SCHOOLTEACHERS
While we don’t pay them very well and we tend to make their professional lives pretty miserable, we Americans still have a love affair with the idea of schoolteachers. Hollywood has noticed this and turned out at least 50 films about teachers.
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) pulls us in almost against our will and we cheerfully wallow in this sentimental story about the impact a teacher can have on a school and the students that pass through it. Mr. Holland is a struggling musician when he accepts a teaching job to make ends meet and 30 years later is still at it. Richard Dreyfuss is Mr. Holland, the band director and music teacher who has no idea of the effect he has had on others until he retires. That his family has suffered for his dedication only adds to the mix.
Robin Williams is reined in and quite good for at least the first three-fourths of Dead Poets Society (1989). This interesting film demonstrates how the passion of a committed schoolteacher can bring a subject to life and enrich those fortunate enough to come under his sway. The melodramatic ending is not for all tastes, but on the whole this is a fine film. 
In The Prime of Miss Jean Brody (1969) the teacher has more of an impact on the lifestyles of the students than on their learning. This complex and somewhat bittersweet film shows that this is not always a good thing. The girls are Miss Brody’s life and her not-always-gentle guidance molds the characters and outlooks of a 
generation of young women. Maggie Smith is superb as Miss Brody, and she won an Oscar for what is perhaps her finest performance. 
The fact-based Stand and Deliver (1987) features a virtuoso performance by Edward James Olmos as a no-nonsense teacher in a ghetto school. By sheer force of will he guides the reluctant students to conquer an Advanced Placement Calculus Test.  This is an excellent film about the power of scholarship and the ability to communicate it. 
Good-Bye, Mr. Chips (1939) is such a well-known film about teachers that Mr. Chips has entered the language. This version with Robert Donat in his Oscar-winning title role is much superior to the 1969 version or any others. Greer Garson and Paul Henreid contribute nicely to this gentle, timeless story. Mr. Chips has taught and inspired boys his entire adult life. His leave-taking is a blow to them all.
All of the films in this column are available on DVD. All are suitable for 10 and up.