Prayer in Tom Brown’s Schooldays, the 1951 movie.
Tom Brown’s Schooldays has had a number of movie versions.
Tom Brown’s Schooldays has had a number of movie versions.
Of them all, my favourite is the 1951 version. Robert Newton, as Headmaster Dr Thomas Arnold, manages to portray goodness in a subtle way – that’s very hard to do, and it shows what a good actor he was.
Tom, played by John Howard Davies, is brave and kind, brave in standing up to the bully Flashman (who has previously tortured him brutally), kind in taking the young boy George Arthur under his wing when asked to by Dr Arnold. His best friend is Harry “Scud” East.
The film's exteriors were shot on location at Rugby School, giving the picture its strong flavour of authenticity.
Dr Arnold picks Tom to look after Arthur because he saw him at a distance, scared, lonely on his first day, shy to make friends, and he had gone to the chapel to pray (see photo above):
Dr Arnold: I debated some time before I chose you for the task. Do you remember the first day that you came here and you went into the chapel alone and you knelt down and prayed?
Tom: Yes, sir.
Dr Arnold: Well, that's just how young Arthur feels now.
Arthur’s father has died, and he is a lonely young and vulnerable young boy. Flashman tries to get him to act as a “fag” (servant) for him. Fagging was a traditional practice in British public schools and also at many other boarding schools, whereby younger pupils were required to act as personal servants to the eldest boys.
However Tom cleverly manages to get another older boy (Diggs) whom they have befriended to pre-emptively take on Arthur as a “fag” while not actually asking him to do anything. Tom meanwhile reassures Arthur that he is not to worry; he is being protected from the bully.
[A bit of personal history, at secondary school, a clever but rather shy boy was moved up a class, and a small group of our friends, including me, were asked by a senior master to keep an eye on him, make him welcome, and ensure he wasn’t bullied. There was an attempt to bully him, but we put a stop to it, and made him part of our science minded group. So this resonates very strongly with me!]
Unlike the 1940 movie, which really does not address the religious impetus behind Dr Arnold’s reforming the school, this movie really puts it at the heart and centre. And a key component of this is how prayer forms part of the backbone of the story.
The film looks at prayer for the sick, unanswered prayer, and how one just prayer might make a difference.
Being well brought up, Tom says his prayers at night, but his friend does not, and we don’t at first know why:
Tom: Why don't you ever say your prayers, Scud?
Scud: Because I don't want to, that's why.
Tom: Don't you believe in God?
Scud: That's got nothing to do with it.
Later on we will find the reason, but this is a pointer to what is to come.
Out one day, the boys witness a fight between Flashman and a young local farmer (Ned Taylor) – Flashman has been making unwanted advances towards her, and has been warned to stay away. He has not, and they have a terrific fight which ends with Flashman being knocked into the fast flowing river. Taylor has left Flashman to his fate, so Tom, Scud and Arthur go to rescue him – even a Flashman, cruel and vicious though he is, cannot be left to drown.
They manage to get Flashman out, but are soaked in the process. Arthur catches a chill, which develops unto a fever, which is life threatening.
In the assembly, Dr Arnold says a public prayer for him which is very much both a prayer for healing and a prayer for acceptance of God’s mercy, whatever that might be:
Let us pray.
Almighty and ever-loving God, maker of mankind,
who dost correct those whom thou dost love
and chastise everyone whom thou dost receive,
we beseech thee to have mercy on this, thy servant,
visited with thine hand,
and to grant that he may take his sickness patiently
and recover his bodily health,
if it be thy gracious will.
And whensoever his soul shall depart from the body
it may be without spot presented unto thee.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord... ..amen.
The boys whisper to each other, and there’s a degree of light humour within the gravity of the situation.
Boy1: He must be pretty sick for the Doctor to pray for him like that.
Boy2: It's practically a burial service.
Boy 1: Oh, shut up! It isn't! People pray for the sick lots of time. It's in the ordinary service.
