Customer Reviews

Tom Jones [VHS]

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I saw this in the theatre when it was first released, and the passage of time has done nothing to dim my love and fascination of this superb translation of the novel by Fielding. Of course, Albert Finney made a very dashing Tom Jones, and wqas so perfectly suited to the role; Susannah York great as his true love, Sophie, and the other roles, Hugh Griffith as Sophie's father, and hilarious in his part as a drunken, boisterous, lusty squire, and Dame Edith Evans as his rather disapproving, but very funny sister, reprimanding him with a trilling "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrother...." while he is wrestling some country maidens in the haystacks, straw in his hair and a pack of bulldogs surrounding him. The dinner scene with him eating a roast chicken with great gusto, so much so that he harangues Sophie with pieces of it in his nose, is delightful, as is his unscripted departure from Squire Allworthy's residence, on his horse, and turning so tightly that the horse rears and collapses with Hugh Griffith on top of him...so funny Richardson wisely decided to keep it in the film.
I also appreciated the performances of David Warner, as the disgustingly priggish tutor, Mr. Bliful, and Diane Cilento (once married to Sean Connery...) as Tom's sometime paramour. The entire cast is excellent, including Joan Greenwood as the predatory older woman after Tom at any cost. Watch for the Masquerade Ball and see Hugh Griffith in his elephant mask; what a great scene!
The peripheral players are superb, as is the setting of London in the eighteenth century, with the deplorable lack of sanitary conditions and the terrible poverty. The music is haunting, the scene at the Inn (yes, the food scene, of course, one of the more outstanding in the movie) but also the frenetic byplay of the characters winding up in each other's beds with different wives and lovers, it is such a classic melange of humor, drama and near tragedy, there simply isn't one moment of bad film or minute of tedium...you will be absorbed all the way through, and enjoy this rambunctious, joyful frolic with Tom and his supporting cast of finely drawn characters. One last comment: The scene of Tom and Sophie, running, taking turns rowing a boat and falling in love on the grounds of her father's estate, is absolutely beautiful; watch for the scene of them picking blossoms and Sophie laughing and the blossoms falling into her mouth; very sensual and exquisitely detailed, as is the entire production.

Albert Finney is the scandalous "Tom Jones", a squire of young ladies with nothing on their mind but sex. This is the bawdy, gaudy tale of Tom's romantic prowess and how he became the chambermaid's delight. It's told in a rather tongue-in-cheek fashion and celebrated with a lustfully playful score and winning cameo performances throughout. Susannah York crops up as the playful Sophie Western, one of Tom?s many conquests, much to the chagrin of her stoic and stalwart father (Hugh Griffith).

MGM's DVD is one of the worst looking efforts of digital mastering on the market. Where to begin? Colors are muted, dated, unbalanced and bleed throughout. Contrast levels are so low that night scenes look as though they were shot using only the light coming off of a flashlight with dying batteries. Flesh tones are way too orange. Fidelity in general is a mess. Edge enhancement, pixelization, aliasing and shimmering of fine details are excessive and present throughout the film. Digital and film grain are excessively high. There's really no instance where one can simply sit back and enjoy the film. The audio is a disappointing mono. Considering that the previously issued DVD (exhibiting the same disappointing picture quality) was remastered in "surround sound" the lack of surround on this disc seems odd. There are no extras.
BOTTOM LINE: Don't waste your money.

For many years, Tom Jones was my absolute favourite film. My views have mellowed and my tastes changed somewhat, but I still enjoy seeing it every now and then. It's like an old friend. Although, I will admit, it is one of those films that viewers either love or hate.

Even though the story is set in the England of the early 1700's, the film is solidly a reflection of the 1960's. It was extremely popular when it came out - winning the Academy Award as best film. Audiences were overwhelmed by its bawdy humour, sinning and sinful characters, and endless camera trickery - all briskly paced and accompanied by a rollicking musical score. Director Tony Richardson threw everything into the mix - speeded up film, freeze frames, screen wipes, character asides to the audience, a lip-smacking narrator, even a silent movie opening sequence. The characters looked like real people instead of actors - the costumes and settings actually looked lived in. John Osborne's script contained dialogue with a proper period flavour (too much so occasionally) and the whole thing was photographed with a subdued, grainy quality not unlike an old painting. In fact, Tom Jones is almost two films in one - the first part rustic, earthy and halcyon on the sprawling estates of Squires Western and Allworthy, then an abrupt change of style to the intimidating Hogarthian squalour of London where danger seemed to lurk behind every corner. Newgate Gaol and a public hanging are uncompromisingly realistic for what is, after all, basically a comedy.

