Tom Jones

A rollicking comedic condensation of Fielding's sprawling novel about a lusty young man's adventures in 18th-Century England. Read full review

If Tom Jones now feels something of a product of its times, it still deserves credit for attempting something new - no matter how derivative. Read full review

Albert Finney and Susannah York look impossibly young and attractive, and it's easy to see how Oscar nominations went to four supporting performers; Richardson's chosen style, a self-conscious amalgam of silent films and the French New Wave, somehow worked when it shouldn't have - and still does, to my amazement. [13 Mar 1992, p.3D]

One of the wildest, bawdiest and funniest comedies that a refreshingly agile filmmaker has ever brought to the screen. Read full review

With its wit, speed and bawdiness, it revolutionized screen comedy and influenced directors from Richard Lester to Francis Coppola. [05 Jan 1990]

A fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek movie about an engaging foundling. Read full review

The film is a way-out, walleyed, wonderful exercise in cinema. It is also a social satire written in blood with a broadaxe. Read full review

Osborne's courageous hatchet job on Fielding's 1,000 page classic novel and Finney's gutsy performance add up to produce an enjoyable piece of irreverent entertainment. Read full review

Much of the rollicking and wenching in the countryside of 18th-century England is crafted into the story line, giving ample humor to many scenes even before a line is spoken. [08 Mar 1992, p.Y6]

Screenwriter John Osborne and Richardson (both received Oscars as well) came up with a smart solution to the problem of adapting an 18th-century literary classic: Turn it into bawdy slapstick with generous helpings of then- daring sex and violence. Read full review

Tom Jones succeeded in large part because of its wit, its performances, and its energy. Read full review

It has sex, Eastmancolor, some prime performers and plenty of action. Tony Richardson has directed John Osborne’s screenplay with verve, though, occasionally, he falls back on camera tricks and editing which are disconcerting. Read full review

Tony Richardson whizzes through the Henry Fielding novel, but he pauses long enough for a great lewd eating scene.

Tom Jones is a product of the excesses as well as the experimentalism of its time: Some of the style quirks are just silly, and there's a tiresome nudge-nudge, wink-wink quality to much of the humor. It's well worth a repeat visit, though. [25 Oct 1989, p.F11]

Despite the fitful energy and the beauty of the settings, the ugliness of the mise en scene and the crudity of the editing tend to triumph. Read full review