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The History Boys

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02:09

The History Boys

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• Comedy
• Drama

• 2006
• Nicholas Hytner
• 107 mins
• 15

Summary

Drama based on the hit play by Alan Bennett, starring Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour and Stephen Campbell Moore. Sheffield, 1983: the ambitious headmaster of Cutler's Grammar School engages Irwin to coach his eight star pupils for the Oxbridge entrance exams. In contrast to his eccentric colleague, Hector, the new recruit has an iconoclastic approach to education that meets with suspicion and resistance.

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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Adam Smith

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, this niggle is more than made up for by the performances of a cast that includes a young Dominic Cooper and Russell Tovey among the pupils.

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6.8/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameHectorRichard GriffithsDorothy LintottFrances de la TourIrwinStephen Campbell MoorePosnerSamuel BarnettDakinDominic CooperTimmsJames CordenScrippsJamie ParkerRudgeRussell ToveyCrowtherSamuel AndersonAktharSacha DhawanMrs BibbyPenelope WiltonHeadmasterClive Merrison

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Crew

rolenameDirectorNicholas Hytner

Details

Theatrical distributor

20th Century Fox

Released on

2006-10-13

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing.

Available on

DVD

Formats

Colour

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