Tom Jones (1963 film): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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Line 1: {{ {{Use British English|date=May 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}} Line 6: | image = Poster - Tom Jones 01.jpg | alt = | caption = Theatrical poster by [[Mitchell Hooks]] | director = [[Tony Richardson]] | producer = Tony Richardson | screenplay = [[John Osborne]] | based_on = {{Based on|''[[The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling]]''<br>(1749 novel)|[[Henry Fielding]]}} | starring = {{Plainlist| * [[Albert Finney]] Line 35: <ref name=variety1990>{{cite magazine|date=15 October 1990|title=All Time Film Rental Champs|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|issn=0042-2738|page=M-190|first=Lawrence|last=Cohn}}</ref> }} '''''Tom Jones''''' is a 1963 British [[Historical drama|period]] [[comedy film]], an adaptation of [[Henry Fielding]]'s classic 1749 novel ''[[The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling]]''
In 1999, the [[British Film Institute]] ranked it as the [[BFI Top 100 British films|51st greatest British film of the 20th century]]. Line 48: When Bridget dies unexpectedly, Blifil intercepts a letter that his mother intended for his uncle's eyes only. But after his mother's funeral, Blifil and his two tutors, Mr. Thwackum and Mr. Square (who had also tutored Tom), join forces to convince the squire that Tom is a villain. Allworthy gives Tom a substantial cash legacy and sends him out into the world to seek his fortune. Tom is robbed of his fortune, but soon meets his supposed father, Mr. Partridge, who becomes his They are able to reach the jail in time to save Tom from hanging. Tom and Sophie are able to marry with everyone's blessing. Line 55: {{Cast listing| * [[Albert Finney]] as Tom Jones ** Lynn Goldsworthy as infant Tom * [[Susannah York]] as Sophie Western * [[Hugh Griffith]] as Squire Western Line 80 ⟶ 81: * [[Mark Dignam]] as Lieutenant * [[Michael Brennan (actor)|Michael Brennan]] as Jailer at Newgate * [[Lynn Redgrave]] as Susan * [[Redmond Phillips]] as Lawyer Dowling * [[Julian Glover]] as Northerton Line 89 ⟶ 90: While the British production company [[Bryanston Films (UK)|Bryanston Films]] was hesitating over whether to make the film in colour, it went bankrupt. [[United Artists]] stepped in to finance the film and make it a colour production.<ref>{{cite book|page=xiv|last= Mayer|first= Geoff|title=Guide to British Cinema|publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group|year= 2003}}</ref> Overall the production faced challenges of disasters, near-disasters and squabbles caused by films being shot on location in the spotty English weather. The film has an unusual comic style: Despite its success, director [[Tony Richardson]] said that he was dissatisfied with the final product. In his autobiography, Richardson wrote that he "felt the movie to be incomplete and botched in much of its execution. I am not knocking that kind of success – everyone should have it – but whenever someone gushes to me about ''Tom Jones'', I always cringe a little inside."<ref>{{Cite book | last = Richardson | first = Tony | title = Long Distance Runner – A memoir | publisher = Faber & Faber | year = 1993 | location = London | page = 136 | isbn = 0-571-16852-3 }}</ref> Line 99 ⟶ 100: ===Filming=== [[Castle Street, Bridgwater|Castle Street]] in [[Bridgwater]], [[Somerset]] was used as a location in several scenes. [[Cerne Abbey]], Abbey Street and The Royal Oak in [[Cerne Abbas]] were used as major locations during the film. Cinematographer [[Walter Lassally]] has said that he thought the location unit got on very well together under the circumstances and that the experience was satisfying. He thought Richardson rather lost his way in post-production, endlessly fixing what was not really broken.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webofstories.com/play/14061?o=MS|title=Tom Jones: the editing and Tony Richardson's generosity|website=webofstories.com}}</ref> ==Release== The film was reissued in 1989 by [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]]. For this release, Richardson trimmed the film by seven minutes.<ref name = "nytimes50295"/> It is available through the Criterion Collection, paired with the original version.
===Critical reception=== ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's review stated "The film is a way-out, walleyed, wonderful exercise in cinema. It is also a social satire written in blood with a broadaxe. It is bawdy as the British were bawdy when a wench had to wear five petticoats to barricade her virtue".<ref>{{cite magazine |date= 18 October 1963 |title= Cinema: John Bull in His Barnyard |url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,873797,00.html |magazine= Time }}{{ Rich Gold of ''Variety'' wrote "Though ''Tom Jones'' is a period piece and very different it has the same lustiness and boisterous content with which to project the star. It should breeze its way cheerfully through the box office figures. It has sex, [[Eastmancolor]], some prime performers and plenty of action. Tony Richardson has directed John Osborne's screenplay with verve, though, occasionally, he falls back on camera tricks and editing which are disconcerting".<ref>{{cite web |date= On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 81% based on retrospective reviews from 42 critics, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's consensus states: "A frantic, irreverent adaptation of the novel, bolstered by Albert Finney's courageous performance and arresting visuals."<ref>{{cite web |title= Tom Jones (1963) |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tom_jones |website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date= 2 July 2023 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a score of 77 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews ===Box office=== The film was financially successful on its initial release in 1963. It came third for the year in British box-office receipts,<ref>{{cite news|title=Most Popular Films of 1963|newspaper=[[The Times]]|location=London, England|date=3 January 1964|page=4}}</ref> and was the fourth most popular in the United States. Produced on a budget of $1 million, it earned over $17 million in [[Theatrical rental|theater rentals]] from the United States and Canada,<ref name=variety1990/><ref name="tino">{{cite book|first=Tino|last=Balio|title=United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press|year=1987|pages=230, 239–240}}</ref> and another $4 million in markets other than the UK and U.S.<ref name="tino"/> Finney received 10% of the film's earnings.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=21 October 1964|page=1|title=Finney's % of 'Tom Jones' Goes Over $1 Million}}</ref> ===Accolades=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |- Line 297: * {{IMDb title}} * {{TCMDb title}} * {{AllMovie * [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/5427-tom-jones-tomorrow-do-thy-worst "Tom Jones: Tomorrow Do Thy Worst"], essay by Neil Sinyard at the [[Criterion Collection]] Line 341: [[Category:1960s English-language films]] [[Category:1960s British films]] [[Category:English-language historical comedy films]] [[Category:English-language adventure comedy films]] | |||