To Sir, with Love

To Sir, with Love is a 1967 motion picture of social comment, written and directed by James Clavell based on a novel of the same name by E.R. Braithwaite.

Table of contents

1 Production 2 Cultural impact 3 Plot summary 4 External links

Production

The film was shot in London, England.

Cultural impact

The film is very much in a, now established, genre in which an idealistic teacher is confronted with a class of cynical teenagers, disengaged by conventional schooling. The first such film had been Blackboard Jungle in 1955, a film in which, incidentally, Poitier played a disruptive pupil. The present film makes a departure in that is sets Poitier, an African American teacher, in a predominantly white London school. Perhaps oddly, little is made of racial issues and the film concentrates on the usual tropes of teenage angst and inspirational leadership. The film very much portrays a sanitised and fictional Swinging London. Issues of sexual infatuation between a pupil and teacher were rather less sensitive in the 1960s than they were to become in the 21st century, as evidenced by the rather provocative strapline A story as fresh as the girls in their minis.

Subsequent films that exploited the inspiriational teacher drama theme include: Stand and Deliver (1988), Lean on Me and Dead Poets Society (both in 1989), and Dangerous Minds (1995).

Plot summary

Warning: Plot details follow.

Mark Thackeray (Poitier) has trained as an engineer and is seeking a job that will test his skill and learning. While engaged in search for an appointment, he takes a teaching job in an inner-city school and is appalled to find that his class is unenthusiastic about learning of achievement. He finds all his personal skills tested in engaging and inspiring the class while avoiding the sexual advances of one of the female pupils (Lulu). Ultimately, he has to decide whether engineering or teaching will provide the most rewarding test of his skill and abilities.

External links

• To Sir, with Love tribute site with stills from the film
• Lyrics of the theme song as sung by Lulu