Most memorable of all are the performances. Albert Finney as Tom and pert Susannah York as his one true love are suitably attractive and talented. But the real flavour of this feast is provided by one of the most incredible supporting casts ever assembled for such a film. Hugh Griffith shamelessly steals every scene he's in but the haughty Edith Evans is more than a match for him. Diane Cilento, Joyce Redman, and the incomparable Joan Greenwood give plenty of variety to Tom's sex life, while David Warner, Julian Glover, and Peter Bull lead the villains.

I have never read the Henry Fielding novel on which the film is based and have no intention of ever doing so. The film of Tom Jones is more than capable of standing on its own. Its style, like its setting, may seem like a relic from the distant past. But, in many ways, Tom Jones represents the high point of British film making in the Sixties - an achievement the Brits have rarely equalled since. More than that, Tom Jones is an immensely enjoyable film - it is fun! And that is something we can never have too much of.

This is a very 1960s version of Henry Fielding's great novel... if you're looking for an authentic feel of 18th century social mores, don't look here. However, given that, it's actually a great translation of a very funny story... and the modernized humor reaches to 20th century audiences perhaps better than a literal reading of Fielding's teasing of then-current novel-fads. No swooning of knock-kneed lovers here, Albert Finney and Susannah York are as bright-eyed and spunky a romantic pair as any filmed. They are entirely believable as exactly the right adorable two to end up together after the hysterical tangle of Tom Jones' life is sorted out. A really fun movie and a very witty story. Read the book too!

Pay attention to this review if no other. `Tom Jones' is a terrific movie, in my humble opinion. But this DVD version is one of the worst transfers you'll ever find. It is missing at least three minutes of of footage from the original, including one key scene where Lady Bellingham encourages Lord Whoever to rape Sophie. In the original, the scene is cool, elegant, and evlil. It's missing here, maybe for politically correct reasons, and the edit chops with incredible crudeness directly from Lady Bellingham sipping tea to the lord to that gentleman unaccountably attacking Sophie. The result is that a lof of subsequent plot makes no sense at all.

That alone would justify giving this one the miss, but the transfer is also hazy and unfocused, and may even have been made from a VHS tape. MGM Enterntainment is bringing out a new version on 6/19/2001. Wait for that if you have any sense.

As one of the greatest British films ever made, Tony Richardson's classic Tom Jones is long overdue for a full and proper restoration. Curiously, apart from a new stereo soundtrack, Richardson's own 1990 restoration appeared to show no real improvement, and was brutally cut to say the least. That said, MGM's newly released Vintage Classics DVD version is easily the best print of this film I have ever seen, and technically way in advance of previous video releases and TV airings. Beautifully bright, steady, and well defined with good color saturation, this brand new digital transfer is an absolute joy to watch, and as far as I can see completely uncut. Even the dodgy "day for night" scenes are shown well exposed, although these are the scenes that would ultimately benefit from restoration. John Addison's brilliant score sounds sharper and cleaner than ever, and the Dolby Digital mono soundtrack is wonderfully crisp and clear, with a stereo feel of sorts on the big music sections. However, the disappointment of this otherwise fine new release, is MGM's rather creative billing of the movie's aspect ratio as the "original theatrical format of 1:66.1" - which here it definitely is not. This version is presented at approximately 1:50.1 which in effect is pretty much the same as TV's 4 x 3 format. What a shame, as this DVD would be close to perfection had it been presented correctly in full widescreen, and with the restored stereo soundtrack. Sadly, Director Tony Richardson is no longer with us to deliver a commentary, but I do feel an additional commentary by stars Albert Finney or Susannah York, would have been an extra delight, and a valuable "making of" insight for film students and movie buffs. Incidentally, I was fascinated to learn from MGM's superb packaging, that Tom Jones was the last film President Kennedy watched before his assassination.

Henry Fielding's mid-18th century novel is adapted for the screen by the genius of a playwright John Osborne, and very creatively licensed for this famous film version, although much to it's advantage in portraying the sheer fun of this rude and bawdy tale (the recent comatose BBC version fell at the first fence by comparison). Set largely in picturesque South West England, Finney's loveable Tom Jones was a foundling, adopted into the Dorset household of wealthy Squire Allworthy some twenty years ago. He now has a winning way with women, including one Sophie Weston the daughter of neighboring landowner and old reprobate, Squire Weston. Tom's lusty desire for Sophie dispatches the young buck on a rollercoaster chase across Georgian England in search of his true love, and finally to Newgate Prison and the Tyburn gallows, where in the nick of time he is saved by Squires Allworthy and Weston, and wins the hand of Susannah York's wonderfully luscious Sophie.

