Tom Jones

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

15K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer2:40

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60 Photos

Farce Adventure Comedy History Romance

The romantic and chivalrous adventures of adopted bastard Tom Jones in 18th-century England.The romantic and chivalrous adventures of adopted bastard Tom Jones in 18th-century England.The romantic and chivalrous adventures of adopted bastard Tom Jones in 18th-century England.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

15K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 4 Oscars
- 20 wins & 20 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:40

Tom Jones

Photos60

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List

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
It took two nights to film the sequence in which Squire Western chases after Tom. The second night, Hugh Griffith managed to undo the wiring on his riding crop, and actually hit Albert Finney with it, drawing blood. In character, Finney turned on Griffith and said, "I can't abide to be whipped, Squire," then punched him in the face. Each stalked off the set, swearing never to work with the other again.

Goofs
After Lady Bellaston reads Tom's letter proposing marriage, she wads it into a small ball. Lady Bellaston later shows the letter to Sophie's aunt, but it is now smooth and uncrumpled.

Quotes
Narrator: Heroes, whatever high ideas we may have of them, are mortal and not divine. We are all as God made us, and many of us much worse.

Crazy credits
Opening credits: In the west of England there was once a Squire Allworthy. After several months in London he returned home. his sister, Bridget. his servants. after supper. "Mrs. Wilkins!" "aaah!" a baby! abandoned!!! "how did it get here?" "who can the mother be?" "Jenny Jones!" "who is the father Jenny?" "send for Partridge the barber!" Partridge the barber - the father? "I will deal with you later, sir!" "you must be sent away from this shame and degradation." "as for your child . . . . . " "I will bring him up as if he were my own son." "what will you call him brother?" "Tom Jones." of whom the opinion of all was that he was born to be hanged.

Alternate versions
For the 1989 reissue/restoration, the director trimmed approx. 7 minutes from the original. The initial home video release in 1981 on the Magnetic Video label contains the full-length original, which includes the following footage/dialogue cut from the reissue:
Tom running from Squire Western; Black George caught for killing sheep; trial
Sophie: "Oh, my little bird."
Molly being called a slut by her family: "You will have a bastard"
Tom/Sophie montage: Tom reading, eating nuts, picking berries, Tom and Sophie singing
Teachers fighting Tom; Tom going around tree; riding teacher
Tom's dream at the Inn
Sophie and Lady Fitzpatrick: Trimmed frames from laughing
Sophie and Lady Fitzpatrick: "What will you do in London?" "I have a friend..."
Sophie and Lady Fitzpatrick: "What about your friend?" "He is away for a few days. When he returns we shall make other arrangements."
Lady Bellaston and Lady Fitzpatrick: "The girl is obviously intoxicated and nothing less than ruin will content her."
Lady Bellaston muttering French phrase at dinner
Lady Bellaston: Dialog after "Are you afraid of the word 'rape'?"
Transition from Bellaston and Fellamore to Tom and Partridge
Transition from Tom and Partridge to "Rape"
Partridge and Tom: "She'll be the one to break it off"; transition to note; dialog: Narrator reads letter, Bellaston remarks to maid not to receive Tom Jones again.
"Scandal are the best sweeteners of tea."; transition
Partridge looking for people to uphold Tom's character (in the original he approaches one man, then two more - scene of him approaching the first man was cut)
No reprise of song for Tom as he's going to be hanged
End titles (re-done for reissue with restoration credits and extended music by 15 seconds, while cutting some of the original company credits)

Connections
Featured in Precious Images (1986)

Soundtracks
Rule Britannia
(uncredited)
Music by Thomas Augustine Arne

User reviews90

Review

Featured review

9/10

Wonderful, even 37 years later

This was a great film in its time, and is still a great one today. Well-directed, well-acted, well-shot, great soundtrack, and based on a splendid literary vehicle.

It's frustrating to see so much uninformed voting and so many uninformed remarks on this otherwise wonderful site; I guess its inevitable since anyone can post anything. But I would like to point out that Tom Jones did not sleep with his mother as erroneously alleged, and that Albert Finney, 26 or 27 years old at the time of shooting this film, clearly did not look too old for his part.

I haven't read the book(s), but from the film it's obvious that Dickens was much indebted to Fielding, using his amazing invention as a convoluted plot model (and perhaps a character-naming model) for many of his works.

Go rent this film after seeing Finney in the currently playing Big Fish -- it's great to see him do so well in such very different films made in different millenia, nearly a full professional lifetime apart.