Blackboard Jungle (1955)

Synopsis: This provocative portrait of juvenile delinqency in a 1950s inner-city high school was based on the best-selling novel by Evan Hunter. Groundbreaking in its gritty realism and its use of rock & roll on the soundtrack, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE... This provocative portrait of juvenile delinqency in a 1950s inner-city high school was based on the best-selling novel by Evan Hunter. Groundbreaking in its gritty realism and its use of rock & roll on the soundtrack, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE paved the way for such realistic and tough adolescent pictures as WEST SIDE STORY and REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. The atmospheric tale of a teacher's harrowing experience in the New York City school system stars Glenn Ford as Richard Dadier, an idealistic teacher assigned to a new school located in one of the poorest and ethnically diverse city neighborhoods. Dadier's idealism fades as he struggles to make a difference to his indifferent students. Darkly ominous cinematography highlights the street world of the desperate delinquents as they carouse, smoke, and steal after school. The film features smoldering performances by a young Sidney Poitier and Vic Morrow as tough-as-nails rebels fighting over the role of leader in Dadier's classroom. This innovative and ultimately uplifting portrayal of a generation at odds with the world served as a seminal portrait of the darker side of the 1950s; however, it was laced with controversy as well, as it was withdrawn from the 1955 Venice Film Festival for showing an unflattering view of American high school life. [More]

Starring: Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow

Starring: Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow, Louis Calhern, Margaret Hayes, John Hoyt, Richard Kiley, Emile Meyer, Warner Anderson, Basil Ruysdael, Rafael Campos

Director: Richard Brooks

Director: Richard Brooks
Screenwriter: Richard Brooks
Story: Evan Hunter
Producer: Pandro S. Berman
Composer: Charles Wolcott

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