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MOVIES / ON DVD / THE HISTORY BOYS
The History Boys

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The History Boys (2006)

63%
64%
71%
N/A
N/A
N/A
63 %
Reviews Counted: 98 Fresh: 62  Rotten:36 Average Rating: 6.4/10
 
Consensus: A witty and involving school drama. While not quite having the impact of its original stage version, The History Boys nevertheless is a witty and involving school drama. more
 
Rated: R
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Theatrical Release: 2006-Fall
Box Office: $2,568,197
Synopsis:
THE HISTORY BOYS tells the story of an unruly class of bright, funny history students in pursuit of an undergraduate place at Oxford or Cambridge. Bounced between their maverick English master (Richard Griffiths), a young and shrewd teacher hired to up their test scores (Stephen Campbell... [More]
THE HISTORY BOYS tells the story of an unruly class of bright, funny history students in pursuit of an undergraduate place at Oxford or Cambridge. Bounced between their maverick English master (Richard Griffiths), a young and shrewd teacher hired to up their test scores (Stephen Campbell Moore), a grossly out-numbered history teacher (Frances de la Tour), and a headmaster obsessed with results (Clive Merrison), the boys attempt to sift through it all to pass the daunting university admissions process. Their journey becomes as much about how education works, as it is about where education leads. The big screen adaptation of the five time Tony award-winning play of the same name, THE HISTORY BOYS utilizes the same talent that originally brought the production to the stage. It is directed by Nicholas Hytner from a script adapted for the screen by the playwright Alan Bennett. The stage version premiered to the world in London’s prestigious National Theatre in 2004, winning audience and critical acclaim alike including Laurence Olivier Awards for Best New Play, Best Director (Nicholas Hytner) and Best Actor (Richard Griffiths), as well as Evening Standard and Critics Circle Awards for Best Play. The production will premiere on Broadway in the spring of 2006. The key cast of the film remains the same as the original stage version led by Richard Griffiths, Clive Merrison, Frances de la Tour, Stephen Campbell Moore, Sacha Dhawan, Samuel Anderson, Dominic Cooper, Andrew Knott, Samuel Barnett, Russell Tovey, Jamie Parker and James Corden. THE HISTORY BOYS is produced by Kevin Loader (ENDURING LOVE, CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN), Damian Jones (MILLIONS, WELCOME TO SARAJEVO) and Nicholas Hytner. A distinguished British screenwriter, playwright and actor, Alan Bennett recently won his fourth Olivier Award for Best New Play for “The History Boys.” Previously he won two Oliviers for “Talking Heads” in 1992 and one for “Single Spies” in 1989. In addition to being nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA Award and a Writers Guild of America Award for the feature film THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE, Bennett won a Writers Guild of Great Britain Award. He has been nominated for eight BAFTA TV Awards and won one for “A Question of Attribution,” and received three BAFTA Film nominations. Bennett began his career as an actor and writer for the "Beyond the Fringe" comedy troupe, which also included Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, and Jonathan Miller. Nicholas Hytner won a BAFTA Award for Best British Film for THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE. He earned both a Tony and an Olivier Award for his direction of “Carousel” and an Olivier Award for “The History Boys.” He was awarded the 1989 London Evening Standard Theatre Award and London Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Director for “Miss Saigon” and “Ghetto.” Hytner’s feature film directorial credits also include THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION and THE CRUCIBLE. Hytner is Artistic Director of London’s National Theatre. -- © Fox Searchlight Pictures [Less]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Frances De La Tour, Stephen Campbell Moore, James Corden, Richard Griffiths, Clive Merrison

Director: Nicholas Hytner
Screenwriter: Alan Bennett
Producer: Damian Jones, Kevin Loader
Composer: George Fenton

DVD Info

Release:

Mar 4, 2008

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital Surround - Spanish
  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
  • Subtitles - English, French, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Additional Footage - Widescreen Feature 1.33
  • Audio Commentaries - Nicholas Hytner - Director; Alan Bennett - Writer
  • Featurettes - 1. "Pass it On: THE HISTORY BOYS on Screen"
  • 2. "History Boys Around the World: Tour Diaries"
  • Trailers - Previews

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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Ratings Image

The transfer from stage to film doesn't always go smoothly, as it's hard to shake the film's theater roots.

Full Review | Comment
12/19/07 07:52 PM
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

Movies, unlike plays, tend to be just about a very few things, or they feel rushed and overly sweeping, as this one occasionally did. Plays can linger and chew on their themes and keep the audience engaged much more easily.

Full Review | Comment
09/02/07 12:23 PM
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina
Ratings Image

With the writing way above board and insights fueling the story forward with heart and bawdy comedy, "The History Boys" is amiably off-center, sure, but it finds its core and leaves its mark.

Full Review | Comment
05/01/07 11:13 AM
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Ratings Image

A hugely enjoyable outing of subtle humour, witty words and a keen insight into human nature and the art of learning.

Full Review | Comment
04/28/07 12:17 AM
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Ratings Image

[History Boys] is most potently about the love of teaching, and how the best teachers can help give meaning to existence; and if not meaning in the grand sense, at least an appreciation of what it means to be human.

Full Review | Comment
04/23/07 03:25 PM
Beverly Berning
culturevulture.net
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What lifts this film above the average is the extremely clever, erudite and witty dialogue.

Full Review | Comment
03/16/07 12:40 PM
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
Ratings Image

.. gentle and sweet, ..all the more charming for its faith in its presumptive audience. It's heartening to come across a popular entertainment ...not pitched at the dull normal demographic.

Full Review | Comment
03/09/07 05:55 AM
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
02/03/07 05:05 AM
Stephen Garrett
Time Out New York
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refreshing--a film that doesn't insult the audience's intelligence

Full Review | Comment
01/24/07 05:46 PM
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
01/20/07 07:32 AM
Philip French
Observer [UK]
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I was sad when school let out. The characters are so rich I wanted to spend more time with them.

Full Review | Comment
01/17/07 08:25 PM
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
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It's too bad that the film loses its way because The History Boys asks some interesting questions about what to learn and how to use it.

Full Review | Comment
01/02/07 10:08 AM
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
N/R

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Full Review | Comment
12/30/06 07:24 AM
Stuart Klawans
Nation
N/R

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Full Review | Comment
12/30/06 07:24 AM
culturevulture.net
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Full Review | Comment
12/30/06 07:24 AM
Toddy Burton
Austin Chronicle
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Full Review | Comment
12/30/06 07:24 AM
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
N/R

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Full Review | Comment
12/30/06 07:24 AM
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
Ratings Image

In the world of movies, it's a rare treat to find anything as sophisticated and witty as Alan Bennett's screenplay.

Full Review | Comment
12/28/06 07:09 PM
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Ratings Image

The final delight of The History Boys is realizing that these charming young actors... will now graduate to new things.

Full Review | Comment
12/27/06 11:46 AM
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune
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...despite all the earnestness...the characters and their tribulations never engage our sympathy or interest.

Full Review | Comment
12/27/06 10:38 AM
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
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