Having first seen this on VHS during the '90s, I decided to again watch Blackboard Jungle on DVD knowing-since this is Black History Month-this was one of Sidney Poitier's breakout performances. He plays Gregory Miller, who we find out is in the choir at the high school and also has a job as a mechanic. Glenn Ford-as his teacher Richard Dadier-tries to steer him to the straight and narrow even as his other students, especially Vic Morrow as Artie West, prove more troublesome. I'll stop there and just say this was quite compellingly shocking for its time, so much so that a disclaimer at the beginning had to assure mainstream viewers that the depiction of the school was pure fiction! Oh, and this proved to be such a popular movie that the song that started it, "Rock Around the Clock", which hadn't done much beforehand, suddenly became the No. 1 hit for Bill Haley and His Comets and basically started the Rock 'n' Roll era! So on that note, I highly recommend Blackboard Jungle. P.S. I also highly recommend the accompanying commentary on the disc provided by players Paul Mazursky, and Jamie Farr (credited in the movie as Jameel Farah), assistant director Joel Freeman, as well as Peter Ford, Glenn's son, who mentions how director Richard Brooks came to pick the theme song after listening to Peter's copy of the record.
Review of Blackboard Jungle
Blackboard Jungle
(1955)
After all these years, Blackboard Jungle has the power to still feel relevant
26 February 2014