Blackboard Jungle

Cultural impact

The film is very much in a, now established, genre in which an idealistic teacher is confronted with a class of cynical teenagers, disengaged by conventional schooling. As so often in later films, issues of race and class lie at the heart of the dynamics. Subsequent films that exploited the theme include: To Sir, with Love (starring Poitier as a black teacher in a white school in 1967), Stand and Deliver (1988), Lean on Me and Dead Poets Society (both in 1989), and Dangerous Minds (1995).

Related Topics:
To Sir, with Love - Poitier - 1967 - Stand and Deliver - 1988 - Lean on Me - Dead Poets Society - 1989 - Dangerous Minds - 1995

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The film has also credited with sparking the Rock and Roll revolution by featuring Bill Haley and the Comets's Rock Around the Clock, initially a B-side, over the film's opening credits, establishing that song as an instant classic.

Related Topics:
Rock and Roll - Bill Haley and the Comets - Rock Around the Clock - B-side

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The music led to a huge teenage audience for the film; their exuberance sometimes overflowed into violence and vandalism at screenings. In this sense, it has been seen as marking the start of a period of visible teenage rebellion in the late 20th century.

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In March 2005, the 50th anniversary of the release of the film, and the subsequent rise in popularity of Rock and Roll, was marked by a series of "Rock is Fifty" celebrations in New York City and Los Angeles, involving the surviving members of the original Bill Haley and His Comets. The film itself made its North American DVD debut on May 10, 2005.

Related Topics:
New York City - Los Angeles

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