Post by Boz on Sept 11, 2006 5:29:31 GMT
Blackboard Jungle
Richard Brooks 1955
In 1955, a film was released that was the first to explore the growing national epidemic of juvenile delinquency among high school age children. The film as a whole explores several issues including questions of race, disobedience, and communication between the generations, and the key scene that most clearly explores these many issues is the penultimate high-tension standoff in the classroom when the character Artie West (Vic Morrow) pulls a knife on his teacher Mr. Dadier (Glenn Ford) after he confronts him about a racial remark made towards his classmate Miller (Sidney Poitier). This is an important and markedly different scene than the rest of the film because for the first time we see the rowdy school children split in their opinions of their teacher and his actions. It is ultimately the issue of race, in this scene, that divides the students.
While Mr. Dadier has been gradually building an increasingly stronger sense of understanding and friendship with Miller throughout the film, there has been no such advancements made with West. In the beginning of the film, the kids act as one, all in defiance of their teachers and their school, but that slowly changes. Miller is shown to have intelligence, talent, and an overall positive outlook on life, whereas Artie is shown to be pessimistic, perhaps depressed, and partaking in criminal behavior. Both Miller and Artie are shown to be struggling for a leadership role amongst their group of rebellious peers, but before the final standoff in the classroom, they were never truly shown to have battled against one another. The key element that separates them is Artie’s decision to bring up the racial differences between them.
We have seldom seen the group of kids as anything but a unified entity, and this is an important fact to consider when contemplating the film’s treatment of the problem of juvenile delinquency as a whole. They are presented as understanding one another, finding solace and comfort in one another, and never in anyone outside of their generation. Their parents are never shown, and it’s interesting to note that the only way that Mr. Dadier is able to get through to them is by acting like them to some extent. He drops his professional demeanor around them at times, joking around, poking fun at some of the students, and sometimes even threatening. His methods are unconventional, but they prove to be effective. This provides for a thought-provoking message; do the kids, to some extent, have a right to act out against what they view as an oppressive society? Are their actions somewhat justified?
While their motives of seeking independence and understanding are reasonable, different students choose different methods to achieve their ideals. The contrast between these methods is exemplified in the particular scene in question. Artie reduces himself to utilizing violence and racial slurs, whereas Miller keeps himself composed and comes to defense of Mr. Dadier. Ultimately, this scene expresses the idea that the film as a whole considers juvenile delinquency as a problem that is curable, that can be dealt with across the generational gap, but it requires endurance and willingness on the part of both the teachers and the students. Some juveniles, such as Miller, can be morphed into well-mannered and successful adults, while others, such as Artie, are lost causes.
Richard Brooks 1955
In 1955, a film was released that was the first to explore the growing national epidemic of juvenile delinquency among high school age children. The film as a whole explores several issues including questions of race, disobedience, and communication between the generations, and the key scene that most clearly explores these many issues is the penultimate high-tension standoff in the classroom when the character Artie West (Vic Morrow) pulls a knife on his teacher Mr. Dadier (Glenn Ford) after he confronts him about a racial remark made towards his classmate Miller (Sidney Poitier). This is an important and markedly different scene than the rest of the film because for the first time we see the rowdy school children split in their opinions of their teacher and his actions. It is ultimately the issue of race, in this scene, that divides the students.
While Mr. Dadier has been gradually building an increasingly stronger sense of understanding and friendship with Miller throughout the film, there has been no such advancements made with West. In the beginning of the film, the kids act as one, all in defiance of their teachers and their school, but that slowly changes. Miller is shown to have intelligence, talent, and an overall positive outlook on life, whereas Artie is shown to be pessimistic, perhaps depressed, and partaking in criminal behavior. Both Miller and Artie are shown to be struggling for a leadership role amongst their group of rebellious peers, but before the final standoff in the classroom, they were never truly shown to have battled against one another. The key element that separates them is Artie’s decision to bring up the racial differences between them.
We have seldom seen the group of kids as anything but a unified entity, and this is an important fact to consider when contemplating the film’s treatment of the problem of juvenile delinquency as a whole. They are presented as understanding one another, finding solace and comfort in one another, and never in anyone outside of their generation. Their parents are never shown, and it’s interesting to note that the only way that Mr. Dadier is able to get through to them is by acting like them to some extent. He drops his professional demeanor around them at times, joking around, poking fun at some of the students, and sometimes even threatening. His methods are unconventional, but they prove to be effective. This provides for a thought-provoking message; do the kids, to some extent, have a right to act out against what they view as an oppressive society? Are their actions somewhat justified?
While their motives of seeking independence and understanding are reasonable, different students choose different methods to achieve their ideals. The contrast between these methods is exemplified in the particular scene in question. Artie reduces himself to utilizing violence and racial slurs, whereas Miller keeps himself composed and comes to defense of Mr. Dadier. Ultimately, this scene expresses the idea that the film as a whole considers juvenile delinquency as a problem that is curable, that can be dealt with across the generational gap, but it requires endurance and willingness on the part of both the teachers and the students. Some juveniles, such as Miller, can be morphed into well-mannered and successful adults, while others, such as Artie, are lost causes.