Although Fry makes a very good Arnold, and the more complex Tom Brown character is intriguing, this "Tom Brown" in no way approaches the 1971 BBC mini-series.
The absence of Brooke and the "good" fifth-formers, the addition of the curious Frobisher, the omission of Tom's being framed and his own wronging at Arnold's hands, and the unsatisfying simple ejection of Flashman - plus the omission of the "hat" scene when Tom first arrives at Rugby...
The BBC's manipulations of the plot (the addition of Flashman's father and his background with Tom pre-Rugby) add to the story, while the manipulations here (Tom's strange partial "sending down," the death of Arthur, etc.) leave one scratching one's head as to what they accomplish.
There is much more "religion" in this version - but it is strangely not very uplifting, leads to nothing in the end but a funeral...
The absence of Brooke and the "good" fifth-formers, the addition of the curious Frobisher, the omission of Tom's being framed and his own wronging at Arnold's hands, and the unsatisfying simple ejection of Flashman - plus the omission of the "hat" scene when Tom first arrives at Rugby...
The BBC's manipulations of the plot (the addition of Flashman's father and his background with Tom pre-Rugby) add to the story, while the manipulations here (Tom's strange partial "sending down," the death of Arthur, etc.) leave one scratching one's head as to what they accomplish.
There is much more "religion" in this version - but it is strangely not very uplifting, leads to nothing in the end but a funeral...
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