For those with an appetite for location fine print, the movie's shooting locations remain largely unchanged since production in 1963. Squire Allworthy's house is Cranborne Manor in the Dorset County village of the same name, whilst Squire Weston's house is a mix of Steepleton Manor near Shroton in Dorset, and The Abbey House at Cerne Abbas in Dorset, where the main street of this medieval village was also used for the hunt gathering. Cranborne Manor is also the Elizabethan house where Thomas Hardy set his classic novel "Tess of the Durbervilles", and it's beautiful 17th century gardens where Finney and York fall in love in Tom Jones, are regularly open to the public. The evocative boating lake and bridge scenes were shot at nearby Steepleton Manor. The Georgian streets of Bridgewater in Somerset County double for period London, but the real thing was used in the sword fight scene between Tom and Mr Fitzpatrick, at London's famous Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. Nearly full marks to MGM for this top quality DVD release of the ultimate feelgood film, worthy of it's four Academy Awards including Best Picture - why can't British film-makers do this any more?

Just want to add my 2 cents worth. There is a reason this film won best picture. It WAS the best picture that year and one of the best for any year. The writing and direction is consistently inventive, clever, witty and intelligent. The massive old novel has been rendered down to its essence and filmed with wit and verve and played by a dream cast. The narration punctuates the humor and the depiction of 18th century England, both country life and London, is excellent. Tony Richardson and his cast had fun with the material, using every manner of technique (fast motion), asides to the audience, and so on to make a rollicking good modern comedy, that was much imitated (Woody Allen did the eating scene at least twice in his films). Comedy is definitely in the eye of the beholder, as witnessed by the negative reviews. All I can say is, they missed the point entirely. See Tom Jones and enjoy how much can be packed into a movie in under 2 hours.

The brilliant John Osbourne took Henry Fielding's massive novel, and, with director Tony Richardson, developed a totally coherent, riotous film, rife with period detail and sparkled with double-entendre. I can't say much about the film, except to say it's among my favorite films of all time. The acting from all involved is impeccable. Indeed, Albert Finney became a world-class contender after this film. Religious groups were outraged (most probably didn't even see it), though there was lots of suggested sex scenes, amounting to some non-graphic tumbling under the sheets, and a dinner scene that has been parodied subsequently many times. The fast pace and thoroughly enjoyable episodic narrative never fail to entertain, and one is left breathless by the time it's over. Oscar winner for Picture, Director, Screenplay and John Addison's perfect baroque score, nominated for 5 acting awards, as well as Art Direction. Of the film versions of the great classics, this definitely must stand proudly at the top of the hill!

Call it one part Monty Python's Flying Circus, one part Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, with a dash of Benny Hill and you begin to see the rollicking good fun in store here. Played with stunning comic sensitivity and wit Albert Finney is adorable as the bawdy bastard Tom Jones. An unlikely canidate for its day Tom Jones managed to walk away with four Oscars, including Best Picture and deservedly so. For it's style and technique have been widely imitated by the likes of Woody Allen, Richard Lester and I dare say Stanley Kuberick's dark comedy Barry Lyndon owes a debt to the narrative style of this classic English comedy.

Heavily influenced by Godard's 1959 mould-breaker "Breathless" (jump-cuts, hand-held camera, addresses to the viewer) this film is full of brilliant episodes, especially the stag-hunt. Contrary to the opinions of some reviewers, imho it does an outstanding job of presenting the uninhibited flavour of 18th century England; especially by bringing out the contrast between town and country, which incorporated one of the greatest and most far-reaching social changes which took place in that century. The luxury and squalor of London compared with the almost idyllic feeling that many had for the vanishing bucolic life is commented on by almost every notable writer of the age. However, the film doesn't seem to be well-paced, overall. The first part is too slow, and the second is too disjointed, and there is a sense of dissatisfaction in the end at the lack of balance and rhythm. It is not quite as good as I remembered from having seen it when it first came out, 1963. The leading performances are nevertheless superb, although Squire Western's boorishness is, let's face it, just a bit over-played. The dialogue is nonetheless excellent: not artificial in the slightest. The narrator's accent is not assumed, as somebody supposed: it was delivered by a very well-known Irish actor in his natural speaking voice. The use of a narrator in this instance makes for an intelligent transfer of Fielding's long, picaresque novel to the screen. The film expects a literate audience: which is not supplied by the negative reviews posted here.