The History Boys

Highlight of TV last night!

The History Boys (film)

The History Boys is a British film released in October 2006. It was adapted by Alan Bennett from his play of the same name, which won the 2005 Olivier Award for Best New Play and the 2006 Tony Award for Best Play. It was directed by Nicholas Hytner, who directed the original production of The History Boys at the Royal National Theatre in London, and features the original cast of the play.

Plot
The story is set in a boys' grammar school in Sheffield in 1983. Crowther, Posner, Dakin, Timms, Akthar, Lockwood, Scripps, and Rudge have recently obtained the school's highest ever A-level scores and are hoping to enter Oxford or Cambridge, taking a seventh-term entrance exam in History. The General Studies teacher, known by staff and boys alike by his nickname "Hector" (Richard Griffiths), is their favourite, and works alongside their deputy head and regular history teacher, Mrs Lintott (Frances de la Tour).

The headmaster, Felix (Clive Merrison), hires an energetic young contract teacher named Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore) to assist Hector and Mrs Lintott in preparing the boys for the Oxbridge entrance exams. Irwin's style is utterly different from Hector's and Mrs Lintott's; while the older teachers emphasise cultural and factual knowledges and the quest for truth, Irwin urges the boys to put a spin on their historical analysis, to value originality above objective truth.

As the plot progresses we learn that Hector habitually offers some of his students rides home on his motorcycle and surreptitiously fondles his passengers. The boys have all come to a mutual understanding on the subject and, while mildly annoyed, laugh off their teacher's advances and more or less willingly continue to take turns riding home on the back of his bike. This practice eventually lands Hector in trouble as he is reported to the headmaster by a school crossing guard who witnesses his action. When the headmaster insists that Hector and Irwin share a class, they and the boys engage in a tense discussion about how best to analyse the Holocaust.
As part of their general studies the class acts out scenes from romantic films and literature, and Posner (Samuel Barnett) sings a love song – Rogers and Hart's "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" – which he pointedly directs towards Dakin (Dominic Cooper). Later he seeks out Irwin to discuss his attraction to Dakin. Dakin, who characterizes himself as an aspiring lecher, is currently pursuing an affair with the headmaster's secretary, Fiona (Georgia Taylor). He is not displeased by Posner's attention, but finds himself interested by Irwin. Gradually, Dakin's quest to impress Irwin intellectually evolves into a flirtatious, potentially sexual pursuit of his young teacher – who, as Posner, his friend Scripps (Jamie Parker) and even Hector note, is visibly attracted to Dakin.

After interviews, when the boys receive their replies through the post, it seems that they have all gained Oxbridge places, except for the group's gauche sportsman, Rudge (Russell Tovey). When Mrs Lintott questions him about it, it turns out that Rudge had already been told at interview that he has a place, due to a family connection with the college.

Dakin approaches Irwin in his classroom after the celebrations and reveals that he found no record of Irwin's attendance at Corpus, the Oxford college he claimed as his alma mater. Irwin confesses that he lied about his past. Dakin then invites Irwin to give him a blowjob "as a thank you". They make an appointment to "have a drink" on Sunday. Dakin tells Irwin that he has seen two sides to Irwin – a reckless, challenging intellectual and an uptight, cautious personality – and he cannot reconcile them.

Dakin then proceeds to the Headmaster's office and, by threatening to reveal Felix's own sexual harassment of Fiona, forces him to reinstate Hector.

The boys prepare to leave the Grammar School at the end of that term, and Hector agrees to give Dakin a ride home on the motorbike "for old times' sake". However, before they leave, the Headmaster runs out of the school and stops them, saying Hector shouldn't take one of the boys. He suggests that Hector take Irwin instead. Dakin gladly hands the helmet to him, and the screen fades to white as they drive off, the boys waving happily and laughing.

Fast forward to a few days later, as it is revealed that the bike was in an accident on the way home, possibly caused by Irwin leaning the wrong way on a corner. Irwin was badly injured; Hector did not survive. At the memorial service, the boys sing "Bye, Bye, Blackbird" and the headmaster gives a trite eulogy. The scene then changes abruptly to an almost empty hall with only the eight boys and Mrs Lintott inside. "Will they come to my funeral, I wonder," Mrs Lintott remarks, before recounting the futures of the eight boys. They have entered a variety of careers: Rudge has become a builder, Dakin a tax lawyer, and Posner a teacher who followed in Hector's footsteps, with similar ambivalence and angst, yet without "touching the boys." Lockwood (Andrew Knott), who entered the army, died as a result of friendly fire at the age of 28 while serving in the York and Lancaster Regiment, an infantry regiment that was actually disbanded in 1968. It is also revealed that Irwin stops teaching and becomes a maker of TV history documentaries.

The film ends with a collection of moments involving Hector, leading up to the moment that a photo of the entire class was taken at Fountains Abbey, from earlier in the film. The photo spans the entire screen, and the closing credits are played over the photo.

Critical acclaim
According to Time , the film is better than the original play, as the transformation to film improved the 'flow and intimacy' of the production, while preserving the messages it seeks to convey. Rolling Stone notes that some sense of familiarity with the subject of the film is lost in the cutting of nearly an hour from the original play, but the dialogue remains witty and pointed as is the customary style of the author. New York describes the film as 'brilliant and infectious', and filled with Alan Bennett's customary dead-pan humour. The author writes as though he simultaneously envies the extrovert characters he has created, yet is happy to stand apart from them. Hector's classes ramble, but manage to inspire the boys to the extent that they are pleased to adopt his approach to learning, and contentedly go along with his eccentric behaviour. The film is peppered with literary references and carries an encouragement to engage with life.

Analysis
Furthermore, due to the intricate social issues discussed throughout the History Boys the play has been added to the list available for study at A-level drama and theatre studies, and should shortly be added to the English syllabus.

The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures named The History Boys one of the Top Ten Films in its 2006 awards.

Awards
The film has been nominated for the 2007 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film - Limited Release.

Griffiths and de la Tour received BAFTA nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

Trivia
Even though based in Yorkshire, the setting of the school was filmed in Watford Grammar School for Boys and Watford Grammar School For Girls in Hertfordshire.

Differences from play
Whilst there are several differences between the film and the play due to the contracted running time of the film, among the more obvious ones are:

In the play, Irwin (confined to a wheelchair) leaves television and works in government in an unspecified capacity.

Lockwood does not die in the play, instead he becomes a magistrate.

Whilst Posner's ending in the film may seem sad, in the play he fares even worse; he attempts to blackmail Irwin after the play's end, and later is described by Mrs Lintott as living a lonely life, with the majority of his contact with other people over the internet.