To Sir, with Love

film by Clavell [1967]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Last Updated: Oct 8, 2024 • Article History

To Sir, with Love, British film drama, released in 1967, that was especially noted for Sidney Poitier’s powerful performance.

Poitier played Mark Thackeray, a charismatic schoolteacher in London at the height of the youthful “mod” movement of the 1960s. He is assigned to a high school where discipline has completely broken down and the delinquents rule. With his innovative teaching methods, Thackeray earns the respect and admiration of his students.

To Sir, with Love was based on the novel of the same name by E.R. Braithwaite. With its sentimental story and Poitier’s portrayal of the principled Thackeray, the film was one of the highest-grossing movies of 1967. The title song, which was performed by Lulu, was an international hit. In 1996 Poitier reprised the role of Thackeray in the television movie To Sir, with Love II.