Editorial Review:

Amazon.com essential video:
Winner of four Academy Awards including best picture, director, screenplay, and music, this 1963 adaptation of Henry Fielding's classic novel is a rousing, bawdy comedy about a young man's ribald adventures in 18th-century England. Albert Finney is splendidly hilarious in the title role of a charming womanizer who was discovered as an abandoned infant in the bed of Squire Allworthy, a wealthy landowner who named the child Tom Jones and raised him as his own. As a young man, Tom yearns for the comely daughter (Susannah York) of a neighboring squire, but his amorous adventures (including an extended food orgy that becomes the film's funniest scene) lead him to London and to a duel with a jealous husband. He's sentenced to hang, but fate intervenes. A hit around the world, the film was expertly written by noted playwright John Osborne, and director Tony Richardson uses a variety of old-style movie techniques to heighten the lusty, good-natured fun. Don't miss this one! --Jeff Shannon

This movie is such a great example of use of humor in a fictional biography. ("Little Big Man" would be another) Tom, played by Albert Finney starts his life under dire circumstances and goes from one predicament to another. We fear for his life many times. Most of the Action occurs in the 1700s and we get to see the traumas of people living with parasites, being arrested for minor offenses and punished without benefit of fair trial or representation. Raw sewage and garbage fill the streets. It was a time when getting through each day was a hair-raising adventure for most people of a certain socio-economic strata. Tom loves the ladies and is hoplessly addicted to their attentions, which causes him even more problems with irate husbands, boyfriends and angry family members. Somehow he survives it all and usually lands on his feet. There is a wonderful and memorable scene of a feast in which the feast-goers shovel the food in without care of manners or decorum. They wipe their greasy mouths with their own hair dangling down or with the hair of their wigs. They eat with their mouths open and the food flopping out and flapping against their faces. Turkey legs are gnawed on with the veins and tendons springing outward in a sickening manner. Loud burps fill the air. Eating utensils are used as a last resort, fingers preferred. This movie won many academy awards and deserved them all and then some.

Average Rating:

Rating: - "Out and About in the 1700s"
This movie is such a great example of use of humor in a fictional biography. ("Little Big Man" would be another) Tom, played by Albert Finney starts his life under dire circumstances and goes from one predicament to another. We fear for his life many times. Most of the Action occurs in the 1700s and we get to see the traumas of people living with parasites, being arrested for minor offenses and punished without benefit of fair trial or representation. Raw sewage and garbage fill the streets. It was a time when getting through each day was a hair-raising adventure for most people of a certain socio-economic strata. Tom loves the ladies and is hoplessly addicted to their attentions, which causes him even more problems with irate husbands, boyfriends and angry family members. Somehow he survives it all and usually lands on his feet. There is a wonderful and memorable scene of a feast in which the feast-goers shovel the food in without care of manners or decorum. They wipe their greasy mouths with their own hair dangling down or with the hair of their wigs. They eat with their mouths open and the food flopping out and flapping against their faces. Turkey legs are gnawed on with the veins and tendons springing outward in a sickening manner. Loud burps fill the air. Eating utensils are used as a last resort, fingers preferred. This movie won many academy awards and deserved them all and then some.

Rating: - WHATS NEW PUSSYCAT !!!
Tom Jones stars Albert Finny as a would be Casanova who LOVES shall we say
the delicate things in life. Winner of BEST PICTURE(???) 1963.

My friend Geri owns all the Best Pictures and I always give her pains and sorrows when she mentions this for all I can think of is....

~~~~ITS NOT UNUSUAL TO BE LOVED BY ANYONE~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~AND SHE STRIKESSSSS LIKE THUNDERBALL~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~YOU LOVE THE WAY SHE WALKS THE WAY SHE MOVES THE WAY SHE TALKS SHES A WINNAH~~~ SHES GOT MOVES SHE GOT FACE SHE GOT STYLE SHE GOT GRACE TAKE TO DINNAH~~~~~~~~SHES A LADY WHOA-WHOA-WHOA SHES A LADY TALKING ABOUT HER BEING A LADY Whoa whoa whoa shes a ....

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Rating: - Worst "Best" Picture Oscar Winner Ever!
When you think that "Lawrence of Arabia" preceded this and "My Fair Lady" followed this it boggles the mind that something as terribly bad as this film could ever be mentioned in the same breath as those two brilliant all-time classics of film. I thought that "Gigi" was the worst film ever to win the Best Picture award until I saw this. Much of this film reminded me of the typical Benny Hill comedy and we all know just how "well" those jokes have aged over the years.

Not only is the film itself extremely mediocre but so is the dvd; the picture quality is extremely poor as this hasn't been restored at all and the sound quality is just as poor in mono. I only hope that the book itself is a lot better than this waste of plastic.

Highly NOT recommended except as a cure for severe insomnia!

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Rating: - One of the Best Adaptations to Screen Ever
Tom Jones is one of the greatest books in English literature- and still very fun to read. This movie captures the spirit (and the essentials of the story) perfectly. Of course, there is a great deal more detail in the book but the movie would have had to be ten times longer to capture that- of necessity screen adaptations have to pare down the story to essentials in order to fit a two to two and a half hour time frame. The result is often a movie that bares little resemblance to the original story. Not here. You will not be disappointed.

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Rating: - One of the worst "BEST PICTURES": TOM JONES,1963.DVD is like the VHS!
Oh well...it's just my opinion!

I found the movie,after all these years, not funny,trite,boring,but most of all not well researched as far as costumes and make up.This Period Piece about the foundling Tom Jones, and his "naughty" chasing of the ladies,is anything but that.As far as the look of the film,there is much that was overlooked in the production value of this film.The costumes were extremely dull and unimaginative.Some characters appear in the same get up in every scene. There was no attempt to de-60's these actors-women with the plucked eyebrows and fake upper eyelashes,as well as inauthentic hair styles.On the deer hunt, it is obvious that the hunters are traveling a road clearly marked with tire tracks (that was really startling!).A Period Piece needs to have a look and air of authenticity and historicity.TOM JONES does not.Director Tony Richardson seems more intent in making a film that has a silent movie-era effect with his countless odd dissolves and transitions that seem affected after a few scenes.The film seems intent on amusing us with clever trickery of the style of the film,but is sorely lacking in any substance.1963 must have been a week year for films,or could it be that LILIES OF THE FIELD was just too "black" for the Academy to award it's top prize? Just my opinion.

The DVD is identical to the old VHS print-very grainy,dull color and color fluctuation with bad sound.The tape is better for the price.

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