Goodnight Mister Tom [DVD] [1998]

I've lost track of the number of times I've watched this dvd; to me, it's the most delightful of all stories and I've read the book a number of times as well. It tells the tale of a small boy living in London, terrified by his vicious mother who treats him appallingly and beats him regularly, until war breaks out and he is evacuated to the country. He finds himself placed in the home of an elderly man, a widower who has no idea of how to treat children, and at first the little boy is frightened as he expects to be treated as he was at home. But as the days pass, he realises that the old man is kind and gentle, and they form a wonderful relationship. Half way through the film the boy's mother demands that he returns home, and his life changes back again. I won't say any more as I don't want to spoil the story, but it's a truly wonderful film, absolutely brilliantly acted and one you'll find yourself wanting to watch again and again.

Great film

Absolutely loved this film, brilliant acting and great locations. JT was amazing,a brilliant change from being a police man The boys mother was so much like mine I cried for the lad. I knew exactly how he felt. When he finally rides his friends bike down the hill, it's just a magical scene. The joy on his wee face was worth seeing,in the whole film. In this time of death and uncertainty, everyone, should buy this ,as it's a reflection of how,humans, have been living. Many people,who were alone,with no family members to help,now find Theres people willing to help. Mr Tom,a grumpy ole man,but with a heart of gold. He stepped up to his mark, and helped this amazing young boy. It's a traumatic film in bits,but love wins thru in the end. A family film,with a vital lesson, to all of us. Let's go that extra mile and help when you can,heed the warnings. And look out for those in need It's a great film and all though I may spoil it for some it's a marvellous ending

A lovely story with lesson for youngsters about life in WW2 and how people become hardened by loss, but also showed kindness to each other. The quality on the Blu-ray is pretty good considering - sharper than you'd get from a DVD. However, the story has been badly edited with bits cut out from the original, which I saw on television, and I think this is to the detriment of the story. The scene where Mr Tom 'kidnaps' the boy from the hospital has been shortened, so while you see him take a wheel chair, you then see him outside carrying the boy - quite a lot missing. More importantly, the scenes where the boy is reticent about holding a baby have been cut out. In the original I think he backs off in the first visit, and only holds the baby on a later visit. Here everything happens in one short scene! I was thinking of showing this to my grand-daughter aged five, but several scenes might be a problem or too harrowing. Will leave it a few years.

A great movie .

Good film

Now 86 years of age, I can vividly recall my life as a young boy in rural Sussex during the early years of World War 2. This brilliant TV film portrays the relationship of a lonely widower in his sixties, Tom Oakley, and a sensitive ten year old evacuee, Willie Beech, during the early years of the War. The late John Thaw gives an amazing and refreshing performance as 'Mister Tom' while Nick Robinson provides a memorable portrayal of the physically abused young boy from inner London who finds himself in a rural village of an England which has largely disappeared. It is a love story with a difference - a tale of an innocent wartime relationship between a widower who has lost both his wife and infant son and a young boy from inner London who has been physically and mentally abused by his mother and her twisted understanding of the Christian faith. If you have tears, prepare to shed them when watching this brilliant TV film - you will never see a more convincing portrayal of true love - against a background of rural England at a time of war. Here we see another side to the late John Thaw - a gentle and caring individual, alone with his faithful border collie but one who is still grieving the loss of both his wife and young son while he was away serving in World War 1. And Nick Robinson gives the performance of a lifetime as the timid evacuee, Willie Beech. This is truly an outstanding film and a fitting tribute to the late John Thaw. Make sure you don't miss it.

Arrived well packaged a very good DVD with an outstanding performance by John Thaw. Would recommend.

This is an old BBC non theatre movie believe. I remembered from when I was young. Although the format and picture is dated. Such a nice story. A message of kindness and stoicism that is never shown in modern movies. John Thaw gives good performance.

Tenero,coinvolgente.Due anime fragili,distrutte dalla vita si incontrano,vivono la difficoltà' dell'incontro e riescono a comprendersi,ad amarsi.ma perché' film così belli non si trovano in Italia?

Un film extraordinaire que je peux maintenant regarder à volonté! En plus il y a des superbes pistes sur la deuxième guerre mondiale à suivre avec mes élèves en cours de langue.

Ein wundervoller Film. Zwischendurch denkt man, man weiß, wie es weitergeht und dann gibt es doch eine unerwartete Wendung. (ich kannte das Buch nicht). Natürlich habe ich auch zwischendurch ein Tränchen verdrückt. Englisch mit Untertiteln war auch kein Problem (ich habe nur ein B 2 Level). Die Lieferung erfolgte auch aus Großbritannien entsprechend zeitnah.

Very good film