A rare foray by Oscar winning Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field, The Defiant Ones) across the Atlantic to star in a British social drama, To Sir, With Love is a warm-hearted exploration of hopes and aspiration in London’s East End.
Adapted from the novel by E.R. Braithwaite, Poitier is an engineer unable to find work in 1960s England. He takes a teaching job in a rough and ready school full of no-hopers prepared for a life of low-paid drudgery. Poitier challenges their assumptions and expectations, breaking down barriers as his 16 year-old charges (including newcomers Lulu and Judy Geeson) respond to the respect towards each other he promotes.
Director James Clavell (better known as best selling author of the likes of Shōgun and King Rat) produces a well-made if naïve and unbelievable narrative. Whilst engaging as a story, To Sir, With Love barely touches the rampant racism or depths of social deprivation of 1960s East End.
Rating: 59%
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