Blackboard Jungle (1955) is director Richard Brooks' watershed effort to shed light on the slow moral decline of youth in the inner city. The film stars Glenn Ford as Richard Dadier a high school teacher whose optimism is sullied when he realizes the teens he is attempting to impart wisdom on are a bunch of wolfish reprobates in adolescent sheep's clothing. Dadier is further disillusioned when he talks to other school staff; particularly Prof. Kraal (Basil Ruysdael) and Jim Murdock (Louis Calhern). They have merely accepted their loss of control in the classroom and do not seem to mind the fact one way or the other. After having a baseball hurled at his head while teaching a history lesson, Dadier confronts Gregory Miller (Sidney Poitier) about the rumor that is being spread regarding his romantic badinage with one of his colleagues. Miller's tough, and he doesn't deny the accusation. But is he really the one responsible for letting Dadier's wife, Anne (Anne Francis) in on the secret? Dated by today's standards, the film is a fascinating time capsule on juvenile delinquency then perceived as an emerging evil in the public school system - and later, along with a basis in Romeo & Juliet became the gestation for 'West Side Story.' The film also introduced rock and rollers to Bill Haley's 'Rock Around The Clock' the song went on to become number one on hit parades across the country. Glenn Ford's central performance is among his best. He's cold, steely-eyed and aloof, harboring just the right amount of sarcasm to pit his considerable brain against the unyielding brawn of his sullen motley crew of students. In a very early performance in his career, Poitier illustrates the hallmarks of why he later went on to have such a brilliant career. And the story, ironically, foreshadows Poitier's stepping into the authoritarian shoes of an educator in "To Sir With Love" a decade later.
The DVD from Warner is a beautiful B&W presentation. The gray scale has been impeccably rendered with deep, rich blacks, very clean whites and a minimal amount of film grain. The original theatrical aspect ratio of 1:85:1 has been slightly cropped for DVD to 1:78:1 but the loss of screen information is limited and excusable. The audio is original mono but presented at a listening level that will surely please. Extras include a jumble of audio commentaries from Jamie Farr, Paul Muzursky, Peter Ford and Idel Freeman; a cartoon and the film's original theatrical trailer.
The DVD from Warner is a beautiful B&W presentation. The gray scale has been impeccably rendered with deep, rich blacks, very clean whites and a minimal amount of film grain. The original theatrical aspect ratio of 1:85:1 has been slightly cropped for DVD to 1:78:1 but the loss of screen information is limited and excusable. The audio is original mono but presented at a listening level that will surely please. Extras include a jumble of audio commentaries from Jamie Farr, Paul Muzursky, Peter Ford and Idel Freeman; a cartoon and the film's original theatrical trailer.