It's not romantic love she's singing about. It's the love of gratitude for giving them a possible escape from poverty and class restrictions. He opened their eyes to the bigger world.
Lulu was 18 years old when she appeared in "TO SIR WITH LOVE" She is the girl with short red hair wearing a purple sweater at the beginning. She also sings it during the party you see at the end, to Sidney Poitier, and you see her wipe away a tear from her eyes after she sings it. The Mindbenders are the group that play at the party. He is not tearing up a letter of resignation. You will have to see the movie (and it's well worth it) to know WHAT he tears in half. Lulu is very much alive today. She is 74 years old, I am 75 and saw this movie when it first came out in the theaters. I LOVE it, have watched it so many times since 1967 and own a DVD copy of it. I NEVER tire of it, and it's one of my favorite movies of all time.
Devin you gotta watch this film, you'll love it. The main theme is generation gap but with occasional race issues. These students are basically the tough kids that don't want to learn and Poitier is the teacher who has to reach them. Along the way the relationship between Poitier's character and the kids moves 2 steps closer then 1 step back but he makes a difference in their lives and he learns a lot too. Lulu's song is phenomenal. She also sang the theme song "The Man with the Golden Gun" from the 1974 James Bond movie.
Well said,these are the children from the lower class families or homes that are troubled.I'm now in my 70s and I grew up in England amongst that generation of troubled teens,unfortunately there were a lot of teachers that just didn't care and just put in their 40hrs a week at school and go home.Sydneys character was a man who truly cared and in turn was loved and respected by his pupils..This IS a must see film.
Watch the movie!!!!!!!! You ll love it and the song will make perfect sense!! We need a shirt!!! TO SIR WITH LOVE. All the kids were troubled, the teacher taught them all how to have respect and grow up. It’s a great movie!! The song basically is from the whole class. No. No student teacher relationship! Lol
You got it exactly right. He never wanted to be a teacher, this was a temp job while he was waiting for an engineering contract. But the end scene where Thackeray tears up his long-awaited engineering contract is everything.
Sidney Portier played the role of an engineer whom was unable to secure a job in his field therefore he applied for to be a teacher . He ended up being assigne to a school which served the underprivileged in London. This area was the equivalent to the ghetto in the USA. He was able to transform the lives of his students
Oh, it's a movie you have to see! It's well worth your time. About a sophisticated teacher (Portier) taking a temporary job in a bad part of London. He eventually wins his senior class over, teaching them to treat him and each other with respect and kindness, and how to act once they enter the world after graduation. The girl singing the song, Lulu, is the one in the purple sweater. A Wonderful and realistic movie, especially for it's time!
Some comments toldya, she's been married with Bee Gee Maurice Gibb from 1969 up to 1974 (divorce). Check out both of them, so many years later, he's been gueststar in her TV-show. They sang together 'First Of May'. It's to find on YT and I'll tellya, it's magical!
Just FYI, Lulu was the short red head in the film...and She had married Maurice Gibb in 1970..divorced in 1976. And they got together again in together on March 5, 2009 to sing a song, "First of May" at Lulu's concert. Check ot out!
Hi highly recommend watching this movie if not own it. Everything about life is relatively in it. It will always remain a classic movie and everyone in the cast was wonderful.
Very much a ground breaking film in it's day.. As per usual Sidney Potier was just a Class Act in this film, then again he was always top class whatever he did 😎 Lulu to this day is still regarded as a British institution, a lovely person all round 👍
Lulu is still alive and kicking..here she is singing the very same song on American Idol not that long ago. She does not only look fantastic, she still sounds amazing. th-cam.com/video/YzpNNu9qPgY/w-d-xo.html
You have to see “To Sir With Love”. It’s a classic. The setting is a tough inner city school in England. He has accepted a teaching position there, but is not an experienced teacher. It covers all the problems he has with these kids and how he eventually gets through to them, he changes them, and they change him. Lulu was the short haired redhead. She is actually Scottish, not English.
It was the first time many people ever saw a black man act the lead in a movie. Also, as you can tell from the other comments it wasn't a role based upon a negative stereotype! Another change! It was an era of huge changes either brought by the civil rights movement or the anti-war protests over Vietnam. A lot of music had political messages. Just one example out of many was Bob Dylan's "The times they are a changin'".
