Cinematical

There once was a history, a History of Boys to be precise. They ran onto a London stage in the Spring of 2004. Eager theatre-goers bought tickets, and sold-out performances led the boys to a national tour that soon became an international one. They performed in a few key cities around the globe, from Sydney to Broadway, regaling the world with life in a grammar school in the 80's. The success of their story now comes together in a film to hit all the lonely, history-boy-free places the tour missed.

The basic premise: It is the 1980's, and a group of schoolboys are preparing for entrance exams. They are taught by three teachers, two of which are rivals. One, Hector, is a romantically-minded teacher played by Harry Potter's own Uncle Vernon, Richard Griffiths. His rival is Irwin, a sensible teacher played by Stephen Campbell Moore, who you might remember from Bright Young Things. The trio is rounded out by Mrs. Lintott, a deadpan teacher who gripes about the plights of women in history, and is played by Frances de la Tour, another Potter alum. Top that off with some twenty-something men playing schoolboys, and what's not to love?

Yahoo has an interesting article about the film, which covers some of the theatre-to-cinema basics. It can be tricky work, adapting a play to the screen, especially one that has won so many awards. The film is directed by Nicholas Hytner, the guy who directed, in order -- The Madness of King George, The Crucible, The Object of My Affection, and Center Stage. Hell, with this track record, anything is possible. The film is out this week, so the wait is nil.