In about a months time it is back to school which still makes me have a sinking feeling because I hated school. Never mind the brutal bullying I dealt with for years but that I had a hard time in math, science (I really sucked in science) and French. At least I got B's in English and Phys-Ed(believe it or not). I am pretty certain I have some learning issue which I don’t mean in a derogatory way, I'm just realistic. I think each person learns in a different way but the problem is how to teach kids in all these different ways..practically impossible but please feel free to disagree and tell me why. So, I feel bad for the kids having to go back this September with COVID19 all around, they are dealing with a lot more, never mind the teachers who have other miseries to contend with this year. Wandering Through The Shelves chose school and we all know there are many films that take place in or at school. so, without further adieu, here are my 3...
1. GOODBYE MR. CHIPS-1939
This is a very quiet film that holds your attention because it is romantic, not just the romance the young Mr. Chips has with a young lady that becomes his wife and not only because of the boarding school students he teaches but in how this school teacher views the world and the young men he teaches. He uses a calm but firm hand and has his door always open to help the kids meet their future. Robert Donat, a forgotten star who died too young, from asthma (some say a stroke) at 53, plays this teacher to perfection and nabbed the Oscar away from Clark Gable(playing Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind). It is a school professor I wish I had.
2. LADY IN WHITE-1988
I saw this movie in the theatre and rented it soon after and have not seen it since and I want to own it. It is considered a horror film but I consider it a thriller with some ghosts thrown in for good measure. In 1962, this young kid is thrown into the closet by a couple of bullies, after school and leave. The young lad falls asleep only to wake seeing a young girl, also in the closet, who is scared and disappears. The boy sees a figure open up a grate and tries to retrieve something but notices the lad and the evil man opens the closet and almost chokes him to death. The lad wakes up in the hospital, having been found by his janitor dad and you soon find out there is a serial killer afoot who killed many young children over the years. Once better, the boy goes back to school and opens up the grate finding little "souvenirs" including a class ring. I am not going to give anything more away but it is a great ghost story and thriller rolled into one from the eyes of a child. I think it is a must see.
3. SIMON BIRCH-1998
This film starts with Jim Carrey standing over the grave of Simon Birch before you go back in time to when he was a kid and friends with Simon Birch, a dwarf who is picked on in school. The kids are actually best friends and The boy's mom, played by Ashley Judd, welcomes Simon Birch with open arms when many others are scared of him because of his deformity. Simon believes he is placed on earth for a special reason and his best friend just humours him. The young kid wants to know whom his dad is but his mom refuses to tell so they both try to figure it out. This film is quite funny but also very sad and hopeful all at once. This is another film that I think is excellent even though it didn't get much love when it came out.
Now which 3 would you choose?
Saw Goodbye Mr. Chips back in the 50's so I hardly remember it. Never even heard of the other two. First thought, The Breakfast Club.
ReplyDeleteI loved school, but I do agree that everyone has different aptitudes and learns differently. I learn much better by seeing and doing than by reading. Math was my best subject. Science was next. Both logical and provable which is how my brain sees things to this day.
Hahaha...I had a feeling math and science would be your best which were my worst. My mind does not think analytical. The Breakfast Club is a good choice for sure.
DeleteHi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how different that promotional announcement for Goodbye Mr. Chips is from modern trailers. For three minutes we watch the paint dry on the wall as critic Alexander Woollcot aka The Town Crier, sits before us and does a review followed by full orchestra over scenes from the movie. Woollcott refers to the film as a "moving picture." Notice too how slowly and methodically he speaks with dramatic pauses throughout. He reminds me of Roosevelt delivering his Infamy Speech: "Yesterday... December 7th, 1941... a date which will live... in infamy..." Ever notice that today's young people tend to be fast talkers? Sometimes I can't even follow the dialogue on a TV series like Modern Family.
I like period pieces set in the 50s and 60s and therefore might give Lady in White a try, but the ghost story doesn't seem intense and gory enough to satisfy my demented cravings. I require a high body count!