@Traveller, you are mistaken, this was not the first film that "many" people saw a black man act the lead in a movie. Sideney Poitier played the lead in many movies BEFORE "To Sir With Love" "THE DEFIANT ONES" ( 1958), "A RAISIN IN THE SUN," (1961} "LILIES OF THE FIELD,'" (1963) "A PATCH OF BLUE," (1965)."IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT." (1967) and ALSO in 1967 (besides "TO SIR WITH LOVE." he made "GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER." He mad a LOT of movies (around 32 in the course of his career) and if no one ever saw even ONE of them, they must have not had access to a movie theater or a TV. PLUS there were other black actors that had lead roles as well. So "TO SIR WITH LOVE" would not have been the first movie people saw with Sidney, or any other black actor, in a lead role.
You must see the American Idol version. Lulu blew the roof off the building. Mind you this was 40 years later. She still got the voice. To Sir With Love is a classic song and movie by a classy lady.
This movie takes place in Britain, and grapples with racism, poverty, education. It's absolutely a much-watch film. It was one of the early "inspirational teacher" movies, about a fish-out-of-water teacher in a school of tough and troubled students. An absolute gem.
About a teacher who gets control of very rowdy teens. They call him “Sir”.. and they end of respecting him and love him. No romance between student and teacher. Great movie!!
Your assessment of the plot was almost spot-on. The blonde girl did have a crush on Poiter's character, but he did not encourage her. In fact, the scene where she runs out of the room was a result of him trying to let her down easy. The red-headed female was the singer Lulu who also had a role in the movie and, last I heard, she's still going strong. In fact, Gary Barlow (former lead singer of Take That) did a duet with her here on TH-cam (to Elton John's "I'm Still Standing"). And if memory serves, the letter he tears up at the end isn't his resignation letter, but an offer of employment of the job he was dreaming of when he was forced to take the teaching job to pay the bills.
Loved your reaction. You’re so smart - you get things very quickly - yes - first of all it’s in Britain, so the racism is of a slightly different character, not quite as charged as it was in the southern States of the USA in 1967, and some of the northern inner cities too. And they are the bottom class in this British high school - a bunch of incredibly unruly, disrespectful 17-year-old seniors. At first they show him total contempt, but by the end, they’re all in love with him - not romantically, although one girl does “catch feelings” for him - Miss Adair - she’s not the one singing - that’s Lulu with the short blonde haircut. Here’s probably the most powerful scene in the movie - although it’s all incredibly moving. Here is the first scene where he actually starts to get some control and respect of his classroom, and it’s a whopper. You MUST see this film!! th-cam.com/video/iGjuKpgCJs0/w-d-xo.html
You need to watch this movie. It is awesome that classroom in England is kind of how would you say naughty? But he earns their love and respect. And Lulu is the one looking with red hair short and they throw him. Graduation thing and she sings this song.I won't say anymore, but you have to watch this movie.It's a treasure
My mom had this song on a 45 when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s and I think this may have been one of the very first songs that I was able to sing.
As a kid in school you give your teachers a hard time. If they are from another country, another race it probably gives u extra reasons to give them a hard time. Sydney turned these kids around as they realised how much he had taught them. Beautiful.
This is an English film, it has nothing to do with the United States or race relations/racism The story essentially certres on the experience a new teacher who was assigned to a class of difficult students and who ended up righting their bad behaviour. In the end they they learned to respect his authority and appreciate the positive impact that he had on their lives, hence the tribute in song to him. The principal's role was played by.the late multiple award winning actor Sir Sidney Poitier and lead female role was played by Marie McDonald MacLaughlin Lawrie (Lulu) a top British pop singer who also performed the song. The movies was loosely based on the real life experiwnce in England of Caribbean author Edward Brathwaite
Born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, when her record label attempted to get her name on the vinyl label one of the techs allegedly remarked that her name was a real “lulu” and it would not fit on the album label. They ended up using “Lulu” as her new show name.
You absolutely nailed it on the head about the movie plotline. But it can't be overstated just how important this story was portraying a black man with authority over white kids and handling himself with such grace and dignity. It was just one of many steps forward during a pivotal time in history ❤
Lula was married to Maurice Gibb of the BeeGees. I think she was his first wife. You have to watch the movie. Sydney played their teacher and they called him Sir. (So much meaning in that sentence when you have seen the movie). It is a fabulous movie! You got alot from the clip.
You need to watch the movie .Colour didn't come into it ,it was a rough neighbour hood with rough kids .This teacher taught them to respect themselves and each other .Lulu has been a famous singer in Britain for years .Julie Christie was a great actress but so young in this movie .
The story is Sidney Portier with an engineering degree, teaching at a London mostly white ghetto school while he's applying to a bunch of big corporations to accept him for his qualifications. Luckily for the next batch of adolescent a-holes, Sir's being shown appreciation by the kids he's just straightened out has convinced him to tear up the corporate letter he's been waiting for, and continue teaching.
