To Sir, With Love

Rating:
Summary: I love this movie...
Review: A friend introduced me to it many years ago. I never thanked him, but I watch this movie often. A very touching movie in many ways. An excellent example of Mr Poitier's (sp?) skills. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: sidney poitier is excellent
Review: an excellent performance by sidney poitier who takes up the roll of mr.braithwaite , a courageous nergro scool teacher caught in the tweezer grip of prejudice in london ,and who narrates his story brilliantly,...if you were a negro you would find merely existing would provide you with more excitement than you would ever care for... he further writes ....had you been pimp pansy or moron it would not have mattered if you had been saved from the greatest sin of all, the sin of being born black.... that was england shortly after the great world war 2, after demobilisation from the RAF the glorious undying few .

a true story ofcorse. capt yeshwanth raj at chennai , india email:[e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: One for the kids.
Review: A 60's piece that is great even for young kids today to watch. DOn't know how anyone can not have a tightness in the throat when Lulu sings at the end.

Rating:
Summary: A BEAUTIFUL FILM
Review: "To Sir With Love" was a beautiful story about a black teacher, Sidney Poitier, who overcomes racial barriers to teach West London toughs and toughettes the meaning of life. It was, literally, banned in Alabama, which was ruled entirely by...the Democrat party. In 1967, Poitier again stirred the red-necks with "In the Heat of the Night", where he plays Virgil Tibbs, a competent Philadelphia cop stuck overnight in a Mississippi town. It must be 110 degrees at night. The white boys sweat like stuck pigs while Virgil is as cool as a cucumber in a Savoy Row suit. The sheriff, Rod Steiger, is discomfited by circumstances in which Tibbs is "lent" to him to solve a murder that happens to occur when he is there. In working together, layer after layer of characterization is stripped away in marvelous fashion, through the skill of director Norman Jewison (who tells everybody he is not a Jew, he is Methodist), until understanding between the two men become a metaphor for the healing of a divided America. Very good stuff.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
[e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: One of Sidney Poitier's outstanding movies
Review: This movie, based on E.R. Braithwaite's book, was one of the outstanding movies of Sidney Poitier. I am a sucker of such movies, especially as I can relate to them. I was in a difficult school during my teenage years with bad schoolmates and some good teachers set me straight, otherwise, I would have been in trouble. This movie inspired many other movies but did not do such a splendid job. The main difference was the script and the actors.

Sidney plays the part of Mark Thackerey who is an engineer who does not get a job as an engineer and decides to become a teacher as an intermediate job. In the East End school he sees how bad the standards of the students are and realizes that he is not making any difference. Finally one day he loses his cool, and then hits on an idea to change the students attitude. Gradually, the students warm up to him. Though some of the ideas might be dated (language, customs etc) for the present day, the ideas of racism, generation difference, teacher-student trust and problems are well brought out. This is still a timeless classic and for anyone who has worked with schools, teachers and problem students.

The DVD quality is excellent. Both video and sound transfer are good. Sidney is Sidney, what can I say, his quiet, dignified style of acting and the way he handles all the situations by showing his emotions is fantastic. The theme song of this movie is also special. Do not miss this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming Film
Review: Poitier is a stunning actor.

This is a heartwarming film. This is a good feel-good movie for anyone who may be feeling down!

Jeffrey C. McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

Rating:
Summary: Poitier Is Masterful
Review: 1967 was an incredible year for Sidney Poitier. He starred in three magnificent films, the Academy Award winning films, In The Heat Of the Night & Guess Who's Coming To Dinner and this superb movie. Mr. Poitier stars as Mark Thackery who is an engineer, but in need of a job accepts a teaching position at a tough West End school. His class is made up of unruly ruffians and at first they rebel against him. It becomes obvious to Thackery that these kids don't have an interest in learning normal academics and that none of them will pursue higher education so he decides to prepare them for live by giving them lessons on how to cope in the real world. He gives cooking lessons, make up lessons for the girls, takes them to museums and they develop a respect and love for each other. Judy Geeson is fabulous as Pamela Dare, a blond beauty who develops a crush on Thackery. Christian Roberts is Devin the leader of the group. He is a thug not use to rules and is constantly testing Thackery. Lulu is Babs Pegg and she does a credible acting job and supplies the film with its famous theme song. Michael Des Barres has a minor part as one of the students and he would go on to minor rock career and marry one of the most famous of all rock groupies Pamela Des Barres. Mr. Poitier is the glue that holds the film together and he is equally forceful and compassionate in his performance. To sir With Love is dated in some ways with regards to the fashions and slang language, but it's story is timeless

Rating:
Summary: A DVD Warning
Review: I can not add more substance to the quality of the movie that has already been stated in other reviews.

The one thing that I will mention is a significant detail about the problem of the DVD pressing. It is a double sided disc that offers the full-frame version on one side and the widescreen version on the other. It is the WIDESCREEN side that has the 'Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla.' on it instead of the widescreen version of 'To Sir With Love'. Chances are, that unless Sony had this title repressed, all DVD's of this title currently for sale will have this problem.

I have been in contact with Sony's customer service, but have not arrived at any solution at the time of writing this review.

It's a great movie, I just wish I could see the whole (widescreen) version.

Rating:
Summary: Ultra-stylish...still
Review: This movie is about many things - teen angst, race relations, and poverty. But what it's *really* about is teased hair, heavy eyeliner and miniskirts. And the title song, of course. Who could ever forget the gushing sentimentality of Lulu warbling about crayons and perfume? It is a charmer of a movie with life breathed into it by a fresh cast of young Brits. Released at a time when the world was captivated by all things British, it was relatively daring at the time it was made. A low-budget film that raked it in at the box office, Poitier, as in *Lilies of the Field*, wisely accepted a low salary in exchange for a share of the profits. But the biggest profit of all is his portrayal of the East End school teacher, Mark Thackery, who quickly learns that his students need a different kind of education than that of a textbook. It has been, unfairly or not, relentlessly compared to *The Blackboard Jungle*, and it is a blood-relation to *Up the Down Staircase* and *Dangerous Minds*. But none of them have the sweetness of Judy Geeson, as Thackery's irrepressible student Pamela Dare. At the end of the movie, when Thackery and Dare dance together, racial, social and philosophical barriers are smashed, and hope springs eternal.

Rating:
Summary: Strange Occurance on the DVD
Review: This has always been one of my all-time favorite movies! I could watch it anytime! Sidney Potier has also been one of my all-time favorite actors!! I think he's brilliant. I think every scene in this movie is great, but my favorite is where Judy Geeson's character dances with Sir. That's a great song in that scene!
My copy of this DVD also had the Japanese film on the 2nd side. How disappointing!!! I don't know how most people are about letterbox format, but I like it. I was looking forward to seeing this film in that format, but I couldn't. I returned the disc. I'm really hoping to find a correctly pressed copy of this disc.