(2006, 109 min) The joy of learning and the beauty of teenage boys are the two intertwined themes in Nicholas Hytner (The Madness of King George) and Alan Bennett's (Prick Up Your Ears) glorious adaptation of their stage play. In order to preserve the original feeling of the award-winning production these two men rushed the film into being with the original cast intact. What a great decision that was, as we've got a fresh interpretation of the gay schoolboy film to enjoy.
An old-school eccentric Hector (Richard Griffiths) is getting his prize students ready to enter Oxford or Cambridge. He feeds the boys gobbets (delicate, delicious morsels of knowlege) they can pepper their entrance exams with. He's a married homosexual who delights in giving the boys rides home on his motorcycle – complete with an obligatory feel. The school has much riding on these boys so they hire Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore), who will fill the boys' heads with more conventional knowlege they can actually use to pass their exams. He's also gay, but hides it better! The film is most focused on handsome charismatic Dakin (Dominic Cooper) who's having an affair with the school secretary. With his eyes clearly delighting on Dakin is Posner (Samuel Barnett), the gay student who sings songs of love to his beloved – who isn't all that interested in men – or is he? Posner's rendition of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is the gayest thing this writer has seen in a film this year! There is also a jock, an overweight boy, a Muslim, a black and a Christian, but they are more stock characters compared to the two flamboyant boys and the teachers.
With its great soundtrack and captivating story, The History Boys is a film we treasure.
© TLA Entertainment Group
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