To Sir, with Love (1967) Directed by James Clavell
Drama
Film Review
One of the most successful films in the sub-genre in which an
idealistic young teacher turns around a rebellious class of no-hopers, To Sir, with Love is memorable for
two things: a superlative performance from Sidney Poitier (totally
convincing in the lead role) and the theme song (sung by Lulu in her
film debut) which went on to become a chart topper. Sanitised to
what now appears ludicrous proportions, the film is seriously lacking
in realism but overflows with charm and good intentions.
You could easily believe the film was made by the Department of
Education to boost teacher recruitment.
Remarkably, To Sir, with Love
was an extraordinary box office hit. Even the film's distributors
couldn't work out why it was so successful: it cost a mere $0.6 million
to make but grossed over $19 million through its international
release. Today the film sometimes feels almost unbearably kitsch and corny,
yet it still delivers a palpable emotional punch, and
its underlying themes, such as racial tolerance and adults
winning the cooperation of youngsters through mutual respect, are still
highly relevant. Poitier's dignified portrayal of a teacher
who fought and won the class war on two fronts is an inspiration to us all.
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Film Synopsis
Unable to find work as an engineer, science graduate Mark Thackeray
takes a temporary job as a teacher in a rough East London school.
Mark is black, a native of British Guyana, but this is the least of his
problems when he takes on a class of disruptive teenagers who are
determined to break his spirit. At first, it looks as if the
unwilling students are going to win, but Mark decides to try another,
less orthodox. approach to teaching. Putting the text books to
one side, he decides to offer practical advice and experience, to
better prepare his pupils for the adult world which they shall be
joining in a few weeks' time. Mark's fellow teachers are
sceptical that he will succeed but he perseveres, and his results
exceed even his expectations...
Cast:Sidney Poitier (Mark Thackeray),
Christian Roberts (Denham),
Judy Geeson (Pamela Dare),
Suzy Kendall (Gillian Blanchard),
Ann Bell (Mrs. Dare),
Geoffrey Bayldon (Theo Weston),
Faith Brook (Grace Evans),
Patricia Routledge (Clinty Clintridge),
Chris Chittell (Potter),
Adrienne Posta (Moira Joseph),
Edward Burnham (Florian),
Rita Webb (Mrs. Joseph),
Fiona Duncan (Euphemia Phillips),
Fred Griffiths (Mr. Clark),
Mona Bruce (Josie Dawes),
Marianne Stone (Gert),
Dervis Ward (Mr. Bell (P.T. Teacher)),
Peter Atard (Ingham),
Grahame Charles (Fernman),
Michael Des Barres (Williams (also as Micheal Des Barres))
Country: UK
Language: English
Support: Color
Runtime: 105 min
The best of Indian cinema
Forget Bollywood, the best of India's cinema is to be found elsewhere, most notably in the extraordinary work of Satyajit Ray.
Science-fiction came into its own in B-movies of the 1950s, but it remains a respected and popular genre, bursting into the mainstream in the late 1970s.