As an Ashley Judd fan and completist, I have twice watched Simon Birch. On the second run through, I was hoping against hope that this time Rebecca Wenteworth wouldn't get beaned by that baseball.
My picks in the category are Glenn Ford in Blackboard Jungle (1955), luscious Yvonne Lime in High School Hellcats (1958), Dick Clark in Because They're Young (1960) and Sidney Poitier & Lulu in To Sir, With Love (1967).
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend BB!
Yeah that town crier sounds more like that teacher from Ferris Bueller. I love Lady I. white because it is not a slasher film which is what you like it seems. I still say it is worth seeing. Yeah poor Ashley Judd gets the baseball in the head..that was a shocker to me.
DeleteOoh, somebody else thought of Because They're Young!
DeleteI remember Lady in White but not sure if I watched it. (That was a few years ago.) I'm going to go with the first thing that popped in my head - The Breakfast Club.
ReplyDeleteYou may revisit it. The Breakfast Club is a good choice
DeleteI loved Goodbye Mr. Chips. Excellent pick.
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a pain-free, fun day.
Nope..pain is not good. Little sleep but still enjoying the lovely flowers. Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a lovely film.
DeleteI hated school as well. I also have a soft spot for Simon Birch! I think movies with religious themes tend to miss for me far more than hit, but this one absolutely hits.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Simon Birch was good and without the thumping of a bible.
DeleteHadn't seen these three but when I saw the theme the first movie that came to mind was "To Sir with Love". I think I saw that back in 1968. Whole different world now :)
ReplyDeleteSorry school was such an unpleasant experience for you but wtg to get a B in PE. I usually managed a C :)
betty
To Sir, With Love was really good but didn't he dance horribly? Hahahaaa. They must have given me a B for effort because i am not sports oriented at all plus I was always picked last, got a soccer ball in the face(on purpose) and was knocked out for a few seconds. The kids would always try to break my fingers on my right hand by throwing the ball too fast and I would stupidly try to catch it spraining my fingers or wrist. They would also step on my hand to try to break it. Every year I ended up in the hospital with a swollen right hand or fingers
DeleteHi Birgit - school for me wasn't too bad ... but I've never seen Simon Birth - the other two are good ... Educating Rita - but that was the Open University, then Carry on Teacher - school age! take care - Hilary
ReplyDeleteEducating Rita is a great choice! The Carry On Movies are so much fun
DeleteI have no idea where my comment went but Educating Rita is an excellent choice. The Carry On movies are so much fun.
DeleteYour comment about having a "learning issue" caught my attention as in recent years I've come to a similar conclusion. I always did fairly well in school, but there have been some things that just seem to go beyond my grasp. There's probably a reasonable explanation, but sometimes I wonder if something didn't hold me back. But I was okay with school--didn't love it maybe, but I accepted it.
ReplyDeleteI've seen Simon Birch but not the other two. Some school films that come to my mind are Blackboard Jungle, To Sir with Love, Fame, and Election. Gosh, for once I can think of a lot of films that fit this category--I could keep naming them but I'll leave it at those 4 suggestions.
This is a good genre!
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Your choices are great although I never saw Fame. I was bullied too much and nasty, to like school. I know you touched on the learning disability in school and I was a C student even though everyone thought I was a browner, meaning an A student. I had trouble in math so much even though I am an excellent budgeter.
DeleteI like but don't love Goodbye, Mr. Chips, though its much better than the Peter O'Toole remake. Donat was a fine actor but I don't think he was better this time out than Gable.
ReplyDeleteLady in White is a wonderful chiller, I don't see it as horror either. A great sense of menace hangs over the film.
I don't remember much about Simon Birch other than I thought it was an okay film.
With so many different directions to go with this I did a mini boarding school theme within the theme.