It's not romantic love she's singing about. It's the love of gratitude for giving them a possible escape from poverty and class restrictions. He opened their eyes to the bigger world.
Lulu is still very much alive and is at this moment on a nationwide tour of the UK at age 74.
Lulu was 18 years old when she appeared in "TO SIR WITH LOVE" She is the girl with short red hair wearing a purple sweater at the beginning. She also sings it during the party you see at the end, to Sidney Poitier, and you see her wipe away a tear from her eyes after she sings it. The Mindbenders are the group that play at the party. He is not tearing up a letter of resignation. You will have to see the movie (and it's well worth it) to know WHAT he tears in half. Lulu is very much alive today. She is 74 years old, I am 75 and saw this movie when it first came out in the theaters. I LOVE it, have watched it so many times since 1967 and own a DVD copy of it. I NEVER tire of it, and it's one of my favorite movies of all time.
Devin you gotta watch this film, you'll love it. The main theme is generation gap but with occasional race issues. These students are basically the tough kids that don't want to learn and Poitier is the teacher who has to reach them. Along the way the relationship between Poitier's character and the kids moves 2 steps closer then 1 step back but he makes a difference in their lives and he learns a lot too. Lulu's song is phenomenal. She also sang the theme song "The Man with the Golden Gun" from the 1974 James Bond movie.
Well said,these are the children from the lower class families or homes that are troubled.I'm now in my 70s and I grew up in England amongst that generation of troubled teens,unfortunately there were a lot of teachers that just didn't care and just put in their 40hrs a week at school and go home.Sydneys character was a man who truly cared and in turn was loved and respected by his pupils..This IS a must see film.
This film still makes me cry EVERY TIME. The song too.
Me too!
This is a film (and song) that touches the Heart.
Lulu’s first big hit in the UK (at age 16) was a cover version of ‘Shout!’. At the time John Lennon said it was his favourite song.
Lulu is still alive and is stunningly beautiful even today
Watch the movie!!!!!!!! You ll love it and the song will make perfect sense!! We need a shirt!!! TO SIR WITH LOVE. All the kids were troubled, the teacher taught them all how to have respect and grow up. It’s a great movie!! The song basically is from the whole class. No. No student teacher relationship! Lol
You got it exactly right.
He never wanted to be a teacher, this was a temp job while he was waiting for an engineering contract. But the end scene where Thackeray tears up his long-awaited engineering contract is everything.
She is also Maurice Gibb's first wife
Wow I didn’t know that. Thanks for the info.
Cool 😎
WOW!
@@dawnsmith8754 She was later married to the hairdresser John Frieda.
Sidney Portier played the role of an engineer whom was unable to secure a job in his field therefore he applied for to be a teacher . He ended up being assigne to a school which served the underprivileged in London. This area was the equivalent to the ghetto in the USA. He was able to transform the lives of his students
Oh, it's a movie you have to see! It's well worth your time. About a sophisticated teacher (Portier) taking a temporary job in a bad part of London. He eventually wins his senior class over, teaching them to treat him and each other with respect and kindness, and how to act once they enter the world after graduation. The girl singing the song, Lulu, is the one in the purple sweater. A Wonderful and realistic movie, especially for it's time!
I went to this movie when it was at the theaters in 1967 as a 16 year old teen
The song is for the whole class who are graduating to be adults and love their teacher who got them there. This took place in England so less racism.
Good song and great movie. Thanks.
Lulu was once married to Maurice Gibb of the BeeGees."To Sir With Love was a very good movie.
They realize that he's different, that he actually cares and wants them to learn, to have self respect. It's a great movie.
You hit the nail right on the head Dev with your interpretation of the song lyrics and as seen in the video clip from the movie..
Some comments toldya, she's been married with Bee Gee Maurice Gibb from 1969 up to 1974 (divorce). Check out both of them, so many years later, he's been gueststar in her TV-show. They sang together 'First Of May'. It's to find on YT and I'll tellya, it's magical!
Brilliant teacher!
You're absolutely right!
Just FYI, Lulu was the short red head in the film...and
She had married Maurice Gibb in 1970..divorced in 1976. And they got together again in together on March 5, 2009 to sing a song, "First of May" at Lulu's concert.
Check ot out!
Lulu was Maurice Gibb's (Bee Gee's) first wife. Nice reaction, thank you.
He was a great teacher and he had a great heart for the students.
The movie is fantastic. Every time it comes on TV. Im glued to the TV.
Sidney had such a strong performance in this movie. One of my top 5 movies. A must see.
Hi highly recommend watching this movie if not own it. Everything about life is relatively in it. It will always remain a classic movie and everyone in the cast was wonderful.
