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Actors: Stephen Campbell Moore, Richard Griffiths, Dominic Cooper, Samuel Barnett
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The History Boys |
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In 1983 eight male students are at a so-so British secondary school, Cutlers Grammar School in Sheffield, York, are being groomed for elite universities. The overbearing headmaster (Clive Merrison) believes the regular teaching staff -- which includes the bumbling general studies teacher Hector (Griffiths) who has them memorize a lot of literature and tries to grope them during rides on his motorbike -- isn't giving them enough of an edge. He hires Irwin, a young, sharp, and cynical instructor who apparently graduated recently from Oxford, to drill them in history and writing.
Dakin, the class Adonis (Cooper), fools around with Fiona (Georgia Taylor), the headmaster's secretary, but is intrigued by his new teacher Irwin. Posner (Barnett) is a sensitive Jewish boy who is attracted to Dakin. Irwin's mercenary methods and advice are bound to clash with Hector's old-fashioned love of teaching and words, and Hector's edgy toying with his students will get him in trouble with the system.
This wordy, witty 2006 movie is based on the award-winning Alan Bennett play of the same name, and most of the actors who starred in the stage version appear in the film.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The History Boys |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1980's-1999
Taboo Sex Story?
Yes
Kind of sex:
- molestation
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- teacher
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- teacher/professor
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
- deluded
Hair color?
- white
Hair type
- (man) short/standard wavey
Body type
- (man) fat
Events of movie makes character more...
- irritated
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average build
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- govt employee
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- deluded
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
Hair color
- white
Hair type
- (man) short/standard wavey
Body type
- (man) skinny
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Misc setting
- school
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- thoughtful
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
- touching of personal anatomy
Non-American film?
Yes
What language?
- English
Subtitles?
- No
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
Is this movie based on a
- play
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Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Loftus
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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