It’s easy to dismiss old movies. Black and white? Pass. Grainy film? No thanks. But then you sit down to watch To Sir, With Love, and something weird happens. You realize that despite the 1967 mod fashion and the swinging London soundtrack, the film is actually talking about stuff we are still screaming about on social media today. It’s a movie about a guy who doesn’t want to be there, teaching kids who don't want to learn, in a world that doesn't really want either of them to succeed.
Sidney Poitier plays Mark Thackeray. He’s an engineer. He’s overqualified. He’s also Black in a post-WWII London that isn't exactly rolling out the red carpet for him. When he takes a teaching job at North Quay Secondary School in the East End, he’s not doing it out of a deep-seated passion for pedagogy. He’s doing it because he needs to eat. That’s the first thing that makes this movie feel real—it’s not a "white savior" story, and it’s not a "magical teacher" story. It’s a job story.
Why This Movie Hits Different Than Modern School Dramas
If you’ve seen Dangerous Minds or Freedom Writers, you know the formula. The teacher walks in, the kids are "tough" but secretly have hearts of gold, and by the end, everyone wins a poetry slam. To Sir, With Love is grittier because it feels less like a script and more like a snapshot of a specific time and place. These kids aren't gang members; they’re just working-class rejects who have been told by the system that they are going nowhere. They are cynical. They are loud. They are bored.
Thackeray’s breakthrough doesn't happen because he’s nice. It happens because he loses his cool. There’s a scene involving a burned sanitary towel in the classroom stove—a moment that was shockingly taboo for 1967—that pushes him over the edge. He stops trying to teach them geography and starts teaching them how to be adults. He treats them like people. That sounds simple, but in the context of the British school system of the 60s, it was practically revolutionary.
The cinematography by Billy Williams captures this gray, oppressive London that contrasts sharply with the "swinging" reputation of the era. You see the rubble. You see the cramped flats. When you watch To Sir, With Love, you’re seeing a version of England that was still physically and psychologically recovering from the war.
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Sidney Poitier and the Weight of 1967
You can't talk about this movie without talking about Poitier. 1967 was his year. He had In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and this. Think about that run. He was essentially carrying the moral conscience of Western cinema on his shoulders. In To Sir, With Love, his performance is all about restraint.
Thackeray is a man who has to be twice as good as everyone else just to be considered equal. You see it in the way he ties his tie. You see it in the way he handles the blatant racism of a fellow teacher, played with slimy perfection by Geoffrey Bayldon. He doesn't explode. He endures. But the film lets us see the cost of that endurance.
Interestingly, the movie is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by E.R. Braithwaite. Braithwaite, in real life, was actually a bit critical of the film. He felt it glossed over some of the harsher racial realities he faced. While he’s not wrong—the movie definitely leans into the "feel-good" vibes of the Lulu title track—Poitier’s presence adds a layer of gravity that the script alone might have lacked.
The Music, The Fashion, and Lulu
Let’s talk about Lulu. She plays Barbara Pegg, one of the students, and her performance of the title song became a massive #1 hit in the US. It’s a bit of a "power ballad" before that was even a thing. Honestly, the song is a total earworm. It captures that teenage mix of crushing on a teacher and finally feeling seen by an adult.
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The fashion in the film is also a trip. You’ve got the transition from the stiff, 1950s-style school uniforms to the mini-skirts and shaggy hair of the late 60s. It’s a visual representation of a generation gap that was widening by the second. The kids at North Quay are the first generation that didn't have to go to war, and they don't know what to do with that freedom. Thackeray gives them a map.
What People Get Wrong About the Ending
A lot of people remember the ending as just a big party where everyone cries. But look closer. Thackeray gets a job offer. A real engineering job. The thing he’s been waiting for the whole movie. The choice he makes at the end isn't just about "liking" the kids. It’s about realizing where he can actually make a dent in the world.
It’s a bittersweet moment. He knows he can’t stay forever, and he knows these kids are still heading out into a world that will be hard on them. But for one year, they weren't just "the kids from the East End." They were individuals.
How to Watch To Sir, With Love Today
If you’re going to sit down and watch To Sir, With Love, don't do it on your phone while scrolling through TikTok. The pacing is different than modern movies. It breathes.
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- Look for the 4K restoration: Sony put out a beautiful 4K version a couple of years ago. It cleans up the grain without losing the "film" look. It makes the colors of the final dance scene pop.
- Pay attention to the background characters: Some of the best acting happens in the reaction shots of the students. Check out Christian Roberts as Denham—the "tough guy" of the class. His boxing match with Poitier is a masterclass in tension and subtext.
- Listen to the dialogue: It’s sharp. It’s British. It’s often very dry.
There are plenty of ways to stream it. It pops up on Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime, and occasionally on TCM. If you’re a physical media nerd, the Indicator Blu-ray release is the gold standard, packed with interviews and historical context about the East End.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Viewer
Watching this film isn't just a nostalgia trip; it's a way to understand how we got here. To get the most out of it, try these steps:
- Compare the book and the movie: Read E.R. Braithwaite's original novel afterward. It’s much darker and provides a necessary counterpoint to the film’s more optimistic tone.
- Contextualize the year: 1967 was a flashpoint for civil rights globally. Knowing what was happening in the US and the UK at that time makes Poitier’s performance even more radical.
- Analyze the "Adult" scenes: Notice how Thackeray interacts with the other teachers in the staff room. It’s a completely different movie when the kids aren't on screen. It’s a workplace drama about competence versus mediocrity.
- Watch the sequel (if you dare): There is a 1996 TV movie called To Sir, with Love II, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Poitier returns, but he’s in inner-city Chicago. It’s... different. It’s worth a look just to see how the character aged, but the original remains the masterpiece.
The real takeaway is that respect isn't something you demand because of a title or a degree. It's something you earn by showing up, even when you’d rather be anywhere else. That’s a lesson that doesn't age, no matter how many decades pass.