Customer Reviews

Tom Browns Schooldays [VHS]

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This is the film that made me a Billy Halop fan. He plays Flashman, the villain of the film, who constantly tortures Tom throughout his stay in the film. Halop seems to be so ignored anymore in print and it's a shame. He was the greatest of the Dead End Kids and any film with an appearance by him is that much better. Tom is played to naive perfection by Jimmy Lydon and a teenaged Freddie Bartholomew is his buddy, East. Sir Cedric Hardwicke rounds out the cast and there's an appearance by Polly Moran, who, if I'm not mistaken, was also featured in the lost Lon Chaney silent film, "London After Midnight". TOM BROWN'S SCHOOL DAYS is one of the all time great films about growing up - but be sure this 1940 version is the one you get; there was a remake in the 50's. You won't regret it!

"Trust me!" - Harrison Ford in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

If the picture on the slipcase is correct, this tape is not the American version with Freddy Bartholomew as Scud East. It's the British with John Howard Davies as Tom Brown. JH Davies played Oliver Twist in the David Lean film of the novel. He may have been a good kid actor, but he's altogether too delicate to be a credible Tom Brown, especially in the fight with Flashman. For the differences between the two, check Amazon's Internet Movie Database. There's usually a link at the bottom of the page. If one interested, it might be good idea to buy it since it's not as well known and may not available on home video later.

This work is primarily occupied with 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.

If you liked Boys Town and Goodbye, Mr. Chips, you'll enjoy Tom Brown's School Days. Rugby is a boarding school in England where Dr. Thomas Arnold (Cedric Hardwicke) has reformed the goings on. His hard work has paid off and has helped the attending boys to learn integrity and confidence. Some boys have gained too much confidence, and bullies like Flashman (Billy Halop) have begun to cause problems. Tom Brown (Jimmy Lydon) is new at the school; his father went to Rugby when he was young too. Tom relies on East (Freddie Bartholomew) as his mentor, but cannot escape Flashman's reign. The code at the school is to tell no tales, or in other words not to rat on each other. This makes it difficult for Tom to have friends and to enjoy the school.

The cast is really exciting to see. Lydon is appropriately naive and sweet in his part, a character to sympathize with. Halop is best known for his stint with the Dead End Kids as a tough kid from the streets. Fellow Dead End star Leo Gorcey once commented that Halop was the most talented kid in the group. Also featured here is an adolescent Bartholomew. He is just as good an actor as ever, but as many child stars experience, his career was on the decline. It is fortunate that we have a rare glimpse into his later life with this film.