Customer Reviews
i already review this on play.com - By: S. Chew, 03 Jul 2008 
Seems similar to something i read before, blew me away perfect writing good french & i am part french, it is not like my stuff thats why i loved it although im not homophobic some gay & straight guys are sometimes mean there not in this though perhaps i like gay people but im straight, make sense of that if you can i cant, not good at this review stuff beautifully shot at Oxford believable characters well good writing having written before being my self almost does it but gets away with not to clever, my mum would like it but sometimes she does not like me as i dis-agree with her but like her i loved it
History boys, take a bow... - By: Eclectic Boy, 08 Jun 2008 
A friend told me about this film & I'm sure I would have enjoyed it less had I not known that it was previously a successful West End play. Written by the well known English poet & writer, Alan Bennett, it feels more like a play than a film - the characters are larger than life & the musical backdrop is a bit of a giveaway.
Set in Britain in the 80s/90s (judging by the music) the plot follows a group of state school boys who have qualified for admission interviews at Oxford & Cambridge Universities. The headmaster feels that despite the boys' obvious intelligence, they lack a certain `flair' against their public school competition. So he recruits a young Oxbridge graduate straight from teacher training school to polish the boys for the entrance exams & interviews.
In stark contrast to their existing teacher & mentor, Hector, (played by Richard Griffiths), this new teacher instructs them in the art of passing exams - paraphrased as: `the truth doesn't matter - as long as your answer is interesting'. This new style of teaching grates with Hector whose own lessons meander through acting out the antics of a Paris Brothel in French, reading poetry, & acting out modern film. Showing a total disregard for the syllabus or any other conventional teaching method, yet infusing the boys with a passion & interest in creative learning. Very Dead Poets Society.
Themes in the film include, the British class system, homosexuality, love, women's rights, coming of age angst, literature, & the passing on of wisdom - or as we calll it the Education system. Hector: `Pass it on boys, pass it on'.
The cast of boys & teachers are great & play their characters with alll the passion of the stage. If viewed solely as a film it could be seen as overacted but Bennett's clever script with constant subtext & sharp wit serve to remind us it's more than a film.
I can't believe I'm going to say this but I actuallly think it would be good to read as a play - not normallly something that I'm in to.
The director, Nicholas Hytner, must share the praise - taking a successful play & making it into a film (in 30 days) is a great achievement - of vision & leadership & art. Watch the DVD extras for an insight into the journey from play to film & back.
My rating of 4 stars takes account that it's not my preferred genre, but a good piece of art nevertheless.
For more Alan Bennett, read (or watch) `Lady in a Van'.
Provoking but thoughtful - By: Mr. Michael Domnin, 28 May 2008 I do like the French lesson with the prostituée & the switch to "un hôpital en Belgique avec des soldats mutilés". Wry humour, homosexuality, it's alll there to provoke us. The lesson from Hector is what we learn we should pass it on. When you watch this film, what will you learn about responsibilities, perverting children, but in the background & only hinted, the permissiveness of the head, the red tapes at Oxford. These last two points are just as malevolent as the blatant homosexuality of Hector.Because if his deviation is not to be condoned then the other flaws must be considered too.
What is in the background of this well-observed film? I was very moved by it. Our society is not only sick with sex & its deviation, but with many other things...
Fantastic - By: Anonymous, 26 Mar 2008 Marvellous film. I've just read Alan Bennett's book 'Untold Stories'. Perhaps that helped me understand the film, as I'm not very bright. There are better reviews than mine on this site but, for what it's worth, I thought this film was marvellous. Bennett is practical, clever, & has a sense of humour which, to me, is the most important thing in life. He can laugh at himself. It's these attributes which made him able to write such a good film. I wish him well.
Obsessed - By: G. J. Weeks, 22 Mar 2008 
An entertaining story spoilt by obsession with homosexuality. Bennett is typical of his ilk but in fact does his best work when he manages to stay away from sex as in the Lady in the Van. Had Yorkshire youth by the early 80s become so bold as to sexuallly proposition teachers for the fun of it? Perhaps only in Bennett's
scripts.
