Wonderful Movie, But Let's Be Honest, It Has Problems...
This is a movie I've watched numerous times at different stages in my life and I usually notice more problems each time I view it, yet it never stops being enjoyable and I don't think it ever will, due largely to Mr. Poitier's compelling performance and his interactions with the students, as well as the overall charm to its atmosphere. However, even its most ardent fans would probably have to admit it has quite a few issues, some of which break immersion a fair bit. Let's list 'em:
- The atrocious editing. There are far too many scenes that seem to cut before they're over, and the switch between angles is often jarring because you can tell they've been edited together from different takes. At one point Snooki - er, I mean Lulu - calls Denham a "son of a bitch" (which itself seemed out of place coming from an East End teen in the 60's) but it's drowned out by background noise and then the camera just sort of awkwardly lingers on Denham's face for a few seconds before dissolving into the next scene. The fúckle? Just one of many examples of why the editor should've been slapped upside the head. I can forgive the totally out of place photo montage of the museum visit because apparently (trivia alert) they lost permission to shoot there at the last moment but were allowed to use photographers so they had to improvise. Points for not cutting the scene entirely, but making do.
- Speaking of the museum scene, this was one of like... what... three or four times the main theme song is played almost in its entirety? Don't get me wrong, I actually really enjoy the song, it's on my iPod somewhere and it evokes memories of my own childhood, but did the movie really need to suck Lulu's dick like that? Her ginger ass has enough screen time as it is without having the song play at every turn. Pack it in.
- It's dated. You knew this one was coming. Everything from the haircuts to the clothing to the music to the attitudes, to... well, just about everything. This one's forgivable though because given the subject matter, there's not a lot they could've done to stop it being dated - attitudes change over time, fashions and so forth and this is even commented on in the film. But, let's keep it real, it does create a bit of distance and alienation for any audience watching who did not grow up in that era, therefore it's a bit of an issue when you hear older women and young men casually using the words "fággot" and "queer", sexism, and so forth. The racism isn't as much of a problem because it's addressed as part of the plot, but the rest seems sort of glossed over.
- The relationship between Poitier and his female colleague Gillian goes absolutely nowhere, she ended up being nothing more than a plot device to either spew exposition or listen while Poitier talked about his motivations and... lunch, apparently. I am glad they didn't go the cliche route of Pamela becoming insanely jealous and doing something that would then get Poitier in trouble somehow, I was expecting that as soon as she and Lulu noticed the interaction with Gillian on the bus but luckily it didn't happen. I was actually impressed with the way they handled Pamela having a crush on her teacher, it went about the same way it usually goes in real life, not every tale of an innocent crush has to end in scandal. Sure, she has a PMS attack when he sides with her mother, but it sorts itself out. Still, I do wish they'd have done something to show what happens with Poitier and Gillian, perhaps a scene after the dance where he asks her out to dinner or... hell, throw her off a building, anything would've been better than nothing at all. But nope, she's pretty much a non-entity by the end once she's served her purpose.
- The hilariously awkward dance scenes at the end. I'm almost tempted not to list this as a con because it's so funny to watch, but it does break immersion so I have to cite it as a problem. Sidney Poitier doing his impression of a mentally disabled Big Bird is classic enough but it just goes on... and on... and on. And then it's followed by a close-up of Lulu's face wiping fake tears and singing the theme song for the umpteenth time as everyone stands there staring at him. They make up for it with Poitier's reaction to the present after the song's finished (again, the man's performance is superb) but prior to that, it was painfully schmaltzy. The lead up was fine, with Young Hyacinth advising Poitier to remain a teacher instead of changing careers and Weston's redemption, but as soon as Pamela invites Poitier to dance it all falls apart. They pick up the ball, like I said, but I can't ignore the fumble.
- Everybody looks too old. Not much else needs to be said here except... well, get younger actors instead of people who look like they're in their thirties. For some reason older movies - anything pre-1990's - seem to have a habit of doing this. I'm not saying it didn't happen after that, it was just a lot more frequent the further back in time you go, I think the film industry must've had very little faith in young actors back then. Or young actors were worse.
- It's extremely tame. The so-called curse words are "bloody" and "bleedin'" and "son of a bitch" - wait, scratch the last one, it was too much for them to handle - and the students don't really raise hell the way it's suggested. Sure, they're unruly and disruptive but when Poitier finally loses his temper over their behaviour it's not really that understandable, at least compared to what I've seen teenagers do in school. To illustrate an example, I myself went to a rough school growing up and in mine, they tossed all the music equipment out of a high window and broke nearly everything which cost the school thousands, physically assaulted teachers (not in agreed-upon boxing conditions either), sexually harassed them, vandalized the place, refused to do assignments outright and so forth. The worst they do here is what, burn a sanitary napkin - OMG! Most unorthodox! It will... create an unpleasant smell for an hour or so... !! Come on. Hell, they were afraid to even state what it was, which is silly in a film that discusses social change and rebellion - why not practice what you preach and rebel against the censors a little? This was the 60's, so I suppose they couldn't go too far, but I do think they could've gotten away with a bit more. Maybe they tried, who knows?
- There wasn't enough "life lessons", I wanted to see more of that, it was interesting, and instead it just ended prematurely and abruptly. There was a ton of potential in that style of teaching, especially watching how the students reacted to everything, but because so much time was spent at the beginning on slamming doors and desks (ooh, scary!) as well as incredibly essential scenes like the one in the market with the older woman, the best parts had to be cut short.
Okay, I think those are the most stand-out faults for me, and if I had to list the qualities the post would be a lot longer - despite these problems the film remains entertaining and at times even poignant. There's a great line in it which I think is said by Young Hyacinth (or one of the nameless faculty) and directed at Weston: "As long as we learn it doesn't matter who teaches us, does it?" which is a point rarely made in today's ad hominem obsessed world. Despite the movie being dated, in some ways it was actually ahead of its time.
"I have no idea what "hammer time" is. Or how it differs from regular time."