Boy 2: Well, I'd feel jolly rum if I thought people were praying for ME!
Boy 1: Don't worry, nobody ever will. And if you snuffed it, the school would get a half holiday.
Although their code of honour prevents them from telling Dr Arnold about the altercation with Flashman, Tom approaches Dr Arnold after the service.
Dr Arnold: Yes, Brown?
Tom: Is he going to get well?
Dr Arnold: If it is God's will.
Tom: It's all my fault.
Dr Arnold: Arthur doesn't think so. He begged me to let you see him. If it were possible, I would.
Tom: Is there anything I can do, sir?
Dr Arnold: You can pray for him.
Tom has shown – in his kindness in protecting Arthur, in his courage fighting Flashman, that he can act when action is needed, but this narrative tells us that when no other action will help, prayer is the one action left. Sometimes that is all we can do.
Later, Tom discusses prayer with Scud:
Tom: But supposing Arthur doesn't get well?
Scud: It's just hard lines, that's all. We all have to die sometime.
Tom: Would you like to?
Scud: I wouldn't sit up and howl about it and expect everyone to go around praying for me. That's one thing that's certain.
Tom: Doesn't your mother want you to pray?
Scud: You leave my mother out of this! She's all right. There's nothing wrong with my mother!
Tom: I didn't say there was.
Scud: She went away because she was unhappy, not because she didn't care about... Go away and leave me alone, will you?
Tom: Yes, all right, if you want me to. I still think it would help if we said our prayers.
Scud: I once prayed for my mother to come back home. But she never came. There's no-one listening to you when you pray. There's no-one there.
Tom: Go back to bed. Arthur will be all right. Stop worrying.
Boys: Goodnight. Goodnight.
And now we have the truth of why Scud does not pray. His mother leaving the home- we are never told why – was heart-breaking to Scud when he was younger, and he prayed but nothing happened, so he has given up on prayer and developed a hard protective shell where that is concerned.
C.S. Lewis, in real life, prayed for his mother when he was very young, and she was dying of cancer. She died, and that was the trigger which caused him to lose his faith.
But now Tom looks from his bed and sees Scud is kneeling by his bed, now praying, after all.
Morning comes and Tom asks a college porter of any news:
Porter: Yes, Master Brown?
Tom: Have you heard how Arthur is this morning?
Porter: No, I ain't. That Dr Bates is still up there with him, been there all along, since midnight last night. And Dr Arnold, he ain't been to bed yet neither. And no-one's allowed near, nor in nor out. But I'll let you know as soon as I hear word.
Scud: I told you it wouldn't do any good. There's no-one listening to you when you pray.
The boys are summoned to Dr Arnold’s study where Flashman is standing. He gives his account of how they were fooling around and pushed Arthur in the water, and he rescued them. The boys say nothing, they will not betray the school code. But then Dr Arnold calls the farmer Ned Taylor in from the other room, and the true story comes out. Flashman’s lies are exposed, and he is sent way to gather his belongings and leave, expelled in disgrace.
After he has gone, Dr Arnold calls Tom and Scud to follow him to another room, where Mrs Arthur is waiting for them.
Dr Arnold: Mrs Arthur, this is Brown and this is East. (to Tom and Scud) This is Arthur's mother. She wished to meet you both.
Tom: How do you, ma'am?
Scud: How do you do, ma'am?
Mrs Arthur: How do you do, Tom?
Mrs Arthur: How do you do, Scud?
Mrs Arthur: My son insisted on my seeing you and I wanted to see you on my own account... to thank you.
Tom: To thank us?
Mrs Arthur: Last night, we thought my son was going to die but he's begun to get well. It was because he had something to live for, something he never had before he came here, something he lost when his father died...companionship and the protection that you've given him. He said I had to come and see you as soon as I could to say that he'll soon be up and about again. He wanted me to thank you for being with him all last night. Both of you.
Tom: What did he mean by that?
