Directed by: James Clavell
Starring: Sidney Poitier, Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson
This is why I like TCM. I never would’ve thought to watch a movie like this, but it just happened to be on, so there you go. And, even though I only gave it two stars, it was actually a pretty good movie.
Sidney Poitier is a teacher in a slummish part of a British town, and he decides to straighten up his class of cockney brats. Sound like a familiar story? Probably, since it’s pretty much the same story as any other movie that involves a teacher coming into a poor neighborhood to teach. Of which there are quite a lot. Is this the first? I have no idea. Honestly, I don’t much care. I’m so worn out from seeing these kinds of movies in school (ironically, in lieu of actual teaching…), that I could easily go the rest of my life not seeing another one.
However, Poitier is amazing in this film. To nobody’s surprise, I’m sure. His quiet, yet commanding presence is perfect for a teacher who wants to prepare his class for their lives and not just go through the paces and read through the books. And once you get the hang of their obnoxious accents, even a couple of the kids do a pretty good job. One thing I didn’t quite get was how old the kids were supposed to be, since they all seemed to be in their early 20’s, and sometimes it seemed like it was supposed to be a middle school or something, but that really didn’t matter.
The point is that I didn’t like it because I’ve seen a ton of other movies with the same formula, but I can certainly see how it could appeal to others. I just… I’m not really sure who those others would be, haha. Maybe teachers looking to show a good movie about teaching instead of teaching themselves?
Films in Boxes 
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