Movie: The History Boys

There have been a number of movies with a similar theme, and I haven't watched any of them. The plot is simple - a group of boys, in a fairly non-distinct school (not exactly poor, but not very well off, lower-middle class probably) have a fighting chance to get into Oxbridge if they do well in their A-level exams. Thus, the teachers (in this case History teachers) and the headmaster are pushing a lot to try ensure that they do actually get to go to either Oxford or Cambridge, and if possible, get a scholarship to attend either. There is an eccentric teacher, a very modern teacher and there is fun and games. All in all, an entertaining story, with a bit of a sting in the end.

One thing that did stand out for me, was really the environment of the story. The fact is, people who get to go to the top universities, get to perform well at exams are often from the "established" schools. This is not because that the children are any brighter, nor because the teachers are any better - these are definitely factors - but the story pushes that it is a lot to do with the general environments - trips to Rome and Paris help a lot with learning French or Itallian, and similarly discussing renaisance art history is easier if you have actually seen a collection of Renaisance art. Ultimately, the movie argues, this is the hardest opposition for great students from poorer schools have to overcome, when competing with the affluent students.