Mrs Arthur: He said that he fell into a sleep... and didn't want to wake up. And then you and Scud came to him and called him back.
Tom: We did? Then he's going to be all right?
Mrs Arthur: The doctor says the crisis is past and he'll mend steadily from now on.
Scud: Then there was someone there all the time.
Tom: He means when he prayed last night.
Mrs Arthur: Yes, there was someone there. He heard and answered. It must have been the one prayer He was waiting for.
Now as we all know, and as we see through Scud with his own mother, not all prayers are answered, and when it comes to healing the sick, as an example here, Dr Arnold’s prayer mirrors that of Gethsemane – “Let thy will be done”.
Yet this story, as it unfolds, also shows us how it may be presumptive to just write off prayer, to take it that no one is listening. Sometimes prayer is answered, and it may be that sometimes, our prayer is that one prayer that is needed.
[A bit of personal history, at secondary school, a clever but rather shy boy was moved up a class, and a small group of our friends, including me, were asked by a senior master to keep an eye on him, make him welcome, and ensure he wasn’t bullied. There was an attempt to bully him, but we put a stop to it, and made him part of our science minded group. So this resonates very strongly with me!]
Unlike the 1940 movie, which really does not address the religious impetus behind Dr Arnold’s reforming the school, this movie really puts it at the heart and centre. And a key component of this is how prayer forms part of the backbone of the story.
The film looks at prayer for the sick, unanswered prayer, and how one just prayer might make a difference.
Being well brought up, Tom says his prayers at night, but his friend does not, and we don’t at first know why:
Tom: Why don't you ever say your prayers, Scud?
Scud: Because I don't want to, that's why.
Tom: Don't you believe in God?
Scud: That's got nothing to do with it.
Later on we will find the reason, but this is a pointer to what is to come.
Out one day, the boys witness a fight between Flashman and a young local farmer (Ned Taylor) – Flashman has been making unwanted advances towards her, and has been warned to stay away. He has not, and they have a terrific fight which ends with Flashman being knocked into the fast flowing river. Taylor has left Flashman to his fate, so Tom, Scud and Arthur go to rescue him – even a Flashman, cruel and vicious though he is, cannot be left to drown.
They manage to get Flashman out, but are soaked in the process. Arthur catches a chill, which develops unto a fever, which is life threatening.
In the assembly, Dr Arnold says a public prayer for him which is very much both a prayer for healing and a prayer for acceptance of God’s mercy, whatever that might be:
Let us pray.
Almighty and ever-loving God, maker of mankind,
who dost correct those whom thou dost love
and chastise everyone whom thou dost receive,
we beseech thee to have mercy on this, thy servant,
visited with thine hand,
and to grant that he may take his sickness patiently
and recover his bodily health,
if it be thy gracious will.
And whensoever his soul shall depart from the body
it may be without spot presented unto thee.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord... ..amen.
The boys whisper to each other, and there’s a degree of light humour within the gravity of the situation.
Boy1: He must be pretty sick for the Doctor to pray for him like that.
Boy2: It's practically a burial service.
Boy 1: Oh, shut up! It isn't! People pray for the sick lots of time. It's in the ordinary service.
Boy 2: Well, I'd feel jolly rum if I thought people were praying for ME!
Boy 1: Don't worry, nobody ever will. And if you snuffed it, the school would get a half holiday.
Although their code of honour prevents them from telling Dr Arnold about the altercation with Flashman, Tom approaches Dr Arnold after the service.
Dr Arnold: Yes, Brown?
Tom: Is he going to get well?
Dr Arnold: If it is God's will.
Tom: It's all my fault.
Dr Arnold: Arthur doesn't think so. He begged me to let you see him. If it were possible, I would.
Tom: Is there anything I can do, sir?
Dr Arnold: You can pray for him.
Tom has shown – in his kindness in protecting Arthur, in his courage fighting Flashman, that he can act when action is needed, but this narrative tells us that when no other action will help, prayer is the one action left. Sometimes that is all we can do.