Mädchen in Uniform (1931)-Still reeling from the death of her mother teenage Manuela (Hertha Thiele) is sent to a German boarding school run by the autocratic Fräulein von Nordeck (Emilia Unda). Grieving and angry Manuela at first keeps to herself but is slowly drawn out of her shell by sympathetic young teacher Elizabeth von Bernburg (Dorothea Wieck). But when Manuela's fondness for her teacher turns into a romantic attachment, it becomes a school-wide scandal. The film caused an uproar upon its release due to its compassionate view towards lesbianism.
The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)-During World War II St. Swithins all-girls school is evacuated from London to avoid the Blitz. Due to a clerical error the female students and staff are relocated to the Nutborne Boys School. When the headmaster, Wetherby Pond (Alastair Sim) finds out he hits the ceiling but when he realizes there is nothing to be done about it he and St. Swithins headmistress Muriel Whitchurch (Margaret Rutherford) agree to keep their mixed-sex campus a secret to avoid disturbing the parents. However they find it hard to deceive visiting inspectors and hilarity ensues.
A Little Princess (1939)-When the wealthy Captain Crewe (Ian Hunter) is called to serve in the Boer War he places his young daughter Sara (Shirley Temple) in the exclusive Miss Minchin's School for Girls. Everything is rosy for a time but when word arrives that the captain has been killed in action and his property seized Sara, reduced to penury, is forced to become a servant at the school living in a tiny attic room. Belittled and tormented by several of the girls especially the cruel Lavinia (Marcia Mae Jones) Sara believes her father to be alive and haunts the hospitals looking for him.
Oh gosh, I love your posts and always want to comment on your...and everyone's, but life gets in the way. Anyhoo, I agree that Clark Gable should have won and I wonder what he did to piss off the people in power. I'm glad you like my picks even though you don't remember the last one much. I would love to see your first choice and it must be a German film? I have only seen parts of Happiest Days and would like to see it from the beginning. I do like The Little Princess which is one of Temple's best even though I laugh at the ending when he stand for the queen. The remake is excellent
DeleteOh yes! I remembered Simon Birch. That movie was so depressing, especially with all the bullying that Simon went through. Great list!
ReplyDeleteCheck out my Thursday Movie Picks!
Ronyell @ The Surreal Movies and TV Blog
Glad you like Simon even though it is sad
DeleteI’ve seen Mr Chips but haven’t heard of the other two. One or two people have mentioned To Sir With Love which I also liked. Ditto - Breakfast Club and the St Swithun’s films (NOT the modern one). I also thought of Dead Poets Society and Grease. VERY unusual for me to know so many in a theme.
ReplyDeleteSchool is a popular one for many here I don't know the St. Swithum films and I still have to see Dead Poets Society.
DeleteI've never heard of any of these. Yeah, there are so many. I'm thinking of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Juno, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Birds...Hm, more will come to me.
ReplyDeleteVirtual hugs to you, Birgit.
Juno and The Birds! Excellent choices
DeleteEveryone learns differently. Schools are trying to differentiate better, but there's still a long ways to go. I remember when we used to start in September. But start date has been creeping back steadily. Today was supposed to be our first day, but it got pushed back a week due to Covid. It's going to be a weird year. . .
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen your movies, although I've seen bits of Chips. My mind is going a million miles a minute with movie ideas: Back to School, Summer School. (Both for the '80s.) Apartment for Peggy. (So many college movies from the '40s.) I'd have to think on it for a final list.
Yes, the schools are slowly...slowly changing. Here, school still starts after Labour Day unless you are in a private school. Gosh I just thought of a Jeanne Crain film(can't recall the title) that would be perfect. I love Jeanne Crain
DeleteI haven't seen any of these but Simon Birch sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou should check it out
DeleteI've only seen Goodbye Mr. Chips and I loved it, I've also seen the newer version with a british actor playing the lead role, who's name completely escapes me at the moment, he plays Doc Martin, anyhoo, it's a marvellous film, both are.
