Tom Jones (1963 film)
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Tony Richardson |
| Produced by | Tony Richardson Michael Holden Oscar Lewenstein Michael Balcon (uncredited) |
| Written by | John Osborne |
| Based on |
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding |
| Starring |
Albert Finney Susannah York Hugh Griffith Edith Evans Diane Cilento Joyce Redman |
| Narrated by | Micheál Mac Liammóir |
| Music by | John Addison |
| Cinematography | Walter Lassally |
| Edited by | Antony Gibbs |
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Production
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| Distributed by |
United Artists (UK) Lopert Pictures Corporation (USA) |
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Release date
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Running time
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128 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million or £467,000 |
| Box office | $37,600,000 |
Tom Jones is a 1963 British adventure comedy film, an adaptation of Henry Fielding's classic novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1749), starring Albert Finney as the titular hero. It was one of the most critically acclaimed and popular comedies of its time, winning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film was directed by Tony Richardson and the screenplay was adapted by playwright John Osborne. The film is notable for its unusual comic style: the opening sequence is performed in the style of a silent film, and characters sometimes break the fourth wall, often by looking directly into the camera and addressing the audience, and going so far as to have the character of Tom Jones suddenly appearing to notice the camera and covering the lens with his hat.
The story begins with a silent film sequence during which the good Squire Allworthy (George Devine) returns home after a lengthy stay in London and discovers a baby (played by a girl, Lynn Goldsworthy) in his bed. Thinking that his barber, Mr. Partridge (Jack MacGowran), and one of his servants, Jenny Jones (Joyce Redman), have "birthed" the infant out of lust, the squire banishes them and chooses to raise little Tom Jones as if he were his own son.
Tom (Albert Finney) grows up to be a lively young man whose good looks and kind heart make him very popular with the opposite sex. However, he truly loves only one woman, the gentle Sophie Western (Susannah York), who returns his passion. Sadly, Tom is stigmatized as a "bastard" and cannot wed a young lady of her high station. Sophie, too, must hide her feelings while her aunt (Edith Evans) and her father, Squire Western (Hugh Griffith) try to coerce her to marry a more suitable man – a man whom she hates.
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Wikipedia