In the 1963 film *Tom Jones*, directed by Tony Richardson, the title is significant as both a reflection of the protagonist's identity and a meta-textual nod to the 18th-century literary tradition from which it originated.
### Significance of the Title
* **The "Everyman" Identity:** The name "Tom Jones" was chosen by author Henry Fielding to be intentionally common. In the 18th century, "Jones" was one of the most ordinary surnames in England. By giving his hero such a plain name, Fielding (and subsequently the film) emphasizes that Tom is a "natural man"—a character driven by instinct, appetite, and honest emotion rather than the rigid, artificial social codes of the aristocracy.
* **The "Foundling" Subtext:** The full title of the source novel is *The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling*. The name itself is a mark of his mysterious origins; he is given the surname "Jones" because Squire Allworthy mistakenly believes his mother is a servant named Jenny Jones. The title signifies the central conflict of the plot: Tom’s struggle to establish an identity and "history" for himself despite being an illegitimate outcast (a "foundling") in a class-obsessed society.
* **A "History" as Narrative:** By titling the work after the character, the film adopts the "biographical" style of early English novels (like *Robinson Crusoe* or *Moll Flanders*). It signals that the plot is not just a series of events, but a comprehensive "history" of a single life from birth to maturity.
### Direct References by Characters
While characters frequently use the name "Tom Jones" in-universe, the film is famous for its **meta-fictional** style where the title and the nature of the "story" are referenced through the following devices:
1. **Squire Allworthy’s Naming Scene:** Early in the film, during the silent-film-style opening, Squire Allworthy discovers the abandoned baby. He explicitly provides the character with his name, saying (via intertitle), **"I shall name him Tom Jones."** This is the most direct in-universe "origin" of the title.
2. **The Narrator (Micheál Mac Liammóir):** The film features an unseen, omniscient narrator who frequently references "our hero" and discusses the "history" of Tom Jones. He directly addresses the audience to frame the story as a literary adaptation, occasionally commenting on Tom’s "nature" as though reviewing the character's progress in a book.
3. **Fourth Wall Breaks:** While characters do not explicitly say "Welcome to the movie *Tom Jones*," they reference the audience’s presence directly.
* **Albert Finney (Tom Jones):** In a famous scene, Tom notices the camera following him and **covers the lens with his hat**, effectively acknowledging the film as a constructed medium.
* **Mrs. Waters (Jenny Jones):** Later in the film, she breaks the fourth wall to deliver a rapid-fire monologue to the camera to explain the complex plot twist involving Tom’s parentage, essentially acknowledging that the "history" of the character needs clarification for the viewer.
4. **Silent Film Intertitles:** The film’s opening uses intertitles that present the "history" of the foundling in a way that mirrors the chapter headings of Fielding's novel, directly placing the title and its context (the "History") before the audience's eyes.
In summary, the title is significant because it defines Tom as a representative of "common humanity." While characters mostly use the name as a standard designation, the film's **narrator and fourth-wall-breaking techniques** turn the title into a self-aware label for the "history" the audience is watching.