Goodnight Mister Tom (1998 film)
Encyclopedia
Goodnight Mister Tom is a 1998 film adaptation by ITV
of the original book
of the same name by Michelle Magorian
; the cast featured the veteran British actor John Thaw
and was directed by Jack Gold
.
from London. Tom doesn't want to, complaining that he doesn't know about children (although he once had a son, and a wife for that matter, as we find out later).
The evacuee is nine-year-old William "Willie" Beech, a shy boy who behaves strangely in some ways, such as not eating much. He arrives in the village by steam train no 7325 with a group of children also evacuated from london. Tom leaves Will alone for a while as he goes and complains to Mrs Ford. Will goes to the local churchyard, where he looks at a beautiful gravestone with an angel sculpture, and meets his future schoolteacher, Mrs Hartridge, and her husband, a pilot
. They leave, and he then meets Sammy, a collie
, who terrifies him. Will picks up a spade
, and, before he can strike, Tom stops him, explaining that Sammy is his dog. Later, Tom accidentally scares Will whilst stirring the coals in the fireplace
with a red hot poker. Will is scared, and faints, under the misapprehension that Tom is going to beat him with it.
The next day, Will wakes up to find he has wet the bed, as he often did back in London. Tom tells him to get his wet pyjamas off, which reveals, to the camera only, that Will has belt marks on his back. Later, they go to the post office
, where Will meets Zacharias "Zach" Wrench, who he makes friends with. Zach is billeted with Dr Little and his wife, who are Tom's friends.
Tom asks Mrs Fletcher, his neighbour and friend, to talk to her knitting
club and help rustle up some clothes for Will, who only has one set of clothes.
Mrs Fletcher sends her boys, George and Edward, round to help with Tom's new Anderson shelter. Will helps out too, but wears a sweater
, not only to avoid dirtying his new shirt but to conceal the belt marks. Tom, after seeing the belt marks on his back, realises where they come from and why his little boarder behaves the way he does and, in his fury, he goes to the bag where the old belt was and throws it away. Afterwards, Tom goes to do volunteer work in the church, showing that the better side of him is coming out.
One day, Will plays Tom's small organ
, which belonged to Rachel, his dead wife. However, Tom doesn't like anybody touching the instrument, because it brings back bad memories. Later that day, they go fishing
, and Will brings along Zach and some other children, who he makes friends with, including two girls called Ginnie and Carrie.
Not long after, the summer holidays stop, and Will has to go to school, which he has been dreading. As it turns out, though, Will meets Zach there, and becomes friendly with some other boys, too. On his first lesson, he is put in the class below him, with very young children, because he is illiterate. When he gets home, he tells Tom, who, when informed by Mrs Hartridge why this has happened, takes it upon himself to teach Will, so that he can be in the class he wants to. Will is a clever boy, and he learns well and quickly, and also uncovers his secret talent for excellent drawing and painting.
One morning, Tom is placing flowers on the graves of his dead wife and son, when suddenly, he meets William, who is in his pyjamas. Tom explains to Will how his wife Rachel, and his son, John, died of scarlatina while he was away fighting in the First World War. On their headstone it says that they died in 1917. Will explains that he came to tell how he did not wet the bed that night. Tom is very happy for him, and has by now become a genuine father-figure to the boy.
On the day of Will's birthday, Tom surprises him by revealing that he has organised a surprise party. Tom, Sammy, Mrs Fletcher, the Littles, Zach, Ginnie, and Carrie are all there. In the jolly atmosphere of it all, Tom is persuaded by Mrs Fletcher to play his organ again, and gives a splendid performance of It's a Long Way To Tipperary
. Then, when all the guests have given their presents and left, Tom gives Will the best present of all, a set of watercolours.
The next day, Will is at school promoted to Mrs Hartridge's class. Overjoyed, he runs to tell Tom the news, only to find another set of news from the billeting office - that his mother is ill and wants him back in London. He must go, but is sad to do so, and, promising to write letters, says farewell to Tom and boards the train
to London.
When Will gets to London, he's picked up by his mother at the station, who does not seem at all pleased to see him. They get to the flat, where his mum tells him to be quiet, so that "no-one will know he's there". He is told that there is a surprise for him, a "present from Jesus". It is a baby. Mrs Beech gradually becomes stressed out with Will (for no apparent reason), and when she hears that the belt has not been brought home, she loses her temper, smacks him, and sends him to his room.
