To Sir, with Love (1967)

Director:

James Clavell

Writers:

E.R. Braithwaite (novel)
James Clavell (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

14 June 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A story as fresh as the girls in their minis. . .and as tough as the kids from London's East End! [UK Theatrical]

Plot:

Idealistic engineer-trainee and his experiences in teaching a group of rambunctious white high school students from the slums of London's East End.

Plot Keywords:

School | Student | Teaching | Classroom | Teen

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

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 (as Christopher Chittell)
Adrienne Posta	...	Moira Joseph
Edward Burnham	...	Florian
Rita Webb	...	Mrs. Joseph
Fiona Duncan	...	Euphemia Phillips
Fred Griffiths	...	Mr. Clark
Mona Bruce	...	Josie Dawes

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | South Africa:(Banned) | South Africa:A (re rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Docklands, Poplar, London, England, UK

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The South African Publications Control Board banned this film, claiming that it was "offensive to see a Black male teaching a class of white children".

Goofs:

Continuity: When another student throws a can at Pamela, she is facing Thackery and defends against the object with her right hand. When Thackery catches the can a split second later, Pam now has her back to Thackery, defends with her left hand, and has to turn completely around to respond to him.

Quotes:

Barbara Pegg: Sir, have you ever been really really broke?
Mark Thackeray: Yes. Yes I have.
Pamela Dare: Sir, you're like us... but not. It's funny.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "In Plain Sight: To Serge with Love (#1.10)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

To Sir, With Love

This may be the ultimate movie about a teacher.

As one of the movies (along with "In the Heat of the Night" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner") that made 1967 Sidney Poitier's annus mirabilis, "To Sir, with Love" shows a man forced to take charge in a less-than-pleasant situation. Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, a Guyanese engineer hired to teach in a high school in a rough London neighborhood. The students not only have little interest in school, but are not quite ready to be taught by a black man. Mark is forced to show the students that he will not tolerate insubordination.

Poitier did great in this role, with good support from the rest of the cast (including Lulu, who sang the theme song). It affirms his status as one of the greatest actors in movie history. And also, I hope that nobody tries to compare this with "Dangerous Minds"; the latter was in my opinion an insult. "To Sir, with Love" was a masterpiece.