"History Boys" is an interesting take on education

[dsc]

The basic story of the movie is that a school is trying to get its seniors into Oxford. To do this they hire a teacher to drive their test scores up. In the light of all the testing mania it is a very interesting film. BTW warning they do have some homosexual issues.

[unpossibles]

1. I want to see it, almost rented it last night in fact

looks good. I've heard it called (depreciatively?) an English Dead Poet's Society. Is that a fair assessment?

[dsc]

3. I think it is a bit more adult than that

There was also a bit more focus on the teachers and a bit less on the students.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. It's much better than Dead Poets' Society.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_Boys

DPS was an ok entertaining American movie about rich boarding school kids. Stock characters: truculent, evil parents determined to mold their kids in their own image; sensitive youth trying to find their way; rebel, pied-piper iconoclast ( Robin Williams); clueless, obdurate administrators.

The same prototypes in The History Boys, but everything is dealt with more subtly and realistically. Everyone's simultaneously sympathetic *and* walking ... and sometimes falling over... the edge.

Sorta like a lot of real people.

It's a *great* film.

[unpossibles]

6. cool! thanks for the mini-review. it's going on my list. nt

[enlightenment]

2. Little bit different concept.

They're trying to pull high scores on their A levels, which are, in essence, college entrance exams (but not ANYTHING like the ACT or SAT).

Wikipedia (a source that usually makes me shriek) has a decent discussion of A-levels, if you're interested, as does BBC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Level_(UK)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/16guide/

[dsc]

4. admittedly it is a bit different

but the theme is the same. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge or knowledge to pass a test.

[readyforreason]

7. yes

great film