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| Goodnight Mister Tom | |
|---|---|
 British DVD cover | |
| Based on | Goodnight Mister Tom byMichelle Magorian |
| Written by | Brian Finch[1] |
| Directed by | Jack Gold |
| Starring | John Thaw Nick Robinson |
| Music by | Carl Davis |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Chris Burt |
| Editor | Jamie McCoan |
| Running time | 101 minutes |
| Production company | Carlton Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 25 October 1998 (1998-10-25) |
Goodnight Mister Tom is a 1998 British film adaptation byCarlton Television of thenovel of the same name byMichelle Magorian. The film was directed byJack Gold, in his final film. The cast featured well-known British actors, including veteran actorJohn Thaw.
In September 1939, the United Kingdomdeclares war onNazi Germany, and children are evacuated fromLondon to the countryside for their safety. Tom Oakley, an elderly widower living alone in the rural village of Little Weirwold in Devon, is forced to look after one of the evacuees, William "Willie" Beech. Tom has become reclusive after losing his wife and child to scarlet fever many years before, while Willie is a quiet young boy who comes from an abusive home and is apprehensive of Tom.
Despite initial difficulties combined with his reluctance to care for Willie, Tom later takes pity on Willie after learning about his abusive upbringing by discovering the leather belt his mother used to beat him, which he throws into the garden, and does his best to create a suitable home for Willie, such as providing him with new clothes and helping to educate him. Willie's new life with Tom eventually boosts his self-confidence and he opens up to Tom, looking up to him as a surrogate father figure. He also meets and becomes best friends with a Jewish boy, Zacharias "Zach" Wrench. However, shortly after Willie's tenth birthday, Tom receives a letter from Mrs Beech, who claims to be ill and needs Willie back in London to look after her.
When Willie reunites with his mother, he discovers that she lied to get him to return and is completely fine. Willie also meets his baby half-sister, Trudy. Mrs Beech claims she is a "present from Jesus", but Willie is too young and naïve to consider any other scenario. It is obvious, however, that Mrs Beech has been made much more uneasy by the Blitz, and after an argument sparked by her discovery of the absence of the belt, she sends Willie to his room for the night. The next day, Mrs Beech seems better after suffering a mental breakdown, but when Willie presents her with gifts that the locals from Little Weirwold had given him, and tells her about some of his friends, she accuses him of stealing and is angry he had been interacting with girls and Jews. She finally pummels him and eventually locks him in the cupboard under the stairs, accusing him of blasphemy after he tells her that "Jesus was a Jew". Back in Little Weirwold, Tom starts missing Willie greatly. Initially, he thinks Willie has moved on from him, until he digs up the belt in the garden. Tom has an instinct that Willie is in danger, and decides to travel to London with his dog, Sammy to rescue him.
After spending the night in an air raid shelter, Tom enlists the help of anA.R.P. Warden, Ralph, to find Willie's address. They are informed by a neighbour, unaware that Willie has returned from evacuation, that Mrs Beech has left. Sammy detects a strange smell from the house and Tom breaks the door down. Sammy leads Tom and Ralph to the cupboard under the stairs, which appears to be the source of a vile stench. They find Willie bloodied and battered, but still alive, and chained to the closet wall. He is also holding Trudy, who has died. Tom visits Willie in the hospital and meets Dr. Stelton, a child psychiatrist who works with a children's home in Sussex. Stelton wishes to take Willie to the children's home as he believes he needs psychiatric treatment, although he promises to attempt to trace any surviving relatives that Willie might have. It is during a discussion with Ralph that Tom learns about Willie's early childhood; Willie's father was a violent wife-beating alcoholic who choked to death on his own vomit. Tom decides that it would be best for Willie to return to Little Weirwold and kidnaps him from the hospital.
Willie gradually recovers from his injuries and reunites with Zach and the others. While speaking with Zach, Willie learns about the concept ofsex, something his mother raised him to believe was "something dirty" and unacceptable, and realises that his mother herself had had a relationship with another man, which resulted in the birth of Trudy. Eventually, Stelton and some social workers come to Tom's house with the news that Willie's mother has died by suicide. They intend to take Willie to the children's home, but Willie and Tom protest. Tom explains a bad dream that Willie has repeatedly been having regarding this exact event, and argues that he needs to be with someone who loves him.
Tom speaks alone with an official from the Home Office, Mr Greenway, and persuades him that the only reason he wants Willie back is because he loves him like his own son and that Willie has clearly been happier with him than he ever was when he lived with his mother. Mr Greenway accepts Tom's story and allows him to adopt Willie. Unfortunately, Willie's newfound happiness is cut short when Zach receives a phone call from his mother, saying that London's East End was bombed while his father was there. Willie sees Zach just before he leaves for London and bids him goodbye.
Willie dreams soon after that he and Mr Tom are asleep in an air raid shelter. The next morning at breakfast, he is informed that Zach was killed in another air raid. The news devastates Willie, causing him to withdraw from everyone. Tom however, remembers how he felt when he lost his own family, and in order to stop Willie going down the same path he did, gives Willie a heartfelt speech that while a loved one may physically be gone, they will always live on inside his mind and heart, which can never be taken away.
Willie eventually overcomes his grief and teaches himself how to ride the bicycle Zach left behind. In the film's final scene, Willie rides the bicycle down the long hill and stops just in front of an impressed Tom, whom he addresses as "Dad" for the first time.
CastingNick Robinson as William Beech was a straightforward decision. He was recommended by the casting director based on his strong performances inWest End theatre. He was the only actor considered for the role.[2]
John Thaw, best known for his roles inInspector Morse andKavanagh QC, was announced in January 1998 as taking on the role of Tom Oakley, following a four-month break from acting. He said he was "captured by the story" when he first read the script and felt it offered a compelling character to portray.[3] To prepare for the role, Thaw underwent a physical transformation by growing a beard for the first time in his life,[4] over a period of two months. He looked noticeably different from his previous clean-shaven roles and surprised those who knew him well, including his wife, actressSheila Hancock. To ensure vocal authenticity, the production brought in a dialect coach to help Thaw adopt an accent appropriate to the Suffolk region.[5]
Annabelle Apsion, who plays William's mother, admitted feeling apprehensive about taking on the role. The character's cruel nature was a stark contrast to the more sympathetic figures Apsion was accustomed to portraying. She was initially concerned about how her performance might affect Robinson, who played her on-screen son, but noted that they developed a good rapport and she agreed to take on the role despite her reservations.[6]
Although the story is set inSuffolk, the village ofTurville was chosen as the filming location for both practical and aesthetic reasons. Its proximity to London made it economically viable, while its "untouched and rural" appearance, as noted by producerJack Gold, closely resembled that of a pre-war English village. The church in the village matched the scale needed for scenes and was largely unchanged since before the outbreak ofWorld War II. Turville was already familiar to television audiences, having previously featured inThe Vicar of Dibley.[2]
The crew took care to ensure historical authenticity, replacing modern furnishings with 1930s-era props and furniture. The house used as Mister Tom's residence was taken over by the crew, with the owners temporarily relocated to a hotel. The local community were highly cooperative, offering their homes for filming and even appearing as extras. Funds received by the village for hosting the production were used to help restore the church.[2]
Filming took place during April and May 1998, though persistent rain made it challenging to create the illusion of hot summer days.[2] The railway station portrayed in the drama wasLoughborough Central railway station. The station had previously been used for other dramas, such as the 1993 filmShadowlands featuringRichard Attenborough.[7]