The History Boys (2006)

“They’re clever…but they're crass”

                                                 - Headmaster Felix

2006’s The History Boys is a film adaptation of the popular play of the same name. The original director, writer, and cast are all on hand making its transition as seamless as possible, if not, as some critics say, even better. It’s a story so thoughtful and bursting with content that there are no throw away lines; everything is purposed.

In 1983 Sheffield, England 8 boys are nearing graduation and after receiving the school’s highest marks are aiming at getting accepted into Oxford or Cambridge. They’re a book smart group and confident too (able to quote you well under the table). Diffidence isn’t a problem for them, but what they have in confidence they lack in refinement and the creative thinking that becomes their real education. Enter Irwin - new teacher hired to give them a polish. “You get a question, you know the answer. But then, so does everybody else. So, say something different, say the opposite…A question is about what you know, it's not about what you don't know,” he urges them.  

A varied group, the youngest of the boys is (possibly) homosexual and in love with Dakin, the most charismatic of his classmates. I mention this in particular because subplots of homosexuality run throughout the film. While Dakin dismisses his young classmate’s affection Dakin himself is drawn to Irwin. All of this parallels another subplot of Hector, a long standing teaching exposed of having fondled several of the boys who both acknowledge and just as easily dismiss the action as no big deal. The fondling is thought of as “more appreciative than investigatory” (as it’s described at one point of the story). The casual way all of this is explored is…different and unexpected and because of that it’s really engaging.

You’ll want to watch with subtitles on, though not because the accents are too tough, but because you won’t want to miss a word. Nearly every line is so carefully constructed and witty you’ll wish it were a novel so that I could savor them better. The History Boys is such a well crafted film exploring self-reflection, education, and knowledge. I hope that you find connection to it (and to good story telling in general), because as Hector says, “The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it's as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.”