Tom Brown's School Days

Plush Hollywood production values (including atmospheric photography by cameraman Nicholas Musuraca, soon to be become legendary for his work on film noirs) combine with offbeat casting (such as Dead End Kid Billy Halop as Flashman) and the bold decision to cast an actor rather than a star as the inspiring Dr.Arnold.

The film begins and ends with a reminder that Arnold himself died in only his 47th year, and nearly two centuries later bullying remains (as he himself says) "a tradition in our schools". Still going strong, alas.