ReplyDeleteI hated school too Birgit, I got belted twice a week for not being able to do mental arithmetic, this went on for the best part of a year, of course numbers terrify me . How did anyone think that knowledge can be belted into a child? Thank goodness those thing have changed, Kate x
Oh my God-Were they nuns? Nuns seemed to love taking the ruler to kids. Yeah, you grew up when they could do this freely. I thought, at first, you were talking about the musical remake with Peter O'Toole but I would love to see the version with Martin Clunes. I love him in Doc Martin
DeleteFirst one I thought of, and unquestionably my favorite by a huge margin, is 'DEAD POETS SOCIETY'. Without a doubt one of my Top 25 favorite movies of all time (and probably even Top Ten).
ReplyDelete~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
You know, I would have been shocked if you didn't choose this film because I know you love it
DeleteNever heard of the second, will have to give it a go. Porky's, the breakfast club, 3 o'clock high, hiding out, and lean on me all popped in.
ReplyDeleteI have no desire to see Porky's but I remember when it came out. I don't know 3 O'Clock High or Hiding Out. I have to check them out. Lean on Me is excellent
DeleteHey Birgit,
ReplyDeleteYou featured three new-to-me films. The first one, I'm not sure interests me but the last two definitely do. I'm going to see if I can find them to stream. That second one looks like a great Halloween flick! Thanks for sharing and for dropping by my place. Stay safe and be well, dear friend! {{hugs}}
Woman in White in a perfect Halloween film and the town reminded me of the small village my brother and I went trick O' treating in.
DeleteGood topic, sis! The three films you highlight were not the first ones to come to mind for me. Some have already been mentioned by other folks here, films like Dead Poets Society, Ferris Buehler's Day Off, Fast Times at Ridgemount High, and Breakfast Club.
ReplyDeleteTaking the low road, the first movie I thought of was Animal House. That film stays with me because I actually experienced some aspects of it during my university days. As ludicrous as it was, there were many elements of truth to it.
Another rather obscure movie I remember seeing on late-night TV when I was a kid called "Up the Down Staircase," about a young female teacher assigned to a tough inner-city school in New York. Sandy Dennis was the star... perhaps you remember this movie.
My third would be Back to School starring Rodney Dangerfield. Funny how so many films highlight the deficiencies in our education system. We all acknowledge it but seem unable to do anything about it. I'm convinced the day will come when we look back at how we taught and trained students and just shake our heads at how we got it so wrong. No knock intended towards teachers... it's the system that lacks integrity.
I still have to see Dead Poet's Society and Fast Times. The first is a must see for me. Animal House is excellent and I bet you experienced some of those at school which brings back many fond memories..or memories of not remembering what happened..that happens to me:). Great choice in Up the Down Staircase and the great Rodney Dangerfield. You are so right about the education system needing an overhaul.
DeleteI read the novel by John Irving on which the movie was based. It took me years to finally see Simon Birch. I liked the novel a lot and didn't want to be disappointed. I don't remember the movie, but I did like how the screenwriters adapted the novel.
ReplyDeleteSchool of Rock is my all-time favorite school movie.
Dreading going back to school, but at least it'll be teaching online for the foreseeable future. I'm so sorry you were bullied!
ReplyDeleteMy picks would be: The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and The Dead Poet's Society. Also liked School Ties--so sad.
I don't know what it's like in Canada, but here it's just not a good time to be sending kids back to brick and mortar. Though, many places are doing it anyway.
ReplyDeleteWishing you cool days.
Simon Birch is the only one I've seen, which was a long time ago and I remember liking it then.
ReplyDeleteOh, so many... I think movies played a big part in my choice of profession, actually. I was duped!
ReplyDeleteI would be remiss if I didn't suggest Mr. Holland's Opus.
And if you're in a documentary mood, Chops is really good.
Simon Birch: I've never seen it. Like others who have commented above, I absolutely adore A Prayer for Owen Meany. It's John Irving's best book, no contest. As such, I've always imagined that I could only be disappointed by Simon Birch, having been disappointed by most other Irving adaptations. I'm glad to know you enjoyed it. That's encouraging.