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"You know, Brown, what I would do in your shoes? Pack him off to a good public school. It's where he belongs.[and] there is only one - Rugby. " - Gerald Flood as Sir Richard Flashman

Tom Brown's Schooldays Quick Take DVD Review

Just Like Our Regular Reviews. Only Smurf-sized.

By A.J. Carson

What could be better than having your boarding school closed because of a spreading fever? To young Victorian Tom Brown (Anthony Murphy) this is terrific news - he can bid adieu to his fusty teachers and trade in his moldy schoolbooks for the lush life on his family's estate, where he's free to ride his favorite horse and learn how to wrestle from his chambermaid's younger brother. Life seems perfect.until Tom's father, Squire Brown (John Paul) decides to make a man of his son by enrolling him in the prestigious Rugby School. How prestigious is Rugby School? Not only was the game of Rugby invented there, but the students play it in top hats. Of course, the students are forced to sleep four to a bed, but no place is perfect! Tom gains a few good friends at the school - including East (Simon Turner) - and even earns the respect of the school's crusading new headmaster, Dr. Arnold (Iain Cuthbertson). Unfortunately, he also meets Flashman (Richard Morant), a bullying dandy who is evil to the core.and who decides to rid the school of its newest pupil. Originally filmed in 1971 and presented in the US by Masterpiece Theatre in 1973, Tom Brown's Schooldays is by no means lavish. While the costumes are fine, many of the sets and filming techniques (see below) are a bit threadbare. Morant shines as the oily Flashman, but many of the other performances are merely adequate. The five episodes - collected on two discs in full-sized keepcases which slide into a cardboard outer sleeve - also suffer from lackadaisical pacing. Early scenes at the Brown household practically ooze pastoral charm, but once Tom ventures to Rugby, things slow considerably.

Video and Audio

The producers of Tom Brown's Schooldays were so thrifty that they shot the series in a rather disconcerting mix of film and videotape. The outdoor scenes and other location work (shots inside the Brown household, for example) are on film. This footage is soft, pale, and often appears grainy. Other minor nicks and flaws are also evident on occasion. Scenes shot in the studio (Rugby's interiors) are on videotape. The video footage is mostly crisp and clean. The mix of the two mediums is sure to seem odd to American audiences.

Thanks to the source material, the audio is also a mixed bag. Although acceptable, some scenes do sound as if the dialogue was recorded with a single microphone placed across the room from the actors.

The episodes are closed captioned.

Extras

All of the extras are text-based and can be found on disc one. "Author Biography: Thomas Hughes" is a concise eight screen narrative of life of the original novel's author. Tom Brown's Schooldays was Hughes' (1822-1896) most popular work, and this bio also explores the real life incidents that inspired the book's plot.

"Rugby School" presents a six screen history of the actual Rugby School.

The "Photo Gallery" is an eleven image slide show of production photos set to the Tom Brown's Schooldays theme music.

The disc also includes "Cast Filmographies" of the series' stars.

Summary

Tom Brown's Schooldays is much gentler than modern day Masterpiece Theatre programming like the recent remake of The Forsyte Saga. It is also considerable less lush. Fans of classic Brit TV who aren't afraid of slow pacing may still find a few rewards in the series' five episodes.

3/2/05