Revolutionary Rants

This afternoon Alex and I went off to see The History Boys at Barnie cinema. It was brilliant. We loved it. For someone with a degree in Politics and a possible MA in Political Philosophy the idea of education for it’s own sake is an important thing, of course. Joking aside this was that oh-so rare thing, a good British film - with laughs!

A small set of boys attempted to gain Oxbridge entry, aided by Richard Griffiths, Francis de la Tour and Stephen Campbell Moore. Moore is gay, fresh-faced and keen only on them gaining enough flashes touches to allow them entry to their chosen grand institution. Griffiths the old master who believes in knowledge for its lasting power and, simply, for itself. He also likes to cop a feel from his older pupils on the motorcycle ride home. It is de la Tour, however, who steals the show as their history teacher. The pupils are well played but all look slightly old for the roles! Samuel Barnett stands out as Posner, holding a rather obvious torch for his class mate Dakin (played by Dominic Cooper, perhaps the least believable of the main cast).

The film is basically about learning and about that moment in your life when you think you are the cleverest and most exciting thing in the whole bloody world. It is only later that you discover that you were not and that your mind only retained Keates for a short period of 2001…

My favourite bit, however, is when the priggish head declares to the Oxbridge exam coaching teacher Irwin (Campbell Moore) “This is Oxbridge, if it were Bristol or York i wouldn’t be worried”… Almost as good a the women’s toilet graffiti in one of the University of York’s student bars:

“Oh, where would be be but for York?”

“… Oxbridge?”