This movie was a three part miniseries on A&E. If you haven't seen it, then you're bound to catch it in one of A&E's helpful and very commonplace reruns.
This is one of the most frustrating movies I've ever seen. This doesn't mean, however, that I didn't enjoy it, but only that I knew what had to happen, but it took so DAMN long in getting there, I almost pulled out all of my hair. It's the history of Tom Jones, not the skanky lounge singer, but the 18th Century bastard (in the right sense of the word), who was raised by a Country Squire.
Max Beesley, as Tom Jones, was suitably handsome to keep me interested, and although has no other credits listed in the Internet Movie Database, seemed quite at home in front of the camera, where I'm sure he'll find a lot more work.
I spent the first have of this six hour series trying to figure out where I had seen Jenny Jones (Tom's supposed mother) before. Camille Coduri, who playes Jenny, I remembered this morning was in King Ralph, with John Goodman.
But anyway, this story caused a scandal when it was published wayyyy back in, oh, 1744, or around then, becuase of it's naughtiness, and the fact that it revealed that no one in 18th Century was a virgin except for Miss Sophia Western, with whom Tom Jones was in love. Everyone had sex with whoever they pleased, and very many people were "with child" in the most nefarious of circumstances. Obviously these people did not have to put up with hundreds of Trojan Condom commercials, or in their case, travelling condom salesmen.
Presented and narrated by Henry Fielding himself, well, actually John Sessions, who did a good job too, this movie kept me entertained for six hours more than Hamlet did for four hours earlier that day. You get to actually like the characters, enjoy them, like you should when watching a truly good movie.
If you're an avid watcher of A&E presentations, you just might be able to get over the fact that Squire Allworthy, Tom Jones' adoptive father, is actually Mr. Bennett, from Pride and Prejudice. It took me a little while, though.
My advice: try and catch this movie in reruns. It may be culture, but you guys'll like it too.
TRIVIA! Brian Blessed plays Squire Western, Sophia's dad. In a wild coincidence, or lack of british actors, he also played the ghost of Hamlet's father as well.