preppy-3 Sandy Dennis plays a young teacher who is assigned to an inner city school in NYC in the early 1960s. You see here deal with tons of red tape at the school and students who don't care.Based on a 1964 book written by an actual NYC teacher. The tone of the film (and book) is light but it doesn't ignore the problems the students have. It offers no solutions but brings up some interesting questions. Shot at an actual NYC high school during the summer break which helps lead realism to the movie. All the acting is excellent.

atlasmb Up the Down Staircase is one in a series of films that explore the difficulties of teaching in an inner city high school. Its theme is that a caring teacher can make a difference in the life of a student, overcoming the sad realities and the fears that come with the territory.The Blackboard Jungle (1955) came before this film. Later came To Sir with Love, and Stand and Deliver. It sometimes seems unrealistic that a teacher in such a dangerous and discouraging environment could persevere and succeed. But we must remember that Stand and Deliver is a true story about a real teacher who achieved remarkable results.One reviewer called Sandy Dennis "quirky". That description fits her, as well as some others in the film (Eileen Heckart, Jean Stapleton, etc.). The result is a feeling that the classroom--and the school in general--is teetering on the edge between success and failure.Another reviewer, a teacher, asserted that school environment portrayed in the film is unrealistic. I personally know a teacher who survived many years in the Trenton NJ school system and who daily regaled me with her stories about a ridiculously political and inept administration, inadequate supplies, and threats to personal safety. In this regard, the film is true.In the end, the truth is that many teachers who are employees of such systems do not deserve the name "teacher", but only seek to survive another day with no concern for the students. But there are exceptional teachers, all the more remarkable because of their scarcity.Up the Down Staircase is not the best of this genre, but it honestly portrays the challenges of an inner city teacher. And it honors those teachers who care and persevere. I give it a "6".

Ed Uyeshima Fresh from her acclaimed portrayal of the young professor's frail alcoholic wife in Mike Nichols' classic adaptation of Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", Sandy Dennis starred in this forgotten 1967 drama that covers familiar territory in the movies, the idealistic high school teacher who must get through to a classroom full of unruly inner-city teens. Variations of the same storyline can be seen in a variety of films like "Stand and Deliver", "Dangerous Minds", the recent "Freedom Writers", and another 1967 film, "To Sir, With Love" with Sidney Poitier. Resuscitated from obscurity in a 2007 DVD release, this one is surprisingly free of the predictable clichés that mar most of the films of this genre. Produced by Alan J. Pakula and directed by Robert Mulligan, the same team that made two of my favorites from the 1960's, "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Love with the Proper Stranger", this film forges its own identity as a positive yet realistic view of the common problems faced by an urban high school overrun with students, short on funds and run by administrators and teachers more interested in maintaining civility in the classrooms than providing an actual education.Into the chaos of Calvin Coolidge High School walks Sylvia Barrett, a young, inexperienced teacher intent on making a difference through the naïve methods she developed from her insular, college-trained perspective. You can figure out how her methods are initially greeted and how indifferent her fellow teachers have become to such optimism. However, she perseveres with a blend of patience and subtle defiance, and there is a wonderfully liberated scene where her students become enraptured by the opening paragraphs of Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities". As Miss Barrett gets to know her students and fellow teachers, so do we, and her personal journey leads to revelations that lend emotional resonance to the viewer thanks to Tad Mosel's incisive, unsentimental screenplay (based on Bel Kaufman's 1965 best-seller). Interestingly, we never see her life outside of school, which makes the drama within the school environs all the more compelling.Known for her idiosyncratic style and perpetually nervous manner, Dennis uses her unique style to strong effect resulting in a remarkably empathetic performance. Familiar faces dot the supporting cast – Eileen Heckart as a cheery teacher masking an inappropriate crush on a student, Jean Stapleton as a harried administrator, Roy Poole as the tough-minded principal, Sorrell Booke as the poker-faced superintendent, Ruth White as a veteran teacher who teaches Sylvia how to survive the urban jungle, and Florence Stanley as an unctuous, absurdly organized counselor. Looking like a cross between Sal Mineo and John Stamos, Jeff Howard, who later played bit parts in Hal Hartley's films, cannily handles the role of a delinquent with potential, though Patrick Bedford somewhat overdoes his role as a lecherous teacher who dismisses a shy schoolgirl's romantic advances. My only reservation is that the film runs a bit long at 124 minutes. The DVD's only significant extra is the original theatrical trailer.

edwagreen Sandy Dennis was realistic as the young idealistic teacher trying to cope in a traditional urban setting in "Up the Down Staircase," based on Bel Kaufman's best seller.You really have to be a teacher or at least know one to have any idea of what is going on in our public schools.Jean Stapleton's Sadie Finch was perfect. As the school secretary, she thought she ran the place. She literally did being constantly on the intercom stating to ignore the continuously ringing fire alarms.To this very day, sadly, there is no solution to the problems of urban education. We try this program, this initiative, this idea-but nothing really works, when you have groups of students dedicated to the belief that nobody learns when they're around in school. Having taught in the NYC school system for 32 years before my retirement, I have to say that the film offers an extremely realistic view of what is occurring. We have an assistant principal here who treats the teachers in the same way that the students are to be treated. He lashes out at them. Besides being highly unprofessional, how do these supervisors expect a teacher to command respect when they are spoken down to in front of students? My first principal of cherished memory often said that a teacher has succeeded if they can reach at least 5 pupils in the class. In that context, this film certainly succeeds. Of course, it's unrealistic when we see this class of mostly losers catch on to Miss Barrett's methods so quickly. We see a principal who seems to go through the motions when addressing a student assembly. Yet, Sorrell Booke, is very touching in that role when he explains to Sylvia Barrett (the late Sandy Dennis) that she is a good teacher and that there are better schools. The librarian and guidance counselor brought back memories to me. Frances Sternhagen, as the former, showed how uninvolved many school librarians are in the education process. The fact is that they are exempt from teaching classes and are in a world of their own. Ditto for guidance counselors who treat to their small offices with their files and psychological jargon. Florence Stanley was so appealing in that latter role. Patrick Bedford epitomized the cool teacher who was guilty of a serious infraction. When you're free period 1, you still belong in the building as anything can happen as depicted. In New York City, our current school officials should see this excellent, endearing film.