2006	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role	Frances de la Tour	Nominee