GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

malmborgimplano-92-599820 I get the impression from the IMDb listing that this was originally shown in five one-hour episodes, but for some reason the DVD version I watched was edited into two continuous two-and-a-half hour sections. Since IMDb also indicated that Capaldi's character doesn't show up until the second half (actually he doesn't make his entrance until about the final quarter) I expected to sample the first few minutes of the first DVD, then ditch it and fast-forward through the second to Capaldi's scenes. But I had to see at least a little of Brian Blessed's performance first. You don't just skip over Brian Blessed. And there were so many other very good performances, starting right out with John Sessions' on-site narration as Henry Fielding. And then my beloved Ron Cook showed up, and Sylvester McCoy, and I was marveling over Max Beesley's uncanny resemblance to Ewan McGregor, and I was enjoying it so much that I ended up staying up to watch the whole thing in one long Sunday night sitting. Maybe it's just the presence of Sylvester McCoy but I haven't had so much fun watching a very long series of films whose genre and thematic content I had absolutely no interest in since "The Hobbit" trilogy.An interesting thing happens when Capaldi's character Lord Fellamar makes his entrance leering at Tom Jones' beloved Sophy. The story line shifts into an homage to Christopher Hampton's "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," with Lindsay Duncan reprising the role she created as the Marquise de Merteuil from the celebrated original stage production, and Capaldi, who played a supporting role in the equally celebrated film version, steps into the role of Valmont, conspiring with her to use sex as a weapon against Sophy and Tom. Duncan is an actress to reckon with, and my first thought on seeing Capaldi playing alongside her and seeing where it was going was "Oh, boy, I don't know if he's up to this," but one thing I'm learning about Capaldi is he's ALWAYS up to it.Capaldi has been called on frequently to play sex clowns ever since his character in "Local Hero" made love to Jenny Seagrove's webbed toes. With his dead white makeup and blood red lips Lord Fellamar is an evil sex clown, actually a comic rapist, whom Capaldi tackles with his usual combination of daredevil bravado and artistic restraint. Brian Blessed has said that while filming one of the brawls his character and Capaldi's engage in he accidentally injured Capaldi, who had to go to the emergency room in full makeup and was treated rottenly by staff who thought he was in drag. I hope this is just one of those entertaining actor's stories.

ksavira I am indeed a big fan of these screen adaptations of classic old novels. And this is just another great series that I have come across."The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" tells a wonderful story that is lovable and highly entertaining. It is typical enough to make you love and sympathize with the heroes, and at the same time hate the devilish villains, but with enough subplots to keep the story interesting and keep you wondering what's going to happen next.The actor, Max Beesley, who at the first time was just a newcomer, did the best job anyone could ever have done for the character. Other actors brought much delight and joy to the story. The characters were intelligently created, both leads and minors, and they were all interpreted so well by a talented cast.Let's see....if you love the old-traditional British story with just enough laughs and dramas, something that will leave you with a good feeling in the end and a story that you would want to watch again and again, then this is definitely the right choice for you!

JCR_In_Jersey Other posters have stated that the Finney version of this story is the best.I wholeheartedly disagree. This story, as with most of Henry Fielding's stories, is intended as a parody of English 'morality' in his day. The Finney version is a lot of fun, but it's just a film about silly people wandering the countryside. In the A&E version, Brian Blessed performed his character (Mr. Western) in exactly the over-the-top correct way to ridicule the English wealthy. Mr. Allworthy was absolutely perfect as someone who believes that since he is a good honest man, the rest of the world must be good and honest as well. Tom's aunt has the line that in my opinion sums up the meaning of this book/movie (paraphrased), "It is not enough that your actions are good, you must make sure that they appear to be so."

pkgh I was looking for an earlier version of this movie because I saw it mentioned in an article in Vogue (about a designer, I think it was Diane von Faustenberg, who modeled her wedding on this movie) and got the impression that it would have beautiful costumes. I rented this version without realizing it was the wrong one but I was not entirely disappointed. The costumes were okay but it was the story I loved. It is such an interesting and engaging story and the acting was good. I couldn't wait to see what else could happen to poor Tom Jones next. I thought that Honor, the lady's maid was an exceptionally entertaining true character and that Benjamin Whitrow as the good squire was totally believable, he was the personification of a good sober man. The movie is long but I couldn't tear myself away from it. In a world of movies with weak plots this movie was hearty as stew. I'm going to try to find the 1960's version too.