Later, Will comes back to the main room to meet an unusually friendly mum, and a meal of egg and toast. But again, Will's mum loses her temper, thinking that Will stole the watercolours and other presents she finds in his bag. Will truthfully tells her that he got them as gifts from his friends, who he tells her about. She is angry to hear that some of them are girls, and demands to know if they go to church
. Will responds that they do, apart from Zach because he is Jewish and there isn't a synagogue in the village. Mrs Beech is an anti-semite and, calling Will a blasphemer after he points out that Jesus was a Jew, locks him in a cupboard. The baby begins to cry.
Meanwhile, Tom has become increasingly worried, and travels to London, where he meets an ARP Warden who promises to help him find Will. They get to the house, where they meet Mrs Beech's neighbour, who tells them that Mrs Beech has apparently gone to the coast, and that Will has been evacuated to the country. Sammy smells something in the house. They break down the door, and when inside, they find Will and the baby. Will lets the baby (who he has named Trudy) be held by Tom, who then passes her on to a policewoman. It is revealed that the baby is, in fact, dead. Will is taken to hospital.
Will constantly wakes up screaming in the hospital, from terrible nightmare
s. Tom visits, and meets the suspicious Dr Stelton, a psychiatrist
who wants Will be taken to "the children's home", most likely a mental hospital
, which Tom does not think is a good idea. Will has a haircut so that the wounds on his head can be healed. Tom, meanwhile, has concocted a plan. He retrieves Will's belongings from the house, and sneaks into the hospital, pretending to be a patient. When he is sure that there are no staff about, he kidnaps Will and takes him back to the village. Will is overjoyed.
Dr Little informs Will that he will recover fine physically. However, Will still has nightmares. Tom reveals the root of the nightmares. It seems that the nightmares are about Dr Stelton giving him an injection
. After opening up and talking about the nightmares, Will finds that he doesn't have them anymore. Later, Zach visits, with the news that Mrs Hartridge is having her baby, but that her husband is reported dead, shot down in his plane
. The baby is called Peggy.
In the news, the East End of London
has been blitz
ed. Zach's dad has been working there as an auxiliary fireman. Also, Tom and Will have visitors: Mrs Ford (who looks nervous to be in this situation), Dr Stelton, and Mr Greenway, a stern-looking man from the Home Office
. They are here to inform that Will's mother is dead (they say she drowned herself), and that they wish to take Will to the children's home in Sussex
. Mr Greenway talks to Tom in the garden. Mr Greenway, who is not very emotional, is baffled as to why Tom wants to keep Will, and Tom explains that it's because he loves him. At last, Mr Greenway gives in, to the annoyance of Dr Stelton, and Tom adopts Will officially and legally.
Zach, meanwhile, is packing. He has to go and see his dad, who has been injured by a bomb in the East End. Will is sad but later in the week he finds out that Mrs Hartridge's husband is in fact a prisoner of war and not dead. This excites everyone, but then Will turns sad again when Mrs Little reveals a week later that Zach has been killed in a bombing. Will doesn't go to school, loses his appetite, and doesn't talk to anyone, not even Tom. To cheer him up, Tom gives Zach's red bike to Will, which he always used to ride. But Will is still silent. Tom explains that when someone dies, they're not really gone, they're still in your memory, just like Rachel and John are to him. Will understands, and learns to ride Zach's bike. And in the last scene of the film rides the bike down a hill towards Tom and at the bottom they hug and Will saying "I can ride Dad, I can really ride!".
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
of the original book
Goodnight Mister Tom
Goodnight Mister Tom novel by Michelle Magorian. It follows a young boy, William Beech, who is evacuated from London during the Blitz of World War II, and put into the care of Tom Oakley, an elderly recluse...
of the same name by Michelle Magorian
Michelle Magorian
Michelle Magorian is an English author of children's books, including Goodnight Mister Tom, Back Home and A Little Love Song.- Biography :...
; the cast featured the veteran British actor John Thaw
John Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
and was directed by Jack Gold
Jack Gold
Jack Gold is a British film and television director. He was part of the British Realist Tradition that followed Free Cinema.-Career:...
.
Plot
Tom Oakley is a reclusive old man living in an English village in 1939. World War II has just started, and he is forced by the local billeting officer to house an evacueeEmergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
from London. Tom doesn't want to, complaining that he doesn't know about children (although he once had a son, and a wife for that matter, as we find out later).
