Truly Dreadful Film

Awesome Movie

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I saw this movie DECADES before I saw "Chips" so maybe I'm prejudice, but I think it's better nonetheless.After the success of "Chips," I'll bet studio went scrambling to find a similar book to make a film of, and this was it. They, did- it was based on Thomas Hughes' novel, TOM BROWNS SCHOOL DAYS. (But it receives NO credit in the movie- what happened there?) Characters and acting all top notch. Kind of a sad movie, especially when poor Tom is ostracized for something he didn't do. Many American actors were used, but their fake British accents weren't bad at all. (I thought they were REAL ENGLISHMEN for years.) Has a somewhat happy ending I guess, though it takes a great man's death to cause it.Might contain the worst "stunt double" scene in movie history- when Tom steals cart, look closely - his "double" is about thirty years older than him! I submitted this in the "Goof" section to no avail.I recommend this movie to everyone of all ages.

In Mutiny On The Bounty I remember there's a scene where Charles Laughton is questioning someone about who did what. Someone else owned up to it and got a flogging. The guy who wouldn't rat got the same flogging because as Laughton put it, "when I ask for information I expect to get it."That might have been a whole lot easier on poor Tom Brown who is played here by Jimmy Lydon. His father Ernest Cossart has sent him to Rugby School where the headmaster is Cedric Hardwicke who wants to raise manly and honest kids and not bullies.But that's what young Tom is faced with by an older kid played here with relish by Billy Halop of the Dead End Kids. What to do, because the one thing that's worse than bullying is ratting out your fellow students.Lydon stands up to Halop and actually beats him in a well fought if unofficial bout. But Hardwicke finds out about it and expels Halop.Naturally this could only happen if Lydon ratted him out. Tradition dictates he be shunned and shunned he is. Especially by his roommate and previous benefactor Freddie Bartholomew. These kids have an honor system that West Point would envy. And Hardwicke is a man rock bound in his principles and ideas. It all seems a bit silly, but in this day and age we're finally trying to address bullying in a real way. Although this film has its flaws it has assumed an interesting relevancy for today's kids.In this all male setting some women have some good parts. Mack Sennett comedienne Polly Moran plays the owner of the potato shop where the kids get their 'Murphys' which is a rather unflattering reference to what was the national crop of Ireland and probably some Irish farmers worked hard so these kids could enjoy their treats. Gale Storm plays Moran's young daughter who no doubt gets the lads hormones working. And Josephine Hutchinson plays the supportive and kind Mrs. Hardwicke, supportive to the kids as well as her husband.I'd see the BBC mini-series first, but this is not a bad film.

one of the best old movies I have ever seen and would like to own it either on DVD or video, its exciting from start to finish, with a great story line even I could understand even at the early age of 14yrs, it has few good actors who in my mind will never be replaced even now. A clean film for all the family, something to get your teeth into with a story line that needs to be watched and listened too. even though black and white the film was well produced for its time and I would love to see it again over and over again. considering the age and the location the film contained beautiful places of interest and lots of great actors, these people will never be seen again which is why we should keep this film ongoing and to the fore front of all films.

This work is primarily occupied with the major incidents in the life of Thomas Arnold, headmaster of Rugby, and his overcoming of a good deal of resistance in lifting that institution from a tepid state to a position of England's finest public school. The strong direction is by Robert Stevenson, who also contributed mightily to the script, which is rather faithfully based upon the novel of the same name by Thomas Hughes, and which employs the student Tom Brown as Arnold's tactical and ethical surrogate within the scholastic body. Arnold, who must find an answer to the prevalent bullying of the day, is portrayed by Sir Cedric Hardwicke with a stunning performance, ably supported by Josephine Hutchinson as Mrs. Arnold. The film proceeds at a very crisp pace, with the scenario building well as Brown, played with feeling by Jimmy Lydon, prepares to make a stand against older and tyrannical students led by Billy Halop as Flashman. The arteries of the novel are presented with some depth, demonstrating the inculcation into the students of the importance of physical and mental courage, loyalty, and self-reliance, albeit apparently at the cost of some amount of intellectual achievement. The love of the students for Rugby and for their headmaster is presented throughout, the production design, costumes, and editing are all first-rate, and a superb musical score is contributed by Anthony Collins.