Well done, Brother. That's it you got it A 🙏🏾 M ✝️ E 💖 N 💯...
This song and Unchained Melody are top two love songs of all time.
stayed home from school one day and this movie was on tv and it made me cry haha
You got it in the end. Love your review and comments. It's uplifting to hear your words.
not love in the sense of romantic love, but love in the sense you love a mentor
Very much a ground breaking film in it's day..
As per usual Sidney Potier was just a Class Act in this film, then again he was always top class whatever he did 😎
Lulu to this day is still regarded as a British institution, a lovely person all round 👍
Lulu is still alive and kicking..here she is singing the very same song on American Idol not that long ago. She does not only look fantastic, she still sounds amazing. th-cam.com/video/YzpNNu9qPgY/w-d-xo.html
YES! Watch the film! It's about respect...not a romantic relationship. He changed the entire classroom They are honoring him.
You have to see “To Sir With Love”. It’s a classic. The setting is a tough inner city school in England. He has accepted a teaching position there, but is not an experienced teacher. It covers all the problems he has with these kids and how he eventually gets through to them, he changes them, and they change him. Lulu was the short haired redhead. She is actually Scottish, not English.
In the movie the student had a crush on the teacher. It's appropriate throughout. Love the song and your review.
Lulu Is Scottish and you should listen to her first hit called ( Shout ) she was only 16 when she released it
It was the first time many people ever saw a black man act the lead in a movie. Also, as you can tell from the other comments it wasn't a role based upon a negative stereotype! Another change! It was an era of huge changes either brought by the civil rights movement or the anti-war protests over Vietnam. A lot of music had political messages. Just one example out of many was Bob Dylan's "The times they are a changin'".
@Traveller, you are mistaken, this was not the first film that "many" people saw a black man act the lead in a movie. Sideney Poitier played the lead in many movies BEFORE "To Sir With Love" "THE DEFIANT ONES" ( 1958), "A RAISIN IN THE SUN," (1961} "LILIES OF THE FIELD,'" (1963) "A PATCH OF BLUE," (1965)."IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT." (1967) and ALSO in 1967 (besides "TO SIR WITH LOVE." he made "GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER." He mad a LOT of movies (around 32 in the course of his career) and if no one ever saw even ONE of them, they must have not had access to a movie theater or a TV. PLUS there were other black actors that had lead roles as well. So "TO SIR WITH LOVE" would not have been the first movie people saw with Sidney, or any other black actor, in a lead role.
Sidney Poitier made so many wonderful and groundbreaking movies. He was an incredible actor.
You must see the American Idol version. Lulu blew the roof off the building. Mind you this was 40 years later. She still got the voice. To Sir With Love is a classic song and movie by a classy lady.
This movie takes place in Britain, and grapples with racism, poverty, education. It's absolutely a much-watch film. It was one of the early "inspirational teacher" movies, about a fish-out-of-water teacher in a school of tough and troubled students. An absolute gem.
Devin a CLASSIC it's true !!! The movie is an absolute gem !
The film was heart warming . Also Portier was great also in LILLIES OF THE FIELD
Good thing is, despite all interruptions, you figured out what this movie was about in the end exactly.
About a teacher who gets control of very rowdy teens. They call him “Sir”.. and they end of respecting him and love him. No romance between student and teacher. Great movie!!
You have it exactly right! Great movie, watch if you can, worth it!
What a voice, eh!
Your assessment of the plot was almost spot-on. The blonde girl did have a crush on Poiter's character, but he did not encourage her. In fact, the scene where she runs out of the room was a result of him trying to let her down easy. The red-headed female was the singer Lulu who also had a role in the movie and, last I heard, she's still going strong. In fact, Gary Barlow (former lead singer of Take That) did a duet with her here on TH-cam (to Elton John's "I'm Still Standing"). And if memory serves, the letter he tears up at the end isn't his resignation letter, but an offer of employment of the job he was dreaming of when he was forced to take the teaching job to pay the bills.
57 years later, this song still stands alone.
Lulu is alive and now been singing and acting for 60 years , you should do recation to the film to sir with love
The movie was set in the U.K. In Britain , the students address a male teacher as "SIR" and a female teacher as "MISS" .
