The romantic and chivalrous adventures of adopted bastard Tom Jones in 18th-century England.
In eighteenth-century England, Tom, the bastard son of one of Squire Allworthy's servants Jenny Jones and the local barber Partridge, is raised by virtuous Allworthy as his own son, after he sent Jenny away. Tom Jones is educated along with Allworthy's son, Master Blifil, educated in privilege in the western countryside, but they could not be more different in nature. Tom is handsome and randy, chasing anything in a skirt, has a sexual relationship on the sly with Molly Seagrim, the daughter of Allworthy's gamekeeper and his peasant wife. The girl appears pregnant and the father could be anyone, including Tom. Tom is kind-hearten and good nature, willing to defend that and those in which he believes. Blifil, on the other hand, is dour, and although outwardly pious, is cold-hearten and vengeful. Tom eventually falls in love with Sophie Western, the daughter of a neighbor landowner, who has just returned to the area after a few years abroad. Despite Sophie's love for Tom, Squire Western and his spinster sister would rather see Sophie marry Blifil rather than a bastard, who Western nonetheless liked before he knew that Tom liked Sophie. Based on half truths, Blifil convinces Allworthy to order Tom to leave his home and strike out on his own in London. While Sophie sneaks away in search of Tom, and Squire Western and Miss Western go off in search of Sophie, Tom gets into one misadventure after another on his way to London, some involving his randy nature, and some which will reveal certain aspects of his life previously unknown to him. Through it all, Sophie, deep down, is never far from his mind, even when his life is in danger - through mistaken identities, good deeds, sword fights... and lusty women.—Huggo
Tom Jones, abandoned as a baby in mysterious circumstances, is brought up by Squire Allworthy. Resented by Allworthy's legitimate heir Blifil, Tom grows into an amiable rascal, fond of the fair sex. He loves Squire Western's daughter Sophie, but when discovered by his tutors with a local girl Molly, he is banished by his benefactor. After numerous adventures he reaches London and embarks on an affair with the wealthy Lady Bellaston while Squire Western's sister has arranged a marriage between Sophie and Blifil. Horrified, Sophie escapes to London, meeting up with her cousin Mrs. Fitspatrick who is also running away from her husband. Mr. Fitzpatrick follows them and suspects Tom of having seduced his runaway wife.—alfiehitchie
In the early 18th-century West Country of England, Squire Allworthy (GEORGE DEVINE), a local landowner, finds an abandoned baby in his bed. He assumes that the child is the result of a coupling between his unwed servants, Jenny Jones (JOYCE REDMAN, later, J. FINNEY) and Partridge (JACK MACGOWRAN). Squire Allworthy fires both and plans to raise the boy as his own, a playmate for his heir son Blifil (DAVID WARNER).
Flash-forward, and the foster child has grown up to be Tom Jones (ALBERT FINNEY), a manly and popular young fellow with no trace of guile in his nature but an underlying glint in his eye. Tom Jones spends a great deal of his time trifling with women, including the local bawd, Molly Seagram (DIANE CILENTO).
Molly gets pregnant, and is reviled by her parents and elder daughters, and doesn't say who the father is - Tom being a suspect.After attending the religious service, a small group of peasant women, led by the zealot Goody Brown (BARBARA HICKS), attack Molly in the churchyard; she fights an unsuccessful brief battle, and takes a beating with cabbage, tomatoes, and mud. She's saved from worth by the intervention of Tom.
Tom dearly loves the prim, chaste Sophie Western (SUSANNAH YORK), daughter of the wealthy Squire Western (HUGH GRIFFITH), an old lecher and a hypocrite. Tom Jones' behavior cause Sophie's aunt, Miss Western (EDITH EVANS) to push her to marry Blifil, a sleaze who is twice the cad Squire Western is. Blifil secretly envies Tom Jones' happy-go-lucky ways and his abilities at effortlessly attracting the opposite sex. Bilfil enjoys more the landowners' life style, as during a huge stag hunt at the estate of Squire Western.
Sophie and Squire Western are to be wed, but she balks and tells one and all that Tom Jones is the man for her. Squire Western is publicly embarrassed at having been thus rejected and enlists his avaricious teachers, Square (JOHN MOFFATT) and Thwackum (PETER BULL), to help him heap abuse on Tom Jones and accuse him of a crime he didn't commit. Squire Allworthy believes that accusation and sends Tom Jones off to London in shame.
Tom Jones takes it with a shrug and goes toward the big city. On his trip, he meets Jenny Jones, now using another name, and the two of them engage in a forty-dishes meal at a roadside inn, sitting across from each other, staring into each others' eyes as they rip food apart and stuff it in their mouths in an orgy of passion, prior to jumping into bed to fulfill their unpressed desires.(The fact that she may be his mother is implied in the undercurrent of the hysterical sequence.)
Once in London, Tom Jones meets a peeress Lady Bellaston (JOAN GREENWOOD), who also lusts for him, and he adjusts his style of lovemaking to meet her more refined needs. At the same time, she attempts to teach him some of the gentlemanly ways he'll need in order to succeed in London.
In the West Country, Sophie is pining away for the love of Tom Jones, and leaves the area with a cousin, Mrs. Fitzpatrick (Rosalind Knight) trapped in a bad marriage to Mr. Fitzpatrick (George A. Cooper).
In London, Lord Fellamar (David Tomlinson) puts a move on Sophie. Mr. Fitzpatrick arrives, searching for his wife, convinced that Tom Jones has abducted his wife. There's a sword battle between Tom Jones and the husband, who thinks wrongly that he's been cuckolded. Mr. Fitzpatrick is hurt during the duel.
Squire Western, still smarting over Sophie's rejection, frames Tom Jones on a robbery rap, and Tom Jones is placed in the shadows of the noose. Just before they slip the rope around his neck, Squire Western is shown to be the perpetrator of the phony charges.
Innocent, Tom Jones is welcomed back into Squire Allworthy's arms, and now the youth learns that Jenny wasn't his mother after all. It was Squire Allworthy's late sister Bridget (Rachel Kempson) who bore the lad, thus making Tom Jones his blood nephew.
Tom Jones and Sophie look forward to their marriage.
