Tom Jones

Rating:
Summary: Dated Film
Review: I had much better memories of this film than reality as the recent viewing proved. I thought fondly of this film after having seen it in the theatre when it was first released. I recently purchased it as a gift for a friend and we watched it for a current review. I was quite bored for the most part and realized that I confused much of it in my mind with Far From The Madding Crowd, which is a better film.

Rating:
Summary: rollicking and beautiful
Review: I just watched this DVD after not seeing the movie for years and was happy that it held up to my warm memories. Wonderful performances, witty direction, beautiful cinematography. From the other reviews here, I guess you either love this film or hate it, and I certainly love it.

Rating:
Summary: The Worst "Best Picture" of All
Review: I own every one of the best picture winners in the 70 plus years of the award and this is simply the worst. Unbelievably bad. A waste of the time in your life it takes to see it; you will never get these hours back. Play with your children, go shopping, do anything else but see this. The only reason I withstood its torment was for sake of completeness ie. that I could say I "saw" them all.

Rating:
Summary: Sophisticated comedy, delightful memorable characters
Review: I saw this in 63, when it was quite groundbreaking, and it still holds up well. It is a movie that must be seen more than once to appreciate the characterizations. The most minor characters are wonderful. David Warner is a perfectly evil villain. Susannah York is one of the most delicious heroines and Hugh Griffith simply the funniest outraged father I have ever seen. Edith Evans as Sophie's aunt is perfect. This one of the top five films of my life.

Rating:
Summary: LOVE this movie!!!!
Review: I saw this in the theatre when it was first released, and the passage of time has done nothing to dim my love and fascination of this superb translation of the novel by Fielding. Of course, Albert Finney made a very dashing Tom Jones, and wqas so perfectly suited to the role; Susannah York great as his true love, Sophie, and the other roles, Hugh Griffith as Sophie's father, and hilarious in his part as a drunken, boisterous, lusty squire, and Dame Edith Evans as his rather disapproving, but very funny sister, reprimanding him with a trilling "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrother...." while he is wrestling some country maidens in the haystacks, straw in his hair and a pack of bulldogs surrounding him. The dinner scene with him eating a roast chicken with great gusto, so much so that he harangues Sophie with pieces of it in his nose, is delightful, as is his unscripted departure from Squire Allworthy's residence, on his horse, and turning so tightly that the horse rears and collapses with Hugh Griffith on top of him...so funny Richardson wisely decided to keep it in the film.
I also appreciated the performances of David Warner, as the disgustingly priggish tutor, Mr. Bliful, and Diane Cilento (once married to Sean Connery...) as Tom's sometime paramour. The entire cast is excellent, including Joan Greenwood as the predatory older woman after Tom at any cost. Watch for the Masquerade Ball and see Hugh Griffith in his elephant mask; what a great scene!
The peripheral players are superb, as is the setting of London in the eighteenth century, with the deplorable lack of sanitary conditions and the terrible poverty. The music is haunting, the scene at the Inn (yes, the food scene, of course, one of the more outstanding in the movie) but also the frenetic byplay of the characters winding up in each other's beds with different wives and lovers, it is such a classic melange of humor, drama and near tragedy, there simply isn't one moment of bad film or minute of tedium...you will be absorbed all the way through, and enjoy this rambunctious, joyful frolic with Tom and his supporting cast of finely drawn characters. One last comment: The scene of Tom and Sophie, running, taking turns rowing a boat and falling in love on the grounds of her father's estate, is absolutely beautiful; watch for the scene of them picking blossoms and Sophie laughing and the blossoms falling into her mouth; very sensual and exquisitely detailed, as is the entire production.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant film.
Review: I thought that this movie was moderately enjoyable. I am surprised that it won best picture. Finney and York were quite wonderful, but it felt to me like the script didn't really gain comic edge until the second half of the movie. I wouldn't put this one in my top 100, but if you like period peices or some good old-fashioned humor you should check this one out!

Rating:
Summary: A MASTERPIECE
Review: I was having a hard time figuring out what to rent in the video store. Then my eyes fell on Tom Jones and I am grateful that I rented it! For the next two hours had I been involved in the story of the playboy Tom Jones, his one love, Sophie Western, and his evil cousin Bifel. Then the next day I went to Amazon and bought the video. Buy this! The scene at the inn between Tom and Mrs. Walters/Jenny is worth it.

Rating:
Summary: an oddly fun movie
Review: I watched this movie in my Intro to Film class, and I learned that in the time this movie was made, it was revolutionary in its uninhibited style. I liked this movie because it's quirky, thoughtful, and satirical all at the same time, even without any profanity at all.

Rating:
Summary: The Cleopatra Nemesis
Review: Imagine, if you will, the year 1963, with all the publicity of the movie Cleopatra, combined with Alex North's fabulous score, with all the Oscars expected to to to them for that year. Then, to perhaps most of us, a most surprising upset when a practically unheard of movie called Tom Jones walks away with a fair share of the Oscars, including an Oscar for the fantastic musical score by John Addison. I first saw this movie at around Christmas time in 1963, after having already seen Cleopatra. I found the plot surprisingly delightful and the musical score fantastic, particularly the main theme primarily in 3/4 time. The main rendition of the love theme - coinciding with some of the most beautiful sequential photography (practically backed by all music and very little voice) lasts for approximately seven minutes with variation after variation of the love theme, bouncing between 3/4 time and 4/4 time. The theme was so catchy that I noted several musical artists (mostly jazz) picking up on the main theme the next year, such as Oscar Peterson. But try to find these records now. For my money, a remarkable movie and musical score.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of time
Review: It was so awful that I had to watch half of it in fastforward. Although supposedly a period piece, it couldn't get itself out of the 1960s. It felt like a bad skit from saturday night live. Poor acting, unconvincing story line, flat characters, etc. I am truly amazed that this film won an oscar. Unbelievable.