THE HISTORY BOYS: a masterclass in sophisticated writing

It's rare that I fall in love with a film these days but THE HISTORY BOYS had me at hello. This big screen version of the Alan Bennett play won't be to everyone's taste but I just couldn't get enough.

Set in a Grammar School in northern England in the early 1980s this drama focuses on a group of high achieving male pupils preparing for the entrance interview that could win them a place at Oxford or Cambridge. Not satisfied with the instruction and guidance from their History (Frances De La Tour)and General Studies (Richard Griffiths) teachers the headmaster brings in a professional prep coach, Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore) to add some final polish. Just a few years older than the boys he's teaching, Irwin's presence changes the dynamic between the pupils and their teachers, unsettling some and encouraging others to push the boundaries of their relationships to one another.
What makes THE HISTORY BOYS such an enjoyable experience is the dialogue. It's razor sharp, sophisticated and often very witty. Some viewers may find it unusual or implausible for 18 year old boys to speak the way these boys do but it's actually not that surprising considering their teachers' passion for the art of learning (as opposed to simply instructing their pupils on the bare minimum required to get an A), and the pupils status as the intellectual creme de la creme of their school.
The story's stage origins are never very far from the surface but director Nicholas Hytner does a magnificent job of opening out the action without detracting from the importance of the words being spoken, and this is a film that relies on dialogue not action for its impact.

Richard Griffiths is magnificent as Hector, the 'old school' teacher, whose belief in inculcating in his boys all manner of esoteric and apparently irrelevant information is central to their intellectual development. His style clashes with Irwin's modern approach and the contrast is emphasised by their physical appearance. Hector is a waddling mountain of a man while Irwin is slim, smooth and streamlined. Dominic Cooper ('An Education', 'Mamma Mia!')is the best known of the young actors playing the pupils but all of them are excellent and while each represents a different type (the brash one, the working class one, the gay one) they are also credible as individuals.
Most of us spent our school days waiting impatiently for the bell to ring and the rest of our life to start. THE HISTORY BOYS is one masterclass I'd happily stay back after school for.