The evacuee is nine-year-old William "Willie" Beech, a shy boy who behaves strangely in some ways, such as not eating much. He arrives in the village by steam train no 7325 with a group of children also evacuated from london. Tom leaves Will alone for a while as he goes and complains to Mrs Ford. Will goes to the local churchyard, where he looks at a beautiful gravestone with an angel sculpture, and meets his future schoolteacher, Mrs Hartridge, and her husband, a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
. They leave, and he then meets Sammy, a collie
Collie
The collie is a distinctive type of herding dog, including many related landraces and formal breeds. It originates in Scotland and Northern England. It is a medium-sized, fairly lightly built dog with a pointed snout, and many types have a distinctive white pattern over the shoulders. Collies...
, who terrifies him. Will picks up a spade
Spade
A spade is a tool designed primarily for the purpose of digging or removing earth. Early spades were made of riven wood. After the art of metalworking was discovered, spades were made with sharper tips of metal. Before the advent of metal spades manual labor was less efficient at moving earth,...
, and, before he can strike, Tom stops him, explaining that Sammy is his dog. Later, Tom accidentally scares Will whilst stirring the coals in the fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
with a red hot poker. Will is scared, and faints, under the misapprehension that Tom is going to beat him with it.
The next day, Will wakes up to find he has wet the bed, as he often did back in London. Tom tells him to get his wet pyjamas off, which reveals, to the camera only, that Will has belt marks on his back. Later, they go to the post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, where Will meets Zacharias "Zach" Wrench, who he makes friends with. Zach is billeted with Dr Little and his wife, who are Tom's friends.
Tom asks Mrs Fletcher, his neighbour and friend, to talk to her knitting
Knitting
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
club and help rustle up some clothes for Will, who only has one set of clothes.
Mrs Fletcher sends her boys, George and Edward, round to help with Tom's new Anderson shelter. Will helps out too, but wears a sweater
Sweater
A sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. It is often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but may also be worn alone as a top...
, not only to avoid dirtying his new shirt but to conceal the belt marks. Tom, after seeing the belt marks on his back, realises where they come from and why his little boarder behaves the way he does and, in his fury, he goes to the bag where the old belt was and throws it away. Afterwards, Tom goes to do volunteer work in the church, showing that the better side of him is coming out.
One day, Will plays Tom's small organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, which belonged to Rachel, his dead wife. However, Tom doesn't like anybody touching the instrument, because it brings back bad memories. Later that day, they go fishing
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
, and Will brings along Zach and some other children, who he makes friends with, including two girls called Ginnie and Carrie.
Not long after, the summer holidays stop, and Will has to go to school, which he has been dreading. As it turns out, though, Will meets Zach there, and becomes friendly with some other boys, too. On his first lesson, he is put in the class below him, with very young children, because he is illiterate. When he gets home, he tells Tom, who, when informed by Mrs Hartridge why this has happened, takes it upon himself to teach Will, so that he can be in the class he wants to. Will is a clever boy, and he learns well and quickly, and also uncovers his secret talent for excellent drawing and painting.
One morning, Tom is placing flowers on the graves of his dead wife and son, when suddenly, he meets William, who is in his pyjamas. Tom explains to Will how his wife Rachel, and his son, John, died of scarlatina while he was away fighting in the First World War. On their headstone it says that they died in 1917. Will explains that he came to tell how he did not wet the bed that night. Tom is very happy for him, and has by now become a genuine father-figure to the boy.
On the day of Will's birthday, Tom surprises him by revealing that he has organised a surprise party. Tom, Sammy, Mrs Fletcher, the Littles, Zach, Ginnie, and Carrie are all there. In the jolly atmosphere of it all, Tom is persuaded by Mrs Fletcher to play his organ again, and gives a splendid performance of It's a Long Way To Tipperary
It's a Long Way to Tipperary
It's a Long Way to Tipperary is a British music hall and marching song written by Jack Judge and co-credited to, but not co-written by, Henry James "Harry" Williams. It was allegedly written for a 5 shilling bet in Stalybridge on 30 January 1912 and performed the next night at the local music hall...
. Then, when all the guests have given their presents and left, Tom gives Will the best present of all, a set of watercolours.
The next day, Will is at school promoted to Mrs Hartridge's class. Overjoyed, he runs to tell Tom the news, only to find another set of news from the billeting office - that his mother is ill and wants him back in London. He must go, but is sad to do so, and, promising to write letters, says farewell to Tom and boards the train
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
to London.
