“How do you thank someone, who has taken you from crayons to perfume?” – Lulu’s quietly confident voice poses this challenging question in a song that has been prominent on compilations of easy-listening hits for over half a century now, to the point where it sometimes feels like it is almost seen as a parody of itself now, since the overly emotional sentiment has become the product of some notorious ridicule. However, if we launch ourselves back in time and look at the work in which it originated, we can see how it contributes such a fresh and invigorating message about issues that are still very present in our world. To Sir, with Love (from which the song’s title was derived), is James Clavell’s adaptation of the novel by E. R. Braithwaite, which tells the story of an immigrant taking up a position as a teacher at a small London secondary school while he awaits a verdict as to whether he has been accepted for an engineering position. What starts as a temporary job designed to keep him busy and help him make some money in the interim turns into an experience that will profoundly change his life, as well as that of his students, which all come to form the foundation for this charming film. It may be considered one of the defining examples of the overly cautious “issue” films that were produced around this time (occurring alongside the proverbial “after-school specials” that aimed to educate younger audiences on important and pressing matters), and from a modern perspective, we may find its themes outdated, much like the specific verbiage used to expand on its ideas – but taken for what it is, and viewed through the lens of an endearing drama about human connection, To Sir, with Love certainly earns every bit of emotional bandwidth that is expounded in the process of taking a glimpse into this world.

If there is a foolproof formula to making a film that endears itself to viewers almost immediately, one of the fundamental components would be to centre it on a teacher. There is something particularly strong about stories of educators entering into a hostile environment and working laboriously to make a change, even when it seems close to impossible. A cursory glance at Braithwaite’s own life indicates that the process of putting pen to paper and telling this story was one drawn from his own experiences, with his struggle to find a job, whereby he was enormously qualified but failed to find much work as a result of racial tensions that placed him in a difficult position, being the foundation for this story. While not composed with the elegance with which the author wrote the novel (since he was speaking from a very personal place), this adaptation of the text is remarkable in how it challenges conventions and forces us to look at certain themes from a different perspective, which is all done through the reliable method of placing the emphasis equally on a teacher with a passion for their work, and the class that is initially non-responsive to his efforts, but gradually find their hubris and rebellious nature being eroded by the sheer force of their educator’s attempts to open their eyes to the reality that surrounds them. Films about teachers are a dime a dozen, and for good reason – they work incredibly well, and carry with them an emotional earnestness that is rarely unearned, and considering they take place in the classroom, an environment many of us are fortunate to have experienced in some way or another, there’s a resonance to the story being told here, which elevates this film above merely just another touching story of an educator defying the odds.

We all very likely remember one particular teacher who changed our lives, usually for the better. There is something incredibly captivating about someone who not only pledges their life to educate the future generation, but is genuinely passionate about their vocation, and while he was never against discussing the issues he faced in his earlier years, Braithwaite’s passion for his time as a teacher is abundantly clear. To bring the character of Mark Thackery to life, Sidney Poitier was tasked with taking on the role. It’s not a particularly challenging role for an actor who proved that he could command the screen like few others could – his intimidating presence was undercut by his striking sophistication, making him a perfect candidate for the part, which needed an actor who exuded both strictness and warmth in equal measure. Poitier set the standard for actors of his generation, so it is barely surprising that even with relatively paltry material (since most of this story revolves around Thackery’s interactions with the rest of the characters, who are theoretically much more interesting using having more distinct personalities), he still manages to provide a complex and nuanced performance. The 1960s were an era when Poitier was at his peak (especially in 1967 when Poitier had two other significant roles that used racial tensions as the foundation for their storytelling), and his ability to handle a range of characters while never losing that intense charm that made him such an iconic actor is the reason why a film like To Sir, with Love, works so well, since had another actor occupied the role, it isn’t entirely clear the extent to which it would’ve been an effective story since it does contain some themes that would be overwrought in the hands of anyone who didn’t understand how to take on such a character, which both anchors this film and allows it to incite further conversations.

To Sir, with Love has come to be associated with a particular era of narrative storytelling, whereby there is an emphasis on pressing issues delivered in a way that engages with them through often overwrought storytelling and unnecessarily convoluted emotional content that signals a lack of nuance. The general perception was that, regardless of whether or not these films were a bit rough around the edges, they meant well and had an important message, which is what matters. This film was not aiming to revolutionize the genre, nor was it trying to be anything other than the total sum of its parts – but to give Clavell some credit (especially since he wasn’t known to be a director who made very nuanced films, with his bread and butter coming from genre fare, such as the action-oriented stories that he is mostly associated with), he did put in a great deal of work when engaging with Braithwaite’s novel, which he worked on in collaboration with Poitier, whose presence extended far more than just starring in the film. There’s a narrow boundary between a film that is weak and a film that is gentle, and considering that the director went on record saying that the latter was the intention of the film, especially in light of studio interference which attempted to persuade them to insert more scintillating material into the project for the sake of exciting audiences, it does admirably well in ensuring that it navigates this distinction well, carefully avoiding breaking the slender thread that divides them. This doesn’t mean that To Sir, with Love is free of flaws, since there are a few moments where the intensity of the scene doesn’t quite match the register of the film that surrounds it, but it is never heavy-handed to the point where it becomes unbearable, which is vitally important for a film such as this.

It’s difficult to not find something of value in To Sir, with Love, which is much more of an experience than most would give it credit for. It’s remarkably simple and relies mainly on the actors to interpret a screenplay that can sometimes be slightly unstable (with a lot of the author’s original words becoming less impactful when delivered by some of these younger actors, who may be putting in the effort, but don’t realize the gravity of a particular theme), with Poitier heading a cast that is tasked with telling this story in a way that is accessible without being overly simplistic. The themes that underpin the film are important, especially considering the era in which the film was made, and it does well in exploring them thoroughly. It may not be the definitive word on any of these issues (and of the three films Poitier made this year, it is the one that is most clumsy with its thematic content), but rather than offering solutions, it instead starts conversations that mean a lot more when conducted by those who were profoundly affected by the message of this film. Sweetly sentimental, moving and always charming to the point of being almost twee, To Sir, with Love is a lovely film that has appropriately stood the test of time and proven to be far more special than many detractors would dare admit.