To be blunt, this isn't a great movie -- the idea is to simply take the staged performance and get it out to a wider audience. The transfer to celluloid adds very little, I'm sorry to say.
What's interesting is how uncinematic this is, and yet it's mined again and again for film. It resonates in some way that makes people forgive its two-dimensionality. Think about it: the misfit faces failure/expulsion, so a stern teacher (with inner demons) is brought in to save the day...much verbal or physical wrestling ensues, but in the end, with the proper application of force, the misfit succeeds, the threat is removed, the teacher is beloved by all, and the teacher's demons are vanquished. "Lean on Me" and "Wildcats" of yesteryear, today's "Gridiron Gang"...all are essentially this story and told on film in exactly the same manner as this is told on film. Interesting also that to make this palatable for contemporary US audiences, the retellings of this story rely on a performance in sports.
If you want actual *cinematic* presentation to go with the emotional release, stick with "Children of a Lesser God".
What's interesting is how uncinematic this is, and yet it's mined again and again for film. It resonates in some way that makes people forgive its two-dimensionality. Think about it: the misfit faces failure/expulsion, so a stern teacher (with inner demons) is brought in to save the day...much verbal or physical wrestling ensues, but in the end, with the proper application of force, the misfit succeeds, the threat is removed, the teacher is beloved by all, and the teacher's demons are vanquished. "Lean on Me" and "Wildcats" of yesteryear, today's "Gridiron Gang"...all are essentially this story and told on film in exactly the same manner as this is told on film. Interesting also that to make this palatable for contemporary US audiences, the retellings of this story rely on a performance in sports.
If you want actual *cinematic* presentation to go with the emotional release, stick with "Children of a Lesser God".