When Will gets to London, he's picked up by his mother at the station, who does not seem at all pleased to see him. They get to the flat, where his mum tells him to be quiet, so that "no-one will know he's there". He is told that there is a surprise for him, a "present from Jesus". It is a baby. Mrs Beech gradually becomes stressed out with Will (for no apparent reason), and when she hears that the belt has not been brought home, she loses her temper, smacks him, and sends him to his room.
Later, Will comes back to the main room to meet an unusually friendly mum, and a meal of egg and toast. But again, Will's mum loses her temper, thinking that Will stole the watercolours and other presents she finds in his bag. Will truthfully tells her that he got them as gifts from his friends, who he tells her about. She is angry to hear that some of them are girls, and demands to know if they go to church
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
. Will responds that they do, apart from Zach because he is Jewish and there isn't a synagogue in the village. Mrs Beech is an anti-semite and, calling Will a blasphemer after he points out that Jesus was a Jew, locks him in a cupboard. The baby begins to cry.
Meanwhile, Tom has become increasingly worried, and travels to London, where he meets an ARP Warden who promises to help him find Will. They get to the house, where they meet Mrs Beech's neighbour, who tells them that Mrs Beech has apparently gone to the coast, and that Will has been evacuated to the country. Sammy smells something in the house. They break down the door, and when inside, they find Will and the baby. Will lets the baby (who he has named Trudy) be held by Tom, who then passes her on to a policewoman. It is revealed that the baby is, in fact, dead. Will is taken to hospital.
Will constantly wakes up screaming in the hospital, from terrible nightmare
Nightmare
A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
s. Tom visits, and meets the suspicious Dr Stelton, a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
who wants Will be taken to "the children's home", most likely a mental hospital
Mental Hospital
Mental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
, which Tom does not think is a good idea. Will has a haircut so that the wounds on his head can be healed. Tom, meanwhile, has concocted a plan. He retrieves Will's belongings from the house, and sneaks into the hospital, pretending to be a patient. When he is sure that there are no staff about, he kidnaps Will and takes him back to the village. Will is overjoyed.
Dr Little informs Will that he will recover fine physically. However, Will still has nightmares. Tom reveals the root of the nightmares. It seems that the nightmares are about Dr Stelton giving him an injection
Injection (medicine)
An injection is an infusion method of putting fluid into the body, usually with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body...
. After opening up and talking about the nightmares, Will finds that he doesn't have them anymore. Later, Zach visits, with the news that Mrs Hartridge is having her baby, but that her husband is reported dead, shot down in his plane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
. The baby is called Peggy.
In the news, the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
has been blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
ed. Zach's dad has been working there as an auxiliary fireman. Also, Tom and Will have visitors: Mrs Ford (who looks nervous to be in this situation), Dr Stelton, and Mr Greenway, a stern-looking man from the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
. They are here to inform that Will's mother is dead (they say she drowned herself), and that they wish to take Will to the children's home in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. Mr Greenway talks to Tom in the garden. Mr Greenway, who is not very emotional, is baffled as to why Tom wants to keep Will, and Tom explains that it's because he loves him. At last, Mr Greenway gives in, to the annoyance of Dr Stelton, and Tom adopts Will officially and legally.
Zach, meanwhile, is packing. He has to go and see his dad, who has been injured by a bomb in the East End. Will is sad but later in the week he finds out that Mrs Hartridge's husband is in fact a prisoner of war and not dead. This excites everyone, but then Will turns sad again when Mrs Little reveals a week later that Zach has been killed in a bombing. Will doesn't go to school, loses his appetite, and doesn't talk to anyone, not even Tom. To cheer him up, Tom gives Zach's red bike to Will, which he always used to ride. But Will is still silent. Tom explains that when someone dies, they're not really gone, they're still in your memory, just like Rachel and John are to him. Will understands, and learns to ride Zach's bike. And in the last scene of the film rides the bike down a hill towards Tom and at the bottom they hug and Will saying "I can ride Dad, I can really ride!".
Awards
- National TV Awards 1999: Best Drama for Goodnight Mister Tom
- BAFTA 1999: Lew Grade Award for Most Popular Television Programme of 1998 for Goodnight Mister Tom
- Television & Radio Industries Club Award 1999: Best ITV/Channel 5 Programme of 1998 for Goodnight Mister Tom
- TV Quick Award for Best Programme 1999