"The History Boys" is a brainy, invigorating, and inspirational English film that was a big hit overseas. It’s also the second terrific film this year centered on an excellent but flawed instructor (the other was "Half Nelson"). Both films also convey a love of learning for its own sake.

"The History Boys" is based on a beloved play with the same title by Alan Bennett, and it retains the same cast as the theatrical version. The film deletes large chunks of the play (a whole hour) but still manages to reproduce its charm and intellectual energy.

The film uses its 1983 setting as an excuse to pack the soundtrack with great ‘80s songs by The Clash, Echo and the Bunnymen, New Order and The Cure, but there are a few contemporary numbers that don't belong on the CD or film. Still, it has one of the best soundtracks of the year.

"The History Boys" is about a maverick instructor named Hector (Richard Griffiths) at preppy boys’ school in the ‘80s. He’s obese, challenging, and eccentric. He also rides a motorcycle and endlessly quotes great poetry.

He firmly agrees with A.E. Houseman who wrote: "All human knowledge is precious whether or not it serves the slightest human use." If Hector were around today he might be on the endangered species list.

But Hector also has a dark side. He seems to get a sexual charge out of taking students out for intimate rides on his motorcycle, and his inappropriate behavior eventually becomes an issue in the film.

His job is to prepare some promising but uncouth students for Oxford. He uses creative teaching methods and actually encourages them to think for themselves. But the head master is a typical administrator who wants to dismiss Hector because his teaching style does not produce quantifiable results.

Hector’s foil is Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore) who is a much more "efficient" and younger instructor. He is more "clever" but less imaginative than Hector, and he is all about test results. For Hector, being a teacher is a vocation and for Irwin, it’s just another career choice.

Irwin seems to represent many qualities associated with people that came of age in the Thatcher era. He cuts all the frills and off focus discussions out of learning just like Thatcher slashed government programs. But we sometimes get the feeling that he threw the baby out with the bath water.

Both Irwin and Hector are attracted to male students, and it’s implied that Hector’s wife does not mind his male dalliances. Some viewers may be shocked at the nonchalant attitude of the film towards student/teacher flirtation.

But the out of the closet author, Bennett, seems to be merely saying that these things sometimes happen in all male environments.

"The History Boys" has much going for it. Unlike many films about education this movie actually has respect for learning, and it attempts to show on-screen what the teacher does in the classroom. Also, the dialog sparkles and the conversations are wonderful. These high school students have more interesting things to say than most PhD candidates, and their curiosity has not been destroyed by the system yet.

This makes it contrast with the over rated "Dead Poets Society," which was more about grandstanding than teaching, and reduced the role of English teacher to stand-up comic.

If "The History Boys" is successful enough, we will probably see a soulless, dumbed down American version starring some Hollywood idiot like Robin Williams as the instructor. Do yourself a big favor and see this version instead.