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Stars:
Anthony Murphy, Iain Cuthbertson, Simon Turner, Gerald Flood, and Richard Morant
Writer:
Anthony Stevens
Based
On The Novel By: Thomas Hughes
Director:
Gareth Davies
Feature
length: 219 minutes
Extras:
Thomas Hughes Biography, Rugby School History, Cast Filmographies, and Photo
Gallery
Languages:
English Two-Channel Monaural Sound
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions
Packaging:
Two Keep Cases Within A Glossy Cardboard Slipcase
Chapter
Stops: 25/ 5 Per Episode
Sound:
Two Channel Monaural Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1971/DVD Release: 2005
Home
Video Distributor: Acorn Media
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Ever
remember something you saw on television when you were very young that you never
saw ever again, but somehow a piece of it has stayed with you ever since? The
BBC production of “Tom Brown’s Schooldays” aired on the acclaimed PBS
anthology series “Masterpiece Theater” here in the States and I remember
watching it when I was just four years old. Even though I may not have
understood everything that was going on in the series, I think it is a testament
to the quality of the storytelling that I have from time to time thought about
it and even wondered if it was ever made available on home video in America for
all these years and I’m sure there are others out there that fondly remember
the production too. It is a great story and a wonderful production with rich
characters as well as some interesting commentary on society that I think to
some extent still holds true today. The soundtrack theme is also quite memorable
for those who have seen the program.
Based
on the semi-autobiographical novel by Thomas Hughes, who studied at Rugby in the
1830s under the educational reformer Dr. Thomas Arnold, the miniseries details
the adventures of an idealistic young schoolboy attending the upper-class
Victorian boarding school of Rugby while suffering at the cruel hands of
Flashman, an upperclassman and notorious bully. Tom is inspired by a
forward-thinking headmaster and befriended by other classmates as he learns
valuable lessons regarding class and character. Young Anthony Murphy earned an
Emmy® Award for his acting debut as the title character, Tom Brown, and the
miniseries features great performances by Iain Cuthbertson as the headmaster Dr.
Arnold.
Both
Sir Flashman and his cunning son are two of the most memorable Victorian era
villains to ever appear in a BBC production outside of the works of Charles
Dickens. While Brown is clearly the protagonist of the story, he is still just a
boy and capable of making questionable mistakes like any child might regardless
of privilege, but that aspect of the character is what helps to humanize him
since if he were too good, we simply could not identify with him and his plight.
The series features many examples of British “Gentlemen” and their sons
behaving less than honorably, but then we have characters that are well meaning
and attempt to embrace a more egalitarian view of society, but just as the poor
are victims of sociology, the wealthy suffer in their own way. Ultimately “Tom
Brown’s Schooldays” reminds viewers that there are good and bad elements to
all people and class does not necessarily determine integrity.
In
America, one can argue that the aristocracy of the twenty-first century is
determined either by one’s income, career, or level of celebrity as well as a
combination of all of the above. Class and privilege still exist today with some
people believing they are more entitled than others just as it was over a
century ago and long before America was ever colonized too. Even the “Harry
Potter” films to some extent explore the adversity within a class structure
with the non-magical folks referred openly in the derogatory term “muggle.”
This is a series of books intended for young readers that has been embraced by
readers of all ages and extended now to other forms of media, but whether it is
on film or television, generally speaking the question of class values still
exists today.
Each
of the five episodes run between 42 and 45 minutes each and have been digitally
remastered for DVD and presented in the original full screen (1.33:1) television
broadcast aspect ratio with a clear English Two-Channel Monaural Soundtrack and
optional English Closed Captions for the hearing impaired on both discs. The
first three episodes are on disc one with the remaining two presented on disc
two. As usual with BBC productions from this era, the outdoor sequences as well
as nearly all of the interior shots outside of the Rugby School were filmed
while the interiors within and around the Rugby Scholl setting were videotaped.
Considering the age of this production, the picture quality of the video is
surprisingly free of artifacts, but the filmed segments do reveal a bit of grain
that may appear more or less obstructive depending on one’s method of viewing.
A high quality component video setup makes a great difference over a standard
composite video connection in terms of how one appreciates the overall picture
presentation. Obviously this can be said of any DVD, but with some titles, a
better connection will definitely yield a better image quality that one can
appreciate upon direct comparison.
Onscreen
biographical text notes on Author Thomas Hughes as well as historical notes on
the Rugby School and cast filmographies are included on the first DVD along with
a short slideshow style color production photo gallery (: 39). There are full
motion episode selection menus on both discs, but the remainder of the menus is
standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate. Each disc is
individually packaged in a keep case packaged within a glossy slipcase. This is
an excellent BBC production that I am very thankful to have on DVD. “Tom
Brown’s Schooldays” will debut on DVD-Video at retailers on and offline
courtesy of Acorn Media and can also be purchased directly from Acorn Media by
visiting the official website at www.acornmedia.com.
©
Copyright 2005 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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