Tom Jones
Short description
Tom Jones is a foundling raised in the household of the kindly Squire Allworthy, who brings him up as if he were his own son. Tom grows into a cheerful young man with a strong appetite for women, but his heart belongs to Sophie Western, the daughter of a neighbouring landowner. Sophie returns his feelings, yet her family has other plans for her, and Tom's position is precarious: he is not Allworthy's heir. When the squire's nephew Blifil turns against him, Tom is cast out and sets off on a journey, with Sophie's future and his own uncertain.
Tony Richardson directed the film, his third feature after The Entertainer and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, from a screenplay by John Osborne adapting Henry Fielding's eighteenth-century novel. Albert Finney plays Tom, with Susannah York as Sophie, Hugh Griffith as Squire Western, Edith Evans as Miss Western, Joan Greenwood as Lady Bellaston and Diane Cilento as Molly Seagrim, among a credited cast of twenty-nine.
Released in August 1963, the British production cost about one million dollars and took roughly thirty-eight million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.4 from around 15,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.9 from 249; a critics' rating of 7.7 from 41 reviews places it higher than those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The scene in which Squire pursues Tom Jones was filmed over two nights. On the second night, Hugh Griffith (1912-1980) actually struck Albert Finney (1936-2019) with the whip, causing him to bleed. Finney turned to Griffith and punched him in the face, after which both left the set, declaring they would never work with each other again.
- Albert Finney agreed to star in the film only on the condition that he would be one of the producers, but later traded this condition for a share of the profits.
- Twelve seconds of the cockfight were cut from the film because the depiction of animal cruelty is prohibited in the UK.
- Problems arose during the filming of the hunting scene, as local hunters refused to participate in the project, believing that the film would turn viewers against hunting in general. The film crew had to literally comb the surrounding area in search of hunting dogs whose owners would agree to lend them for filming. Tony Richardson wanted the dogs to pounce on the deer carcass, so the dogs were kept hungry before filming, but local hunters, learning what was happening, broke into the dogs' enclosure the night before filming and fed them. During filming, the dogs only sniffed the deer carcass, but categorically refused to attack and devour it. The scene had to be reshot after several days.
- It is claimed that Hugh Griffith was practically constantly intoxicated during filming. The scene in which a horse falls on him was not in the script, and many believe that the actor was saved only by the fact that he was drunk at that moment as well.
- Work on the film was repeatedly interrupted due to Hugh Griffith's drinking, especially considering that he had to travel from London for the shoot. Crew members often had to search for him on his way from London, and they repeatedly found him asleep along the road.
- Despite the film winning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, and earning four gold statues in total, director Tony Richardson (1928-1991) remained dissatisfied with the final result.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
