A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 4 wins total
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Featured reviews
Full of surprises which will keep you glued to the screen until the very last moment.
The evacuation of children to countryside towns and villages in World War II was of course a common practice,but in the case of the young boy here was doubly important because of a wretched home life in the UK's capital.The horrors of war on the home front are not drifted over though,and the construction of the film until it's throat-lumping,misty-eyed ending leaves us with a sense of optimism despite what has happened before.It is almost(but not quite)worthy of comparison with the finale to IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE(1946).All in all,a modern classic.
He can be remembered for his famous role of Inspector Morse. As Jack Regan in the 1970's hit TV series 'the Sweeney and as a barrister in Kavanah QC. A must see for all the family and a great DVD for my collection. The filming will bring back a few memories for people who remember wartime Britain and certainly those who were evacuated out of London to escape the German bombings. The interaction between the two main characters.Tom and the boy William was really well acted and true to the book by Michelle Magorian.
This was one of them. It has been quite a while since I viewed it, but it left a lasting impression.
Thaw always gave the impression that he could be out-argued no matter what, then he would deliver a performance that showed he was on top of what was going on.
This was a good one. Would love to see it again. It has been a while.
Keep an eye out for it if it comes on again.
Did you know
- TriviaThe exterior village scenes were filmed in Turville, Buckinghamshire, UK. The same village was used for the BBC sitcom "The Vicar of Dibley". Mr Tom's home is Sleepy Cottage and adjoins the Dibley vicarage, which is partially hidden by a wooden shed. In Dibley, Harry supposedly lives at Sleepy Cottage, but a property up the lane was actually used, giving the characters more space to walk.
- GoofsWhen Tom is asking the woman for clothes whilst repairing the roof. The guttering behind him is plastic, definitely not correct for the period.
- Quotes
Mr. Greenway: But then it isn't the boy's welfare this is all about, really. Is it, Mr. Oakley?
Tom Oakley: Isn't it?
Mr. Greenway: No, it's about you, I'd say. Your welfare.
Tom Oakley: Me?
Mr. Greenway: A lonely and, from what I hear, embittered old man, facing a lonely and bitter old age.
Tom Oakley: You really think that's the only reason I want him back? Just to be company for me when I'm past it?
Mr. Greenway: Well, isn't it? Basically?
Tom Oakley: No, it bloody well isn't! And I resent the implication!
Mr. Greenway: Doesn't it bother you at all that when you're seventy, he's still going to be in his teens?
Tom Oakley: 'Course it bothers me. I'm not stupid, you know. There's not a lot we can do about that, is there? Look, I know it's not an ideal situation, anything but, but... But put it this way: it's got to be a damn sight more ideal than your Dr. Stelton in there turning him into some sort of human guinea pig.
Mr. Greenway: Just tell me one thing, Mr. Oakley. Why is the boy suddenly so important to you? He's an evacuee, for God's sake. And one at that, as I understand it, you took violent exception to having foisted on you in the first place.
Tom Oakley: Isn't it obvious?
Mr. Greenway: Not to me, no. Nor to Dr. Stelton.
Tom Oakley: Because I love him, of course. As if he was my own flesh and blood, I do. And for what it's worth, I think he loves me as well.
Mr. Greenway: And is that really enough, do you think, in this day and age?
Tom Oakley: Well, I suppose it has to be, hasn't it, Mr. Greenway? In this day and age or any other. Because if it isn't, what else is there, eh?
- Alternate versionsIn the UK, the version shown on ITV1 cuts out the scene where William's mother is shouting at him then cuts to the next scene immediately after she slaps him we only hear the sound of his cry as does so before it goes black. Originally, when his mother slaps him quite hard, he falls off the chair on the floor & she leans over threatening she has knows lots of shops that sell belts & to get upstairs out of her sight, which then he runs very quickly scared up the stairs and covers his ears on the bed as she shouts to the screaming baby "And you can shut up and all!" The ITV DVD is uncut.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Masterpiece Theatre: Goodnight, Mister Tom (1999)