Customer Reviews

Up the Down Staircase

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Up the Down Staircase" is a wonderful film. It portrays Coolidge High School in New York City, and an idealistic teacher who discovers the harsh realities found in the urban schools in America. Even though it was made in 1967, it still holds true 35 years later. It is a story of courage and triumph. The star is Sandy Dennis, a superb actress whose performance is flawless as the teacher. It also features Eileen Heckart, Ruth White, Jean Stapleton, and Sorrell Booke. This film is a classic masterpeice, and is highly recommended.

I watched this film for the very first time today and it is incredible. Sandy Dennis was brilliant as a young, idealistic school teacher who is slowly worn down, and ultimately rejuvenated, by her experiences working at an inner-city school. The film has disturbing scenes, happy scenes, sad scenes, and even some funny scenes. Most of all this film is real...it touches your heart and, to anyone who has ever been a teacher or attended a public school, the experiences Sandy Dennis's character has with the school nurse and secretary are hilariously realistic. EXCELLENT FILM!!!!

Sandy Dennis in her role as high school teacher Sylvia Barrett is truly magnificent!!! She outshines every other actor or actress in the movie. She does not overact - instead, she strikes one by her flawless presentation of an initially overtaxed teacher who develops towards an inspiring person, not only for her pupils, but also for those who watch the film with the intention to become a teacher her- or himself, as I do. What I appreciate especially about Up the down staircase is that with a minimum of special effects or dramatic events, a realistic portrayal of school life is achieved - from the teacher's as well as from the pupil's point of view. Dennis herself ranks among the most underrated Hollywood actresses, but like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, the film Up the down staircase stands as one of her masterpieces and prove that back in 1992, when she died of ovarian cancer, America lost one of its most gifted and unique actresses.

One of my favorite movies. As an innercity public high school student, I remember the snooty kids visiting us from an all-white suburban camelot academy mentioning that it reminded them of "Up the Down Staircase". The late Sandy Dennis' performance as idealistic English teacher Miss Barrett was one of the most undervalued and underrated, and I thought it criminal that she didn't rate at least an Oscar nomination. A wonderful supporting cast, including a pre-Edith Bunker Jean Stapleton and Eileen Heckert, and the students being played by real high school kids makes this special. I think you might be surprised how relatively mild these "delinquents" act in comparison with the kids today. At least no kids were packing heat back then!

Great this is coming to DVD.

This movie was just on Turner Classic Movies, and it is indeed a classic. If you are a new teacher or think they are the reason for the decline in education in America, then watch this movie. Filmed in 1967, but with modern themes which apply today, this movie is about teachers and kids and how they learn about each other.

You'll find Jean Stapleton who played Edith, wife of "Archie Bunker", Sorrell Booke who played Boss Hogg on "Dukes of Hazzard" and the lead character Sandy Dennis, who played Gwen, the wife, on the original "Out of Towners."

Very well acted. If you've ever been to an inner-city school like I went to for a while, you'll like this movie's portrayal of the students as they learn about thier new teacher and themselves. Also, if you're like me, you'll find a kind of poetic statement which the movie makes without intentionally doing so. As the movie was filmed in 1967, the turbulent years of 1968 and 1969 lay ahead for these kids in this movie, and the hardships they are enduring now will pale in comparison to what they face in the near future. They will need a teacher like the one portrayed in the movie, and only you, the viewer, will know that.

I love this movie! I was knocked out by director Pakula's interpretation of the book. He (and Tad Mosel, the screenwriter) fleshed it out considerably and added dimension and depth to the characters without once bypassing any of the book's tone and purpose. There is much to be lauded about this movie. First, of course, is Sandy Dennis's flawless portrayal of Sylvia Barrett. Dennis imparted considerable pathos and emotion to the young, idealistic teacher. The other parts were perfectly cast, right down to Jose Rodriguez (which is his name in the book, his name in the movie, and his real name, to boot!). There is no sex, no bad language, no nudity-- nothing that current films are so rife with. This was back when movie makers had to rely on their imagination, education, and sensitivity to put together an excellent movie. Not like today, where things tawdry and gruesome and depressing are featured and sensibility is empty and meaningless. See this movie-- you won't be disappointed.

Bel Kaufman's novel is one of those books that falls into the beloved category for most people who have read it. This 1967 film does a marvelous job of bringing the antinovel to life. An "antinovel" is simply an avant-garde novel that offers a radical departure from the convention of the traditional novels, which Kaufman does by offering up letters, memos, directives from the principal, student comments, notes between teachers, school forms, and even papers from wastebaskets to create a vivid picture of first-year teaching Silvia Barrett struggling to deal with the joys of teaching at an inner-city school. Most of the credit for this film goes to Sandy Dennis for her indelible performance as Miss Barrett and screenwriter Tad Mosel for making the raw elements of Kaufman's novel work.

