Blackboard Jungle

Released Mar 19, 1955

1 hr. 41 min.

Drama

List

74%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

World War II veteran Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford) takes a teaching position at a rough New York City school for boys. The staff warns him that the students are nearly impossible to control, but the optimistic Richard remains unfazed. Soon, though, he realizes that his class isn't merely rowdy -- they can be downright dangerous. The students, led by the thuggish Artie West (Vic Morrow), threaten their teacher and his family with violence, yet Richard refuses to give up on the troubled teens.

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Jeff S

A timeless film with a profound message.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Joel H

Blackboard Jungle definitely has its ups and downs. There were times when I was feeling real stress about the fictional situations whereas, at other times, the story got so melodramatic that it felt like an after school special. The real shining star here is Sidney Poitier, who steals the spotlight in every scene that he's in. Vic Morrow is no slouch, either, as he becomes a character that you truly dislike. I think better inspirational teacher movies have come out since then, but you can tell that Blackboard Jungle set a standard for those types of films and made a big impression on audiences of that era.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/03/23

Full Review

Steve D

You have seen it all before NOW but at the time this was important and powerful stuff.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/28/23

Full Review

lance c

The worn out "kids reject teacher till he proves his sincerity" tripe just NO

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

stu b

Heavy-handed and cliched, but still effective. Glenn Ford stars as an idealistic young teacher who lands a job at a rough-and-tumble inner-city high school, only to discover that the students there have no more interest in learning than most of the teachers have in educating them. Its over-the-top, 50s-era view of juvenile delinquency does the film no favors, but the crisp dialogue, smooth direction and fine, low-key performances more than make up for it. With an utterly believable Sidney Poitier and a dangerous and dour-faced Vic Morrow--both at the start of their careers--as two of the chief agitators, a young Anne Francis as Ford's worried wife, and even a pre-"Man of La Mancha" Richard Kiley as the milquetoast teacher who is eventually forced to resign. (And if you look closely, you may even spot Jamie Farr, who went on to star as Corporal Klinger on "M.A.S.H.") Written and directed in gorgeous black-and-white by Richard Brooks. Based on the book by Evan Hunter. A classic.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/19

Full Review

Audience Member

Unlike most of the other school reform movies that I've watched, this movie made me so mad I wanted to murder the Vic Morrow character. There are a number of things that make me think that a violent solution is the answer, and his character committed a number of those actions. All that is going to happen to him is he is either going to be sent to another school where he will hurt someone else, or he will foul up the streets with his scumminess. The sexist ways that the women act and are acted upon is revolting, but shows a lot of the issues that the fifties were having with gender rights and sexism within men and women of the time. I liked the race statements that we shouldn't call each other racial slurs even within our own groups because it can not be a universal maxim and is therefore immoral. The chat between the teacher and Miller is also true, that you can't use the excuse of your race to not try and make something of yourself. Sidney Poitier is absolutely fantastic as usual, and this movie has introduced me to Glenn Ford, who now I want to see more of. This is an interesting and emotionally engaging movie, but I think a lot of the solutions should have been addressed in the beginning of the class rather than letting them fester and get out of control, including Ms. Hammond's advances. The cinematography was great, and it was amazing to me to hear a popular song used for the opening credits in a black and white movie, really cool.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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Richard Brooks

Director

Glenn Ford

Richard Dadier

Vic Morrow

Artie West

Anne Francis

Anne Dadier

Louis Calhern

Jim Murdock

Margaret Hayes

Lois Judby Hammond

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TIME Magazine

More important, however, than the letter of the film is the spirit. It seizes a burning issue, and lets the sparks fall where they may.

Jan 8, 2018

Full Review

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Originating the genre of 'dedicated teacher reaches troubled kids in a ghetto school', this is still affecting although heavy-handed.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 8, 2008

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Glenn Ford, Morrow and Poitier are so real in their performances under the probing direction by Brooks that the picture alternatingly has the viewer pleading, indignant and frightened before the conclusion.

Apr 8, 2008

Full Review

George N. Fenin

Film Culture

This film has been made more with an idea to exploit a news item than to deal seriously with a phenomenon which the camera could have expressed and fixed, with realistic ferocity.

Dec 15, 2021

Full Review

André Bazin

L'Éducation Nationale

[The] film confines itself to dealing with a theme that has often been treated by the cinema: delinquent or even predatory adolescence. But Blackboard Jungle revitalizes this theme through its social activism and its documentary realism.

Dec 8, 2021

Full Review

Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Hoodlumism in today's big-city classrooms is examined in a shocking, angry drama which some educators have denounced as grossly exaggerated. It's a gripping movie nonetheless.

Nov 14, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

World War II veteran Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford) takes a teaching position at a rough New York City school for boys. The staff warns him that the students are nearly impossible to control, but the optimistic Richard remains unfazed. Soon, though, he realizes that his class isn't merely rowdy -- they can be downright dangerous. The students, led by the thuggish Artie West (Vic Morrow), threaten their teacher and his family with violence, yet Richard refuses to give up on the troubled teens.

Director: Richard Brooks
Screenwriter: Evan Hunter, Richard Brooks
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 1955, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 18, 2008
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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