Directed by:
Richard BrooksScreenplay:
Richard BrooksCinematography:
Russell HarlanComposer:
Charles WolcottCast:
Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern, Margaret Hayes, John Hoyt, Richard Kiley, Warner Anderson, Basil Ruysdael, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow, Paul Mazursky (more)VOD (1)
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Richard Dadier, a new teacher at inner city North Manual High, is a man eager to make a difference. Topics such as racial and sexual tensions, gang violence and apathy were topics Blackboard Jungle tackled 50 years ago that are still hot-button issues in schools. Glenn Ford as Dadier clings to his ideals and pays a price vying with teen misfits led by Vic Morrow and, in a star-making performance, a young Sidney Poitier. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (2)
The film can be criticized for possibly ending up somewhat naive, but it does show the harsh side of the education system, which is chilling even after years. The film is not explicit, but even what we see here is sufficient. Glenn Ford is great, but the same can be said for his young colleagues, led by Sidney Poitier and Vic Morrow, who is truly despicable in his role.
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Evan Hunter's (Ed McBain) 1954 re-write of the novel of the same name may still be of interest today for several reasons. For example, the highly polarized issue of public education in the era of the rising rock and roll youth (the classic "Rock Around the Clock" is heard in the credits) or the issues of employment of war veterans, and then we have the young Sidney Poitier, etc. The overall experience is thus framed by the period aesthetics and approach to life. The secondary storyline depicts the situation of a pregnant wife who is coping very badly with anonymity and jealousy and yet would be willing to sacrifice her second child for a better tomorrow.
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