To Sir, with love

A novice teacher faces a class of rowdy, undisciplined, working-class punks in this classic film that reflected some of the problems and fears of teens in the sixties. Sidney Poitier gives one of his first performances as Thackeray, an unemployed engineer who turns to teaching in London’s tough East End. The graduating class, led by Denham (Christian Roberts), Pamela (Judy Geeson), and Barbara (Lulu who also sings the hit title song), sets out to destroy Thackeray as they did his predecessor by breaking his spirit. But Thackeray meets the challenge by treating the students as young adults who will soon enter a world where they must stand or fall on their own. When offered an engineering job, Thackeray must decide whether he wants to stay. From the novel by E. R. Braithwaite.