Blackboard Jungle

Directed by Richard Brooks, Blackboard Jungle follows Glenn Ford’s Richard Dadier as he attempts to teach a class full of rebellious teenagers (including Sidney Poitier’s Gregory and Vic Morrow’s Artie). Filmmaker Brooks, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a watchable (albeit erratically-paced) endeavor that undoubtedly benefits from the top-notch efforts of its star, as Ford offers up a typically commanding turn that goes a long way towards smoothing over the narrative’s bumps and lulls – with the actor’s first-class work certainly matched by costars Poitier and Morrow. (The latter is agreeably intense as one of Dadier’s more overtly malevolent students.) It’s clear, then, that Blackboard Jungle‘s inability to become as stirring or compelling as its performers lies in its recurring emphasis on grating periphery figures, with the arms-length feel of many of the many classroom sequences ultimately wreaking havoc on the picture’s overall impact. By the time the admittedly intense climactic confrontation rolls around, then, Blackboard Jungle has confirmed its place as a decent-enough drama that never quite becomes as enthralling as one might’ve anticipated (and hoped).

**1/2 out of ****