Review of To Sir, with Love (1967) by Glenn C — 30 May 2012

A new teacher is confronted by a classroom of delinquent and disruptive teenagers... well all know the genre because it's been done over and over with each generation embracing it as though its something fresh.

To Sir With Love was one of the forerunners and helped shape the mould. 'Blackboard Jungle' was actually the first but To Sir With Love further fashioned it into a formula worth repeating. For me it's one of the best and none of the others have come as close to affectively showing the transformation of students.

There's a wonderful montage midway into the film which shows the class on a day trip to the museum. The images are powerful with a real sense of wonder and curiosity captured on the faces of the students.

The other thing that strikes me about this over the countless clone mo...vies is that it points the finger at adults. With a school full of troublesome teenagers, they are surrounded by a faculty of teachers who loath them and bare no belief in them whatsoever.

How can kids be inspired if there is no faith and respect for them? Sidney Poitier is always amazing and his role as Thackery is inspiring. This is a great film that's spirit has travelled throughout decades of replications such as Lean On Me, Stand & Deliver, Dangerous Minds and Freedom Writers.

.. few people know that Sidney Poitier returned 30 years later for a sequel directed by Peter Bogdonovich. While it was unnecessary, it was still a curious and engaging movie showing the similarities between the 1960s teenager and the 1990s teenager.