If you did not “go to the movies” in 1989 or 1990 to take in the very popular movie, LEAN ON ME, surely you later rented it from “Blockbuster Video” in Mesquite or “Video Express” in Forney, or even later watched in on “Pay Per View” on your own big boxy almost square RCA television set in the living room, or even later tuned it in on Netflix or Hulu or AT&T On-Demand on your giant flat-screen television in your personal “media room.”
Roger Ebert, Film Critic extraordinaire, gave this movie 2½ stars (because he thought the portrayal did not really show the true man, who was the protagonist) and also helped me a little to remember some “exacts” of the action. I think Mr. Ebert was so obsessed with the truth that he failed to actually grasp the importance of making a film that audiences would very much want to watch and that made the “hero” really seem almost “superhuman,” so that we could “cheer him on.”
The night I saw the movie, the crowd cheered when it was over, and most stayed to see the credits!
Joe Clark, Principal, was played by Morgan Freeman, and his performance was strong, forceful, consistent, accepted, and finally loved, something that may not have been totally true about the “real story” but made all of us in my group feel good!
Clark, in real life, was a principal for 20 or more years and never did lose faith in his own beliefs, and he was not afraid to voice them or continue to “stick up for them” even when “push actually came to shove!”
The feature begins with Mr. Clark teaching at the 1960s Eastside High School, which at the time was considered a good, acceptable institution of learning.
He “butts heads” with the Principal and loses his job there but goes to work at another “good” school in a “good” neighborhood, and for the most part seems happy with his “lot in life.”
The movie then moves on to a scene of the “20 years later” Eastside High, which is a minority school, rife with drug dealing, bullying, and other sorts of violence and unacceptable behaviors.
You guessed it: The only man who can fix this situation is JOE CLARK, who is just “crazy” enough to believe he can do so!
He gathers the troublemakers onto the stage at an assembly and expels them all, orders students to learn the school song or be expelled, suspends a teacher who sort of ignores his orders, paints over the graffiti that is popular, criticizes teachers in front of their peers and students, and demands obedience from all! He even has a “pre-exam pep rally” that seems to work! You get the idea: The movie does go a little overboard with what a Principal could really do with a baseball bat in one hand, a bullhorn in the other, and undeniable arrogance—and in not too much time producing a high school that was exemplary! But…..it also shows that before you can focus upon improving test scores and graduation rates, you have to fix the underlying problems!
The main problem many critics had with the movie was that it did not show how all this success was really accomplished! Most agreed that “terrible” schools really do/did need extreme “fix it” measures but disagreed upon just how much could really be accomplished by a “Clint Eastwood-type” hero!
Now, I must tell you that my recent reviewing of the reviews of this movie showed that most critics gave it a 3-out-of-5 rating with a few 4s and even one 5!
But the audience ratings were even higher (about 90% favorable), proving that most of us avid moviegoers are more concerned with “interest” and enjoyment rather than in artistic techniques!
The REAL JOE CLARK has recently passed away, and when I read the announcement, I immediately wanted to advise all of you who have not seen the movie to watch it. I think it is rather iconic, sort of like a Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Cool Hand Luke, Dirty Harry, Grease, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.
No matter what you have read or heard, I believe that the true story of Mr. Clark has to include that he took over Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, expelled 300 students in one day, and challenged the students who decided to stay to perform better, much better! And, most decidedly, there were successes! Yes, he was very unorthodox in his methods, but his challenge was not standard, either! He was widely criticized and also widely praised, and when President Reagan offered him a White House position as an Advisor, I hoped he would take it!
If you watch the film, I hope you will next READ about Joe Clark’s “real story.”
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