History Boys
On November 15, 100 members of the Oxford Alumni Association of New York (OAANY) were joined by an equal number of Cambridge graduates at a reception and preview screening of The History Boys hosted by Fox Searchlight Pictures and the American Associates of the National Theatre at the IFC Theatre in Greenwich Village. Based on the award-winning play by Alan Bennett and directed by Nicholas Hytner (Trinity Hall, Cambridge and Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor, Oxford), The History Boys follows eight Yorkshire classmates as they prepare to take the Oxbridge entrance exam in 1983. The boys, all of whom are played in the film by the same actors who appeared on stage, find themselves being guided by teachers with very different approaches to education: one towards the end of his career (Richard Griffiths) who uses unorthodox methods to share his passion for learning for its own sake, another senior teacher (Frances de la Tour) who emphasizes mastery of material, and a pragmatic teacher at the beginning of his career (Stephen Campbell Moore) who advocates crafting essays that stand out by being contrarian or controversial.
Although considerably shorter than the version of the play that many OAANY members had an opportunity to see on Broadway last spring, the film is faithful to the play’s wonderful language. Strengths of the film include close-ups that showcase the actors’ skill and intelligence, as well as the ability to go outside the classroom and show a field trip to stunning-on-screen Fountains Abbey, a series of glorious images of Oxford and Cambridge and glimpses of the boys’ homes and families.
On November 8, a small group of alumni were invited to represent the OAANY at a breakfast organized by the American Associates of the National Theatre in honor of Nicholas Hytner, Director of the National. Mr. Hynter spoke eloquently and amusingly about his experiences directing both the play and the film, and the unique experience of capturing a theatrical production in the brief gap before the production moved from London and New York.
Erin Burns (St Antony’s 1983) arranged for OAANY members to see the Broadway production. The two events around the History Boys film were coordinated by Amanda Pullinger (BNC 1984) who is Secretary of OAANY and Kathy Lord, Cambridge in America.