Follow TV Tropes

Following

YMMV / To Sir, with Love

Go To

  • Adaptation Displacement: The film is much more well-known than the novel it's based on.
  • Alternate Character Interpretation: Mr. Bell, the Gym teacher, Sadist Teacher or Stern Teacher? On the one hand he bullies Fats repeatedly to make a difficult jump, which he cannot do and in the process injures himself. On the other hand Bell makes a point of catching all the students after they make the jump, and when Fats does crash, Mr. Bell cushions his fall. Potter and the others feel Bell's had it in for Fats and bullies him, but we never see Mr. Bell in any other scenes and Potter and the others are quick to anger.
  • Awesome Music: "If you wanted the sky, I would write across the sky in letters, that would soar a thousand feet high: to Sir, with love"
  • Heartwarming Moments: The entire class showing up for the funeral of a classmate's mother, in defiance of the community's views on mixed-race families.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: This movie features a well-spoken black teacher helping some white students. Now think about how funny that is in the wake of all the Save Our Students movies that feature a white teacher inspiring black students...
  • Iron Woobie: Thackeray, being a No-Respect Guy amongst his class for his race up to his Darkest Hour with no student support at all that nearly pushes him to resign from teaching even if he soldiers on despite initially having nothing to lose now in his teaching career.
  • Retroactive Recognition: Clinty Clintridge is played by Patricia Routledge, who would later be best known for playing Hyacinth Bouquet in Keeping Up Appearances.
  • It Was His Sled: The cup gifted to Thackeray by the end of the film.

Top