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
Marianne Stone	...	Gert
Dervis Ward	...	Mr. Bell (P.T. Teacher)
Peter Atard	...	Ingham (as Peter Attard)
Sally James		(as Sally Cann)
Grahame Charles	...	Fernman
Michael Des Barres	...	Williams (also as Micheal Des Barres)
Margaret Heald
Ellison Kemp
Albert Lampert
Chitra Neogy
Elna Pearl
Bonnie Lythgoe		(as Bonita Shawe)
Anthony Villaroel	...	Seales
Richard Willson	...	Curly
Stewart Bevan
Carla Challoner
Joseph Cuby
Sally Gosselin
Kevin Hubbard
Howard Knight
Lynne Sue Moon	...	Miss Wong
Jane Peach
Gareth Robinson	...	Tich Jackson
Roger Shepherd	...	'Fats' Buckley
Stephen Whittaker
Ric Rothwell	...	Band member (drums, vocals) (as 'The Mindbenders')
Bob Lang	...	Band member (bassist) (as 'The Mindbenders')
Eric Stewart	...	Band membr (guitar, vocals) (as 'The Mindbenders')
Lulu	...	Barbara 'Babs' Pegg (as 'Lulu')
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cyril Shaps	...	Mr. Pinkus (uncredited)
Donna Shawe	...	Miss (uncredited)

Directed by
James Clavell

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

Produced by
James Clavell	....	producer
John R. Sloan	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ron Grainer

Cinematography by
Paul Beeson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Thornton

Art Direction by
Tony Woollard

Makeup Department
Jill Carpenter	....	makeup artist
Betty Glasow	....	hairdresser

Production Management
Basil Rayburn	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ted Sturgis	....	assistant director

Art Department
Ian Whittaker	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Dino Di Campo	....	sound editor
Ted Karnon	....	sound recordist
Bert Ross	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Harry Gillam	....	camera operator

Casting Department
Harvey Woods	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Wilson-Apperson	....	wardrobe supervisor (as John Wilson Apperson)

Editorial Department
David Campling	....	assistant editor
George White	....	montage
Michael R. Sloan	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Mike Leander	....	arranger: title song
Philip Martell	....	conductor

Other crew
Yvonne Richards	....	continuity
Laurie Ridley	....	montage stills
Dennis C. Stone	....	montage stills

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)
• Columbia British Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1967) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia-Bavaria Filmgesellschaft m.b.H. (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1971) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video Ltd. (1988) (UK) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video Ltd. (1991) (UK) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (France) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• C.T.S. Studios  recorded at (as C.T.S. Studios London)
• National Screen Service  titles

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 London bus that appears in several sequences at the start of the film, LLU 829, and in some later sequences, still survives today as a preserved vintage vehicle, and can be seen at the East Anglia Transport Museum, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft, England.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Boom mic shadow visible at the top left of the screen (on the white arches) when Mark Thackeray is at home opening his post and receives the job offer.

Quotes:

Mark Thackeray: It seems that you know so little, and are so easily amused, that I can look forward to a very happy time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The King of Queens: Strike Too (#3.6)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

It's Getting Harder All The Time

An Underrated Poitier Vehicle

Recorded on a budget of just $640,000, To Sir, With Love was drafted, as with Lilies of the Field, to give Sidney a share of the gross profits to account for his diminished fee. Writer-director Clavell also received the same arrangement, a writer who was chosen for his love of the source material. The rights to the source, an identically-named novel by E. R. Braithwaite, had passed from studio to studio, and been offered to numerous stars before finally getting the green light when in the hands of Columbia President Mike Frankovich.

Poitier noted in his autobiography the similarities in terms of racial issues between America and England. Filmed in London, the picture featured a number of minorities, many of whom, he observed, would be unable to find work outside of the confines of the movie. However, for his time spent with the cast, he was delighted with their company. Sidney played Mark Thackeray, one of his most famous characters, an engineer taking a teaching post as a stopgap between jobs. Eventually the relationship he develops with the students causes him to question his loyalty to the profession.

To Sir, With Love is often frowned upon nowadays due to its sentimentality. While not wholly condemned as a film, it is certainly regarded as the poor relation of Poitier's three 1967 works. This is an unfair assessment of a movie that commits the only crime of having its heart on its sleeve. And, though the late sixties would see an increase in the political situation, To Sir, With Love was the only one of the three Poitier vehicles that year that did not rely upon his colour for its subtext. Instead, a few bigoted remarks were inserted, largely from a fellow teacher (Geoffrey Bayldon as Mr. Weston) than the pupils. Compared to his other overshadowing works that year, direction paled, too, the camera-work at times almost static. However, the scope for Poitier as an actor was broader than in the other '67 roles, and certainly broader than in the 1996 TV sequel. Where there the plot would be propelled largely by one pupil, here multiple characters would be guided through numerous situations over an entire term period. Over the course of the lengthy film the viewer can feel as though they have experienced the timescale too. And who would argue that the sheer amount of silly moves Sidney and Judy Geeson perform in the final ball didn't directly influence Travolta and Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction?