TO SIR WITH LOVE

REVIEWED BY LINDSAY GRAHAM

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: mild profanity, implied adultery, rebelliousness

Rated:

Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) is an out of work engineer and when people aren’t knocking down the door to acquire his services in that field, he finds little else to do but choose to take a teaching position in London’s notoriously rough East End. At first the students are little more than silently rebellious, yet soon he faces a classroom filled with rowdy, undisciplined, blue-collar teenagers, and soon begins to realize that perhaps engineering was simpler than attempting to tame a group of students completely devoid of respect. At every corner, the three leaders of the classroom – Denham (Christian Roberts), Pamela (Judy Geeson), and Barbara (Lulu) -- attempt to rid themselves of Mr. Thackeray by breaking his spirit as they did his predecessor’s. Yet Thackeray is far from being a stranger to hostility, all his life he has been battling prejudice and presumptions, and he meets the challenge. Making himself involved in their lives of his students, Mr. Thackeray begins treating them as adults instead of children and finally begins to make a breakthrough.  Preparing them to enter a world where they will stand or fall of their own accord. Yet with a female student beginning to fall in love with him, a tough hoodlum still at odds, and an engineering job finally in sight, what decisions will Mr. Thackeray make when the school year is completed and how will he continue to make a difference in the lives of his students? 

To Sir with Love is a classic that has charmed audiences since it’s premiere in 1967. It’s the film that gave Lulu a hit song and made Sidney Poitier even more popular than he already was, yet this ‘60’s favorite is not without it’s flaws. There are a few mild profanities, both British and otherwise – the most offensive being, less than half a dozen uses of da--, ba-----, and one muted use of bi---. Something else that viewers will be wary of is the presence of several nude statues during a museum outing, a few inappropriate dance moves, and some racial remarks made by an unkempt schoolteacher and a few of the students at North Quay. As for the obvious attraction that a student has for Mr. Thackeray, it really is nothing more than a schoolgirl crush and Mr. Thackeray is nothing less than an honorable gentleman, therefore I feel that even the most stringent of viewers will not be offended by it. Otherwise, there is an implication that a student found her mother, a divorcee’, in adultery, and while Thackeray is on a bus, we catch snippets of a conversation that a widow has with some of her friends and there is one or two remarks made in reference to sex, thankfully they really aren’t too noticeable. As for violence, someone is injured in a gym class and a man is threatened with a piece of sharp wood.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have watched To Sir with Love and it has become a part of my family ever since my father saw it in theatres as a homesick lad stationed in Texas. Throughout the film, Mr. Thackeray is an instructor to all of us in how to live, that manners and respect should be intrinsic qualities of every human regardless of their status or pocketbook. In everyone that Mr. Thackeray’s life touches, definite character development takes place, and always in the right direction. All in all, I love To Sir with Love. True, it does have its flaws, but I believe that the life lessons the film extends, save it from being less than worthwhile. I recommend it most highly. Yet, for family viewing, this film may prove inappropriate. I did watch it as a child, but the content issues eluded me and my parents protected me from the profanity, as a general rule the complex issues, make the film somewhat unsuitable for children, yet I will leave it to your discretion.

With flawless acting, excellent messages, and a beautiful story, To Sir with Love, is a film to fall in love with over and over again.

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