During my formative teenage years, I developed a fondness
for the British cinema of the mid-to-late 1960s. These films spanned several
genres: the serious spy film (
The Deadly Affair); social satire (
Nothing But
the Best); quirky thriller (
Bunny Lake Is Missing); and pop culture comedy
(
Georgy Girl). The only thing they shared was a healthy dose of cynicism and
impeccable British casts. So, it seems ironic that one of my favorite films of
this period is an upbeat, almost sentimental, tale starring a mainstream
American actor:
To Sir, With Love.
 |
| Sidney Poitier as Mr. Thackeray. |
In a role seemingly tailored for him, Sidney Poitier plays
Mark Thackeray, a young engineer looking for a job. Unable to find one in his
chosen profession, he accepts temporary employment as a teacher in an
inner-city London school. It’s a bleak situation—the students are out of
control, most of the teachers are burned out, and the school reflects the
poverty of the surrounding neighborhood.
Thackeray’s initial attempts to reach his students fail
miserably. He finally concludes that the teens act childish because they’re
treated as children. He starts showing them respect and demands the same of
them. He tosses out the curriculum and teaches his students about life. In the
end, Thackeray becomes a teacher and his students become adults.
 |
| Judy Geeson as Pamela Dare. |
Cynics will no doubt criticize
To Sir, With Love as
simple-minded and obvious. Perhaps, it is, but the story is put across with
such conviction and professionalism that it’s impossible to ignore its many
charms. In particular, a subplot involving an attractive student (Judy Geeson)
who develops a crush on Thackeray is handled impeccably. Its only flaw is that
Poitier and Geeson have such a natural chemistry that one almost wishes a
romance could work out between them (but then,
To Sir, With Love would have been
a very different film).
 |
Lulu--she was once married to Bee Gee
Maurice Gibb. |
The film’s theme, sung by Lulu (who plays one of the
students), became a huge hit. Director James Clavell must have recognized the
song’s potential—it’s heard multiple times throughout the picture. In one scene,
it’s played over a montage of Thackeray taking his students to a museum. The
scene looks very much like one of the world’s first music videos.
Sidney Poitier stands out as one of my favorite actors of
the 1960s, with memorable performances in
A Patch of Blue,
Lilies of the Field,
and
In the Heat of the Night. Judy Geeson went on to play a major role in the
vastly entertaining British miniseries
Poldark and
Poldark II. When my wife and
I were in London in 1987, we saw Lulu in a production of the stage musical
Peter Pan. She played Peter and still sounded great.
Sidney Poitier reprised his role as Mark Thackeray in the 1996 made-for-TV movie
To Sir With Love II, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The plot has Mr. Thackeray retiring from teaching in England, only to start anew at a Chicago inner-city school. It's pleasant enough, thanks to Poitier, but my recommendation is to stick with the original.
