Tom Jones

Tom Jones is most probably the film for which Tony Richardson will be best remembered. Upon release in 1963, it became a massive commercial and critical success. It won 3 top Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay) and made almost 40 million dollars at the box office.

Shot entirely on location, it offers a free adaptation of Fielding's classic eighteenth century novel. Starting off in Somerset, the bulk of the picture the bulk of the picture focuses on the eponymous hero's trip to London. En route, he meets a motley band of vibrant characters and gets involved in some exciting adyentures. Once in London, he encounters his lost love, the alluring Sophia (Susannah York).

Narrated by veteran stage actor Michael MacLiammoir, this is an energetic, feel-good movie. The use of "Nouvelle Vague" techniques that looked out of place in Richardson's previous film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner fits well in Tom Jones. There is much use of stop-motion camera, and there are even occasional asides to the audience. Albert Finney is a joy as the fun-loving hero. He is an actor who simply fills the screen with his inherent charisma, and, in this picture he brilliantly shows off his underemployed talent for physical comedy.

Review by Stephen Townsend
Taken from EUFS Programme 1993-94