While John Howard Davies is recognized for his role as Oliver Twist in David Lean’s well-known film, his performance as the central figure in this adaptation of Thomas Hughes’ narrative about a boy attending Rugby School in the 1830s feels somewhat lacking to me. The story involves encounters with bullies, harsh treatment, and eventually compassion. Robert Newton delivers a strong showing as Dr. Arnold, who thinks that the existing, rather severe teaching methods should be left behind, and he along with Tom Brown work toward making changes. This film doesn't adhere closely to the novel; however, it manages to communicate much of its feeling through the performances of the two main actors, in addition to a believable portrayal by John Forrest as his adversary, Flashman. I personally found the 1940 version more appealing, but they are quite similar.

Source on TMDB