Monday, October 23, 2006

The History Boys

I saw the Alan Bennett movie "The History Boys" the other day. I was a big fan of his "Madness of King George", but I didn't like this one so much. It was intelligent enough, with wonderful dialogue--at least when the teachers were talking--but sooooo sentimental in its portrayal of the boys. They weren't like that in English schools in 1983. I know, I was at school only two years before. It's a very middle-aged hang-up to look back wistfully at youth as a time for young lions roaring with innocence and beauty. As I remember we were uniniteresting, unintelligent, overly-competitive malevolent little shits. And we would have bottled any teacher who tried to grope us on a motorcycle. But maybe that was particular to my school.

I didn't like all the singing either. I know the film came from a stage play, but the falseness of its original form kept intruding on the reality of the cinematic presentation and reminding you that you weren't looking in on another world, you were just watching something someone had written, something people were acting.

But what do I know? Knocking Alan Bennett in this country is almost equivalent to spray-painting a statue of Churchill.

4 comments:

Holly said...

I hate watching movies, television shows or reading books where I cannot get lost inside. (RE: Not looking onto another world, just watching something someone had written, something people were acting in)

The last movie where I felt like I was inside the picture was "A Very Long Engagement" Last book? The Louis de Bernieres books I had been reading. Last TV show? (okay maybe not days of our lives this week) Changi.

I suppose Alan Bennett was either in too much of a hurry to produce work or didn't have his whole heart in the project.

Bruce Hodder said...

"Changi" is not one I'm familiar with. My favourite tv show is "My Name Is Earl". It's where I got the tagline for my site: I can't be anybody's boyfriend, I'm karma's bitch. Have you ever seen the show? It's so tasteless is brilliant.

The last movie I really liked was "Factotum", the one based on the books of Charles Bukowski. Matt Dillon playing a supposedly ugly, maladjusted drunk of a poet going from job to job, sleeping with whores and writing poems about it all. I wonder why I related to that? (You should read Bukowski if you haven't done so yet. I think you'd like him, from the stuff you have on your blog.)

I have to say, a lot of people LOVED "History Boys". Those Establishment twerps who comment on the Arts on tv and radio seemed to think it was more beautiful than Victoria Falls at sunrise(or something). Perhaps I'm just too cynical to enjoy something about the magic and promise of youth. I hated school with a passion.

Holly said...

I hated school with a passion too, but I long for those days, the excitement I had on the thought of leaving school. No excitement in the real world. I miss having false hope.


I'll have a look out for Bukowski's work, I need to find some more books to read (I actually also like Matt Dillon as an actor, there is something about him...)


Last note: I love "My Name Is Earl"! I watch the show when I have the time to catch it. I pretty much like Jason Lee and have sickly enjoyed some of his movies (Stealing Havard with Tom Green... Most people find Tom Green very immature, I just think he's a genius)

Bruce Hodder said...

"I miss having false hope"--what a great line.

Yeah, it did seem like a big deal leaving school. Knowing that you were now beyond the reach of the arseholes who had made your life so difficult in the preceding years. But I never had any hope for my adulthood, or none that I could remember. I just thought it might be cool to be a bin man, primarily because Martin Sheen looked good doing it in "Badlands."