The supporting cast is a perfect mix of recognizable character actors for the teachers and complete unknowns for the students. Sorrell Booke is the principal, Roy Poole the hardnosed assistant principal, Jean Stapleton the harried secretary, Eileen Heckart and Ruth White the good teachers, and Paul Barringer the moody bad boy of the English Department. One of the most horrifying scenes I have ever seen in a film is when Barringer's character calmly corrects the love note written to him by a young female student. He corrects her punctuation and spelling while she has to endure his callous insensitivity, and when Alice jumps from the window of his classroom we are horrified but not surprised. But this is just one of many memorable scenes in this film.

"Up the Down Staircase" is one of those films that inspires people to be teachers, or, better yet, to stay in teaching. It does not sugarcoat how things are in an inner-city school. If anything, it pours on the worst aspects of the entire experience. For Sylvia the problem is that she can barely notice the successes. Her class is engaged in a spirited discussion of how the opening of Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities" relates to their own lives, but how can she enjoy their enthusiasm when the assistant principal is complaining about the noise level in her class. Sylvia has decided to flee to the suburbs and a nice, safe, private school when her decision to have her class act out a trial based on "Silas Marner" bears a most surprising and touching result. It is amazing how emotional you can get over a student's simple revelations: "Miss Barrett....I'm 'Me.'" Throughout the film director Robert Mulligan captures the chaos of an overcrowded high school, but at the key moment he frames Sylvia in a long shot as the pivotal moment in her life as a teacher when she learns with unforgettable power how much difference one teacher can have in the life of one student.

When I met Sandy Dennis I told her about how my father actually stayed up to watch "The Out of Towners," which was unusual because my father never stays up late to watch any movie. She said her father liked that one too. But it is really as Sylvia Barrett in "Up the Down Staircase," and not her Oscar winning performance as Honey in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" that is how I think most people remember this talented actress. This film is not simply an American version of "To Sir, With Love," it is just simply the most inspirational movie about teaching I have ever seen. And it is better than "Boston Public," too. Final plea: If you can find the book, read it too.

It's hard to believe this role wasn't written for Sandy Dennis. Of course, the film is derived from the classic book about an idealistic young teacher on her first job, confronted with street-wise students in her first year.

This movie was the first I'd ever seen with Sandy Dennis. I was in 7th grade when it was released, and all the friends I had saw it with me. We all agreed that it was more 'realistic' than "To Sir With Love" which we also went to see. I was captivated by Ms. Dennis's quirky looks and personality. Of course, this was long before VCR's, so all one could do was watch for new releases, which I did. Unfortunately, Ms. Dennis didn't release anything else that came to our small town before I left high school. I didn't forget her, though.

When I recently purchased this movie, and a reprint of the book, it had been over 20 years since I'd watched it. Of course, styles and mannerisms have changed enormously since this movie was released. However, the basic personalities of the actors' parts haven't changed. There certainly is a universality in all the main parts. The guidance counselor, for instance--didn't so many of us know one like this, who seemed to lose the true purpose of the job in a wave of psychological jabber? Jean Stapleton was superb in her part as the school secretary, wrapped up in endless silly forms and paperwork, yet with a respect for the 'artistic' English teacher/writer that motivated her to falsify his time. Of course, the unusual personal acting quality that was Sandy Dennis plays off of all these others, in that familiar-yet-distant manner that she mastered.

Thirty-five years on, I find I still prefer this movie to "Sir", because it is less saccharin. Not saccharin at all, as a matter of fact. I wish it were on DVD, but am happy to be able to get it on VHS rather than not at all. The video transfer is satisfactory, not great. For wide-screen fans, this isn't.

Could this movie be remade today? Doubtful, even if a decent cast could be found. Teenagers have become more sophisticated and if anything, more cynical. As have so many teachers. Enjoy this movie for what it was, and still is.

I meant to see this film many times over the years, including when it first came out in theaters in 1967, but never found the time until the other night when it was shown on TCM. I wish I had seen it much sooner, especially since I went to a similar high school, because the characters and performances are so real and true-to-life! Everone knows (or knew) different schoolmates who are just like the characters in the film. This movie leaves a lasting impression, especially the various subplots and subtext underlying the story. I wonder: does anyone know what became of the others in the cast such as Patrick Bedford, Jeff Howard and the young woman who played Alice? At any rate, this film is excellent and its theme is timeless and I know I'll be watching it again and again...

Up the down staircase perfectly depicts how new teachers just out of college feel when they step into a classroom. I personally feel that every teacher-to be,should watch this movie.It consits of a little bit of comedy and drama. I highly recommend this movie.