Tom (Albert Finney) is the rollicking playboy who has grown up in the house of Squire Allworthy (George Devine) after being born under the hushed whispers of illegitimate circumstances. He has eyes for the girl next door, but Sophie (Susannah York) is promised to another. When she rejects the older, unscrupulous groom, Tom is accused of a crime he didn't commit after Sophie publicly declares her love for him. Tom runs off to London where he is housed by Mrs. Waters (Joyce Redmon), who may or may not be his real mother and now goes by the name of Jenny Jones. They sit down to a hilariously funny and erotic scene at a dinner table. Nothing is spoken as the food becomes symbolic of their upcoming sexual passion. Tom looks for a napkin to wipe his hands after the meal and ends up using his hair. Jenny offers to teach him some of the more refined aspects of London's social elite. Tom later escapes the gallows after he is cleared of any wrongdoing. Written by Henry Fielding in 1749, the author gained a new legion of followers after the popularity of the film. Nominated for ten Academy Awards, Tom Jones received Oscars for best picture, screenplay, direction and musical score. It remains a bawdy comedy of lighthearted sexual escapades and vaulted Finney to international stardom.
