Pass It On: The History Boys on Screen (2007) Online

Another fine documentary about the making of an important film, in this case the cult classic "The History Boys" - I say cult because it's very under the radar around here, it's a film from and for small circles and still hasn't expanded with more viewers. What attracts the most about this adaptation from the play by Alan Bennett is the fact of seeing the original play cast performing their theatre roles in the film version, with no altering, and that's a lesson Hollywood has yet to learn (because I'm still not over how Spielberg went ahead with a newcomer in "War Horse" when the original lead actor from the play already had an impressive film career and was fit for the role despite being older).

A lovely cast of young actors (Dominic Cooper, Samuel Barnett and others) and the admirable veterans Richard Griffiths and Frances de la Tour share their experiences while being part of a same product presented in different medias, the challenges both offer to them and also explain a little about their characters. With their testimonies and some jokes here and there, we as audience feel delighted in seeing how their charisma got easily translated to the screen, making it one of the most charming and successful comedies of all time. A legacy and partnership so interesting that writer Bennett, director Nicholas Hytner and the film's cast returned in "The Lady in the Van" (the actors play minor roles); they all had a special bond that is really hard to find in the film/theatre business.

This bonus material can be found on "The History Boys" DVD along with another one that presents the world tour of the play with the same cast (Broadway, Australia and Japan, if I'm not wrong), basically a video diary made by the boys. Great material as well, which shines a light in the difficulties of performing in front of different audiences from different places and whom sometimes doesn't even speak the same language. Both films are positively enjoyable. 8/10