The 1963 award winning comedy “Tom Jones” will be shown at Tryon Fine Arts Center on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m.  The first film in the new season of 1960s movies at TFAC, “Tom Jones” was adapted from the classic 1749 Henry Fielding novel by British playwright John Osborne and starred Albert Finney and Susannah York.

 

Bosley Crowther of the New York Times said, “Prepare yourself for what is surely one of the wildest, bawdiest, and funniest comedies that a refreshingly agile filmmaker has ever brought to the screen. It is Tony Richardson’s production of Henry Fielding’s classic novel, Tom Jones…”
Crowther refers to Finney as “the brilliant new star … he is tops in the title role.”

Crowther also singles out Hugh Griffith for his role as Squire Western as “everything that Fielding intended him to be – fire-eater, hypocrite, lecher – with a madcap style of his own.”

 

Under the heading “And what acting!” Crowther’s praise continues through the rest of the cast: “Susannah York as the lovely Sophie whom Tom hopes to wed—is a warm little package of passions; Diane Cilento is all teeth and claws as the insatiable Molly; Joyce Redman is brazen and bold as the naughty Mrs. Waters, and in one incomparable scene Mr. Richardson has her and Mr. Finney make eating a meal an act so lewd, yet so utterly clever and unassailable, that it is one of the highlights in the film.”

 

Oh, there are a dozen others that should be mentioned—Joan Greenwood as Lady Bellaston, George Devine as Squire Allworthy, Dame Edith Evans as the sister of Squire Western, David Warner as the insidious Blifil, and many more. There’s the excellent color photography and the amusing costuming that should be praised. There’s even the new “cliff-hanger” ending that Fielding himself might have generously enjoyed.”

 

The film won four Academy awards – Best Picture, Best Director (Tony Richardson), Best Substantially Original Score (John Addison), and Best Writing (John Osborne) and was nominated for six others, including Best Actor (Albert Finney) and a remarkable three for Best Supporting Actress (Diane Cilento, Dame Edith Evans, and Joyce Redman) and Best Art Direction.

 

It was truly a remarkable film in a remarkable decade of filmmaking. The remainder of the season’s films from the 1960s at TFAC will continue on the first and third Tuesdays of the month through the spring. The Box Office opens at 6:30 p.m. and refreshments are available in the lobby bar. For more information, visit www.tryonarts.org or call 828-859-8322.
– Submitted by Susan Brady