Later, Tom discusses prayer with Scud:
Tom: But supposing Arthur doesn't get well?
Scud: It's just hard lines, that's all. We all have to die sometime.
Tom: Would you like to?
Scud: I wouldn't sit up and howl about it and expect everyone to go around praying for me. That's one thing that's certain.
Tom: Doesn't your mother want you to pray?
Scud: You leave my mother out of this! She's all right. There's nothing wrong with my mother!
Tom: I didn't say there was.
Scud: She went away because she was unhappy, not because she didn't care about... Go away and leave me alone, will you?
Tom: Yes, all right, if you want me to. I still think it would help if we said our prayers.
Scud: I once prayed for my mother to come back home. But she never came. There's no-one listening to you when you pray. There's no-one there.
Tom: Go back to bed. Arthur will be all right. Stop worrying.
Boys: Goodnight. Goodnight.
And now we have the truth of why Scud does not pray. His mother leaving the home- we are never told why – was heart-breaking to Scud when he was younger, and he prayed but nothing happened, so he has given up on prayer and developed a hard protective shell where that is concerned.
C.S. Lewis, in real life, prayed for his mother when he was very young, and she was dying of cancer. She died, and that was the trigger which caused him to lose his faith.
But now Tom looks from his bed and sees Scud is kneeling by his bed, now praying, after all.
Morning comes and Tom asks a college porter of any news:
Porter: Yes, Master Brown?
Tom: Have you heard how Arthur is this morning?
Porter: No, I ain't. That Dr Bates is still up there with him, been there all along, since midnight last night. And Dr Arnold, he ain't been to bed yet neither. And no-one's allowed near, nor in nor out. But I'll let you know as soon as I hear word.
Scud: I told you it wouldn't do any good. There's no-one listening to you when you pray.
The boys are summoned to Dr Arnold’s study where Flashman is standing. He gives his account of how they were fooling around and pushed Arthur in the water, and he rescued them. The boys say nothing, they will not betray the school code. But then Dr Arnold calls the farmer Ned Taylor in from the other room, and the true story comes out. Flashman’s lies are exposed, and he is sent way to gather his belongings and leave, expelled in disgrace.
After he has gone, Dr Arnold calls Tom and Scud to follow him to another room, where Mrs Arthur is waiting for them.
Dr Arnold: Mrs Arthur, this is Brown and this is East. (to Tom and Scud) This is Arthur's mother. She wished to meet you both.
Tom: How do you, ma'am?
Scud: How do you do, ma'am?
Mrs Arthur: How do you do, Tom?
Mrs Arthur: How do you do, Scud?
Mrs Arthur: My son insisted on my seeing you and I wanted to see you on my own account... to thank you.
Tom: To thank us?
Mrs Arthur: Last night, we thought my son was going to die but he's begun to get well. It was because he had something to live for, something he never had before he came here, something he lost when his father died...companionship and the protection that you've given him. He said I had to come and see you as soon as I could to say that he'll soon be up and about again. He wanted me to thank you for being with him all last night. Both of you.
Tom: What did he mean by that?
Mrs Arthur: He said that he fell into a sleep... and didn't want to wake up. And then you and Scud came to him and called him back.
Tom: We did? Then he's going to be all right?
Mrs Arthur: The doctor says the crisis is past and he'll mend steadily from now on.
Scud: Then there was someone there all the time.
Tom: He means when he prayed last night.
Mrs Arthur: Yes, there was someone there. He heard and answered. It must have been the one prayer He was waiting for.
Now as we all know, and as we see through Scud with his own mother, not all prayers are answered, and when it comes to healing the sick, as an example here, Dr Arnold’s prayer mirrors that of Gethsemane – “Let thy will be done”.
Yet this story, as it unfolds, also shows us how it may be presumptive to just write off prayer, to take it that no one is listening. Sometimes prayer is answered, and it may be that sometimes, our prayer is that one prayer that is needed.
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