To Sir, with Love
| To Sir, with Love | |
|---|---|
UK theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Clavell |
| Screenplay by | James Clavell |
| Based on | To Sir, With Love 1959 novel by E. R. Braithwaite |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Paul Beeson, B.S.C. |
| Edited by | Peter Thornton |
| Music by | Ron Grainer |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $625,000 or $600,000 |
| Box office | $42,432,803 or $22 million |
To Sir, with Love is a 1967 British drama film that deals with social and racial issues in a secondary school in the East End of London. It stars Sidney Poitier and features Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall, Patricia Routledge and singer Lulu making her film debut. James Clavell directed from his own screenplay, which was based on E. R. Braithwaite's 1959 autobiographical novel of the same title.
The film was a box office hit, earning $42.4 million on a $0.6 million budget, while the title song "To Sir with Love", sung by Lulu, peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks in the autumn of 1967 and ultimately was the best-selling single in the US that year. Poitier's portrayal of Mark Thackeray, a charismatic schoolteacher to troubled youth, resulted in him becoming the first black actor to win a Golden Globe Award. The collective critical response, from contemporary reviewers through to later analysis, is collectively favourable.
A made-for-television sequel, To Sir, with Love II, was released in 1996, with Poitier, Lulu and Judy Geeson reprising their roles.