Albert Finney’s breakout turn joins the Criterion Collection
There seems to be endless interest in the British period drama on these American shores, with portrayals of an age of elaborate dress and societal codes, manners and melodrama. While audiences today are drawn to fare such as The Crown or Downton Abbey, or the classics such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, back in the ‘60s people were treated to a slightly bawdier take on these English dramas. Storming the 1964 Oscars, while marking the rise to prominence of the esteemed Albert Finney, this is Tom Jones.
Synopsis:
In the early 1960s, at the height of the British New Wave, director Tony Richardson and playwright John Osborne set out for more fanciful territory than the gritty realism of the movement they’d helped establish. Tom Jones brings a theatrical flair to Henry Fielding’s canonical eighteenth-century novel, boisterously chronicling the misadventures of the foundling of the title (Albert Finney, in a career-defining performance), whose easy charm seems to lead him astray at every turn from his beloved, the wellborn Sophie Western (Susannah York). This spirited picaresque, evocatively shot in England’s rambling countryside and featuring an extraordinary ensemble cast, went on to become a worldwide sensation, winning the Oscar for best picture on the way to securing its status as a classic of irreverent wit and playful cinematic expression.
Adapted from Henry Fielding’s 1749 novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, the film tells of the titular Mr. Jones, man who was believed born out of wedlock, a scandal back in the day that cast a mark on his future standing in life. Raised as the ward of country Squire Allworthy (George Devine), he grows up to be a dashing type, popular with the ladies, until one catches his eye and he begins his courtship of young Sophie Western (Susannah York). But with his lineage, such a match is not possible.
A fellow suitor for Sophie’s affections, the detestable (yet eligible) Blifil (David Warner in his feature debut), schemes to remove Tom from Allworthy’s household. Succeeding, Tom ventures out into the world, beginning a bawdy adventure, inciting passions and conflict, all the while yearning to return to the home and the woman he left behind.
The film made waves back in 1963, garnering critical and commercial acclaim. It won a number of Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Tony Richardson), Best Score (John Addison), and Best (Adapted) Screenplay (John Osborne), as well as a host of nominations for Albert Finney (Best Actor) and supporting cast members Hugh Griffith, Diane Cilento, Edith Evans, and Joyce Redman. From an American perspective it stands as a slightly different take on the period drama, pitting civility and society against a ragamuffin, a man whose very existence is an affront to those around him, exacerbated by his actions. It’s less stiff-upper lip and more stiff down in the britches. A little steamier and playful that you’d expect, but to a Brit, it’s an early template for what the Carry on… films would embrace with gusto.
Some may find the film a little frivolous, the lead being somewhat lacking in depth, some sequences having a Benny Hill feel to them, breaking the fourth wall and adding to the whimsy. But it’s an interesting slice of British dramedy, less nuanced than the Ealing classics, more tempered than the aforementioned Carry Ons. At its core, John Osborne’s Oscar-winning screenplay offers an interesting and different look at English society, the class structure, and rebelling against it as a way of castigating it, all via this 18th century playboy. Finney and Lynn Redgrave notably give the film a wit and sparkle, aided by stylish direction from Tony Richardson which gives the film an edge and a hint of modernity that is still evident over 55 years later.
The Package
The film looks remarkably good on this release, the result of a new 4K transfer supervised by director of photography Walter Lassally. Rich and natural colors, good contrast, and an authentic grain throughout. The British countryside, detail on period costumes, facial tones and texture, are all very well represented. There’s also a nicely illustrated screen menu/interface to navigate the special features, which include an impressive amount of new content spread over two discs, commissioned for this release:
- Theatrical and Director’s cut of the film: Just trimmed here and there, no massive difference between the two versions.
- New program on the film’s cinematography featuring Lassally: Conversation between the DoP and film critic Peter Cowie. It seems to splice various different sources of footage into a longer interview; this doesn’t take away from how engaging a figure Lassally comes across as, nor how welcome the reflection on his career is.
- New interview with film scholar Duncan Petrie on the movie’s impact on British cinema, The Influence of Tom Jones: Over 20 minutes in length, Petrie gives details on Richardson’s impact on the industry, not just as a director but through his production company also.
- Excerpt from a 1982 episode of The Dick Cavett Show featuring actor Albert Finney: A (very) short snippet from the show where Finney gives a few details about the making of the film.
- New interview with actor Vanessa Redgrave on her former husband, director Tony Richardson: Some nice personal insights on the pair as well as some informative tidbits about the British film scene of the era and Richardson’s carer in general.
- Illustrated archival audio interview with composer John Addison on his Oscar-winning score for the film: Addison touches on his career in general, and about Tom Jones specifically. Enjoyably reflective.
- New interview with the editor of the director’s cut, Robert Lambert: For the budding editors amongst us, it’s a pretty interesting segment about the challenges of recutting the film for the “director’s cut,” but does leave you yearning for more detail about why certain decisions were made.
- PLUS: An essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard: The traditional Criterion booklet featuring film stills, an essay on the film, and details on the restoration for this release.
The Bottom Line
Tom Jones remains a bawdy gem of British cinema, the tale of a British Casanova, brought to life by a charismatic Albert Finney, under the sterling direction of Tony Richardson. Another fine film given a fine treatment by Criterion.
Tom Jones is available via Criterion from Feb 27th, 2018.