Tom Brown's Schooldays

1951
Approved
1h 33m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

537

YOUR RATING

Tom Brown (John Howard Davies) starts at Rugby boarding school. He is tormented by Flashman (John Forrest), the school bully.

Play trailer2:14

1 Video

11 Photos

Drama

Tom Brown (John Howard Davies) starts at Rugby boarding school. He is tormented by Flashman (John Forrest), the school bully.Tom Brown (John Howard Davies) starts at Rugby boarding school. He is tormented by Flashman (John Forrest), the school bully.Tom Brown (John Howard Davies) starts at Rugby boarding school. He is tormented by Flashman (John Forrest), the school bully.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

537

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 2:14

Trailer

Photos11

+ 3

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Tom Brown's School Days

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
With the deaths of Max Bygraves (Coach Guard) and John Forrest (Flashman) in 2012, all of the credited cast in this film have now passed away.

Goofs
At the very end when Tom Brown is chasing behind the camera car, 3 sets of tyre marks can clearly be seen in the grass.

Quotes
Tadpole: Ooh you lucky brute!

Crazy credits
Opening credits prologue: "This story was filmed at Rugby against the authentic background of Rugby School as it was in 1834, and follows closely the style, language and atmosphere of those ancient days. The school is the birthplace of the game of Rugby as depicted in this film, and from which American football has developed".

Alternate versions
A colorized version exists.

Connections
Version of Tom Brown's Schooldays (1916)

User reviews16

Review

Featured review

7/10

Tom Brown's Schooldays

John Howard Davies - probably most famous for his portrayal of orphan "Oliver Twist" in David Lean's classic - is a little too weedy, for me, as the title character in this adaptation of Thomas Hughes' story about a young boy sent to the prestigious Rugby School in the 1830's where he encounters bullies; brutality and ultimately kindness. Robert Newton turns in a great performance as "Dr. Arnold" who believes that the somewhat cruel educational practices are of the past, and so he and "Tom Brown" try to improve things. This film is not so faithful to the book; but uses the two lead performances, as well as a convincing effort from John Forrest as his nemesis "Flashman", to convey much of it's sentiment. I probably preferred the 1940 version, but there's not much in it.