It s both, it's an innocent crusg song... But it's about admiration about an inspirational teacher... A teacher who sets you on the right path
Devin I URGE you to watch this film...it is awesome
Loved your reaction. You’re so smart - you get things very quickly - yes - first of all it’s in Britain, so the racism is of a slightly different character, not quite as charged as it was in the southern States of the USA in 1967, and some of the northern inner cities too. And they are the bottom class in this British high school - a bunch of incredibly unruly, disrespectful 17-year-old seniors. At first they show him total contempt, but by the end, they’re all in love with him - not romantically, although one girl does “catch feelings” for him - Miss Adair - she’s not the one singing - that’s Lulu with the short blonde haircut. Here’s probably the most powerful scene in the movie - although it’s all incredibly moving. Here is the first scene where he actually starts to get some control and respect of his classroom, and it’s a whopper. You MUST see this film!!
th-cam.com/video/iGjuKpgCJs0/w-d-xo.html
Spot on Devin!! Great movie!!
You need to watch this movie. It is awesome that classroom in England is kind of how would you say naughty? But he earns their love and respect. And Lulu is the one looking with red hair short and they throw him. Graduation thing and she sings this song.I won't say anymore, but you have to watch this movie.It's a treasure
My mom had this song on a 45 when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s and I think this may have been one of the very first songs that I was able to sing.
Lulu is still alive.
You are on the right track
This lady Lulu was once married to Maurice Gibb
She was for a hot second.
He was a black teacher, if you watch the movie you’ll understand the song. She was married for awhile to Maurice Gibb
As a kid in school you give your teachers a hard time. If they are from another country, another race it probably gives u extra reasons to give them a hard time. Sydney turned these kids around as they realised how much he had taught them. Beautiful.
2 years ago but if you haven’t seen the movie watch it. Best movie
Please watch the film. The teacher becomes all of their best friend.
LuLu is the girl with short hair. Its about how the students were routy and he taught them how to be adults. The all fell in love with their teacher.
Well worked out!
This is an English film, it has nothing to do with the United States or race relations/racism The story essentially certres on the experience a new teacher who was assigned to a class of difficult students and who ended up righting their bad behaviour. In the end they they learned to respect his authority and appreciate the positive impact that he had on their lives, hence the tribute in song to him. The principal's role was played by.the late multiple award winning actor Sir Sidney Poitier and lead female role was played by Marie McDonald MacLaughlin Lawrie (Lulu) a top British pop singer who also performed the song. The movies was loosely based on the real life experiwnce in England of Caribbean author Edward Brathwaite
the students are just saying THANKS
Black people here in the UK were treated way better than in the US.
Need to watch the movie and the song is a tribute to their teacher.
Love it
Watch the movie because you're missing what's going on.
This took place in the UK!
You asked if you need to watch the movie. The answer is a resounding YES! You definitely need to watch it! It is very moving, IMO.
Great movie!!
Watch the movie! You'll like it! Lulu was a superstar in England. She's English royalty!
She’s not English 🏴
Born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, when her record label attempted to get her name on the vinyl label one of the techs allegedly remarked that her name was a real “lulu” and it would not fit on the album label. They ended up using “Lulu” as her new show name.
A great song for one of the greatest movies about teaching. Poitier is an engineer who takes a teaching job at a rough, predominantly white school.
YES......watch the movie!
yeah, you got it right. They had been written off and he gave them respect. Watch the movie.
Yes you have to watch this movie.
The singer is the redhead (short hair) in the movie
The story takes place in London.
You absolutely nailed it on the head about the movie plotline. But it can't be overstated just how important this story was portraying a black man with authority over white kids and handling himself with such grace and dignity. It was just one of many steps forward during a pivotal time in history ❤
It’s about respect for your teachers
A FANTASTIC song. But the movie is a classic
Lula was married to Maurice Gibb of the BeeGees. I think she was his first wife.
You have to watch the movie. Sydney played their teacher and they called him Sir. (So much meaning in that sentence when you have seen the movie). It is a fabulous movie! You got alot from the clip.
See the film. It's a good watch.
The one with the short red hair is Lulu the singer
Best movie EVER!
She was married to a Bee Gee, Maurice. 😁😘
You need to watch the movie .Colour didn't come into it ,it was a rough neighbour hood with rough kids .This teacher taught them to respect themselves and each other .Lulu has been a famous singer in Britain for years .Julie Christie was a great actress but so young in this movie .
You’re right,watch the movie it’s great.Vonnie from Canada.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ I think ❤
This is the UK in this movie... ✌️ ❤️ 🇬🇧
She was married to Maurice Gibbs in the late 60's early 70's.
The story is Sidney Portier with an engineering degree, teaching at a London mostly white ghetto school while he's applying to a bunch of big corporations to accept him for his qualifications. Luckily for the next batch of adolescent a-holes, Sir's being shown appreciation by the kids he's just straightened out has convinced him to tear up the corporate letter he's been waiting for, and continue teaching.
They were graduating at the end.
Watch the movie...and better yet watch all of his movies. You won't be disappointed.
Excellent movie. I hope you watch it.
Very good movie