Up the Down Staircase

1967

2h 4m

Drama

List

78%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

68%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

On her first day at Calvin Coolidge High, fledgling teacher Sylvia Barrett (Sandy Dennis) encounters an apathetic faculty, a delinquent student body and an administration that drowns its staff in paperwork. The following days go from bad to worse as Sylvia struggles to reach her most troubled students, bright underachiever Joe and sensitive Alice. When Alice's crush on a male teacher (Patrick Bedford) leads her to attempt suicide, Sylvia questions her ability to help the disadvantaged teens.

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Critics Consensus

While it occasionally approaches its source material from the wrong direction, Up the Down Staircase remains a worthy story that benefits from Sandy Dennis' strong performance.

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Charles Champlin

Los Angeles Times

It is at once warm and chilling, tough and sentimental, greatly moving, notably honest, improvisationally fresh, wryly and ribaldly funny, disturbing yet infused with a quantity of optimism no larger than the human heart.

Jul 6, 2022

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

We need more American films like Up the Down Staircase. We need more films that might be concerned, even remotely, with real experiences that might once have happened to real people. And we need more actresses like Sandy Dennis.

Rated: 4/4

Jul 6, 2022

Full Review

Kathleen Carroll

New York Daily News

In the final examination it is like the student who gets an average grade when he's capable of a 95 -- the underachiever.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 5, 2022

Full Review

Richard Schickel

LIFE

Up the Down Staircase is one of those rare films in which all the important talents mesh to form a wonderfully coherent, humane and sensitive vision of an aspect of our reality.

Jul 6, 2022

Full Review

Lee Steele

Toledo Blade

As the fledgling teacher, Sandy Dennis is big-sisterish and convincingly pitying in the part of Miss Barrett. She is the epitome of that contemporary yet ancient phenomenon: the dedicated mentor with the maternal instinct.

Jul 6, 2022

Full Review

Judy Ludlum

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Teach's" trials do get a bit laborious -- and the theater seat gets a little hard -- before the 124 minutes are spent.

Jul 5, 2022

Full Review

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CodyZamboni

Movie is not what I thought it would be. Realistic, you are there 1967 inner city school and surrounding low income neighborhoods. Strong commited performance by Sandy Dennis as she tries to reach her students, and fight an educational system that has given up on the kids. Movie pushes all the right emotional buttons.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

So not worth 02 hours: and 04 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

jeff s

Accurate depiction of what teaching is really like. Great performances.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

s r

Can a new school teacher have an impact in the toughest of schools? Inspirational and authentic.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sandy Dennis becomes a star in this

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Probably, the best film about a teacher struggling to earn respect among its students and get them to like and to live the subject she teaches. A slight shade of 1970s idealism spoils the overall impression.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Robert Mulligan

Director

Sandy Dennis

Sylvia Barrett

Patrick Bedford

Paul Barringer

Eileen Heckart

Henrietta Pastorfield

Ruth White

Beatrice Schacter

Jean Stapleton

Sadie Finch

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Synopsis

On her first day at Calvin Coolidge High, fledgling teacher Sylvia Barrett (Sandy Dennis) encounters an apathetic faculty, a delinquent student body and an administration that drowns its staff in paperwork. The following days go from bad to worse as Sylvia struggles to reach her most troubled students, bright underachiever Joe and sensitive Alice. When Alice's crush on a male teacher (Patrick Bedford) leads her to attempt suicide, Sylvia questions her ability to help the disadvantaged teens.

Director: Robert Mulligan
Production Co: Park Place Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2016
Runtime: 2h 4m

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