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FeedsTom Brown’s Schooldays charts a young boy’s first steps towards adulthood as he attends a troubled British school. As Tom Brown (Alex Pettyfer!) arrives at Rugby Public School, so does the new headmaster, Dr. Arnold (the wonderful Stephen Fry), a man who intends to stamp out the bullying and drunkenness that sow corruption in the school. Brown and Arnold collide, but Brown’s true enemy is the brutal Flashman, an upperclassman who dedicates himself to making Brown’s life miserable. Tom soon meets and quickly befriends the most popular boy in school and begins to rebel against Flashman, and Dr. Arnold, the Headmaster. When his closest ally leaves, Tom soon realizes that his new-found rebellion makes him the whipping boy of Dr. Arnold, and Flashman, but a hero to the rest of the younger boys of the school.
The adaptation of this classic English novel is extremely abridged (only 93 minutes, as opposed to the almost four-hour 1971 version) and takes some liberties with the story (Flashman’s crimes are much more dastardly here). But the results are strong; though the exposition may feel a bit choppy and episodic, the mixing of storylines leads to an emotionally compelling second half. This version retains the novel’s greatest strength, the complexity of Tom Brown himself; far from a cardboard icon of virtue, Brown’s character allows for both courage and insolence, loyalty and rebelliousness. But the movie’s greatest strength is Stephen Fry’s performance; his magnetism, intelligence, and empathy drive Tom Brown’s Schooldays forward.
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August 5th, 2008 at 21:54
Arghh, I have tried to get this film for some months, without succes. I would be sooo happy to watch it :-) ! Yesterday, I thought I have succeded in buying it thanks to amazon market place (direct from New Zeeland) and I have received a colorized version of 1940 : AWFUL ! I’m not lucky. But I don’t give up, I don’t give up ! If someone knows where to order it easily in France (or in Europe, or… well, anywhere, I take ! ;-).
August 5th, 2008 at 22:41
Great movie! But I didn’t read the novel so far. Cannot give a statement without knowing the ‘original’.
August 6th, 2008 at 08:42
Hi,it is good to hear you have the discovered this version,which was shown here in England,twice in the New Year holiday week of 2005.It is not as close to the book as previous film/TV versions,but this is compensated by the strong acting,especially by the lead character played by the then 15 year old Alex Pettyfer(later of ‘Stormbreaker’ film fame),although the main initial website buzz/attention was due to a particular brief but very revealing sequence in the school common room after Tom(Alex)’s caning,where in showing off his ’scars’,Alex inadvertently shows he has been more than adequately equipped in the ‘downstairs dept’ for a boy of his age!If you are unable to get the DVD,the specific vidclip alongside scans is presently available at Casperfan’s blogspot.
BTW Oliver,this title is still available at Amazon.co.uk,with the version being the 2004/5 one.
August 6th, 2008 at 09:05
Thanks for the advice, Nick. Alas, I’ve checked this morning on amazon.co.uk, I didn’t see it at all ! Is it a malediction or did I search badly ? If you could give me a link, it would be great.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:01
You can buy this version for £6.99 here http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/381921/-/Product.html
August 6th, 2008 at 11:35
Before people rush to buy …
A friend (who can remain nameless) raved about this for ages, so eventually I bought it, and I am sorry to have to say that I found it dull, dull, dull: a slow, turgid ninety minutes telling a story that could have been told in three. Stephen Fry is not acting, he’s just being Stephen Fry. Alex Pettyfer *looks* absolutely gorgeous, but his acting (not least because of the script) is wooden, and so is everyone else’s. The characters are two-dimensional and the whole thing drags on interminably. If you want to see Alex Pettyfer looking gorgeous, acting superbly, and being an utterly delicious utterly exuberant *boy*, get Stormbreaker: it’s awesome!
The brief thrill here in Tom Brown’s Schooldays is Alex Pettyfer’s bottom, rather wonderfully captured in these stills and this video (thanks to Nick for the link and Casperfan for the original post):
http://rs118.rapidshare.com/files/135143017/Alex_Pettyfer_Tom_Browns_Schooldays.rar (397k)
http://rs118.rapidshare.com/files/135143016/Alex_Pettyfer_in_Tom_Brown_s_Schooldays.avi (17M)
http://casperfan.blogspot.com/2008/08/alex-pettyfer-nude-in-tom-browns.html
Here’s my original outrageous review of Stormbreaker from eighteen months ago (also released as Alex Rider - Stormbreaker).
“Whee! A 14yo Jamie Bond. Hot hot hot. Alex Pettyfer smoulders gorgeously as Alex Rider throughout, and finally gets to have a fantastic spray-it-everywhere ejaculation of bullets right at the end. Or at least you *think* it’s the end, but no! There’s more! The second climax is *way* more complicated than the first (isn’t that always how it is?) but *so* deeply satisfying. Fun fun fun - and actually a *very* good movie.”
Two images:
http://www.hitexpress.cz/images/foto/film/akcni/zahranicni/stormbreaker/stormbreaker-uvod.jpg
http://www.worstpreviews.com/images/posters/stormbreaker/stormbreaker1_large.gif
and check out the YouTubes - it actually looks as though the whole movie might be online at the moment:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=stormbreaker
- R
August 6th, 2008 at 11:49
OMG. Tom Pettyfer is even more gorgeous in real life.
Interview here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/134478358/Alex_Pettyfer_on_Richard___Judy.avi
Thanks again to Casperfan:
http://casperfan.blogspot.com/2008/08/alex-pettyfer-on-richard-judy-just-some.html
- R
August 6th, 2008 at 13:55
Hi,everyone,and for Oliver,the Amazon link,I had [ http://amazon.co.uk/Tom-Browns-Schoolboys-Stephen-Fry/dp,while overall for the Casperfan link,try [http://casperfan.blogspot.com/2008/08/alex-pettyfer-nude-in-tom-browns.html]
Alex’s TBSD vid:
http://rapidshare.com/files/135143016/Alex_Pettyfer_in_Tom_Brown_s_Schooldays.avi
Alex’s TBSD vidscans:
http://rapidshare.com/files/135143017/Alex_Pettyfer_Tom_Brown_Schoolboys.rar
August 6th, 2008 at 15:23
Thanks very much for your efforts Nick, but your link doesn’t work. And thanks too RAY : your link works, the item is in stock buuuut… : “This item can only be delivered to a UK address” !
When I say it’s a malediction, or a curse…….. hmppppff ! ^_^
But all the files about Alex are rather interesting ;-).
August 7th, 2008 at 01:19
The only reason I watch films that depict that era is to laugh my ass of at their clothing and manner of speech. Anywho, what the hell is Stormbreaker.