To Sir, with Love Page #3

He's never tidy, his shoes is

never brushed and his hair's a mess.

It's filthy.

Mr. Weston is not your teacher.

We won't discuss him.

I'm the one to criticize

if I fail to maintain the standards.

That's not fair.

Sir...

...or Mr. Thackeray.

Didn't you understand?

That's not fair...

...Sir.

I agree.

But it's an example of things

you'll have to put up with as an adult.

You'll just have to take it.

Next, we are going to talk

about various...

Good morning.

- I wanted to see how you were doing.

- Fine, thank you.

Good.

Thank you.

What is it?

Palmer?

What are we gonna talk about, Sir?

About life...

...survival...

...love...

...death, sex, marriage...

...rebellion, anything you want.

I never did see one like him, Pam.

Even when he blew his stack,

no swearing or nothing.

Blimey!

Ain't natural, that's what.

Does he really mean what he says?

I don't know.

It'd be a change, though, to see

those creeps acting like gents.

Here, which one do you fancy?

I like Babs.

Yeah? Watch this.

- Come on, Pam, luv.

- Get lost, Denham!

I don't like

your smelly tricks, do I?

And it's Miss Dare to you.

Get stuffed.

Come on then, luv.

You heard what Sir said,

Mr. Smarty Denham.

If you want to dance with me,

you bleeding well ask proper.

May I have the pleasure

of this dance, Miss Pegg?

Blimey!

Good old Potts.

Get you, Potter.

Shut up!

Who does he think he is,

bleeding Fred Astaire?

Come on, Miss Pegg.

Look at me.

I am a lady, I am.

Rotten tarts, all of them.

Chimney sweep was right about that.

He won't catch me

spending me nicker on them.

He said we could talk about anything.

You are so right, Tich, mate.

He did say

we could ask him anything.

Questions and answers.

Last night on the telly,

there was this travelogue picture.

You know, a lot of black women

dancing around with no tops.

Don't they ever dress proper?

What's proper varies

throughout the world...

...depending on

customs and climate.

For their climate and customs,

they were dressed properly.

Are you from South Africa?

Of course not.

South Africans is white, isn't they?

A South African is a native

of South Africa, regardless of colour.

I was born in British Guiana.

What did you mean the other day

about rebellion, Sir?

Change.

Take your hairstyles.

That's a form of rebellion, isn't it?

What, Sir?

Don't you do it

to be different from adults?

They've messed up the world,

haven't they?

- You can say that again.

- So you rebel.

Even the way you dress is

a form of rebellion, isn't it?

It's just the new fashion, Sir.

Of course, the adults look

proper stupid in our gear.

Do you think it's wrong

to be different, to rebel?

It is your duty to change

the world, if you can.

Not by violence.

Peacefully, individually,

not as a mob.

Take the Beatles.

They started a huge social revolution.

The fashions they set in dress...

...and hairstyles are worldwide now.

Every new fashion...

...is a form of rebellion.

There's an exhibit

of costumes through the ages...

...at the Victoria

and Albert Museum.

I think you should see it.

Also, you should see

the Museum of Natural History.

What, us lot go to a museum?

- Sure.

- You're joking.

You'll discover that

your hairstyles are 200 years old...

...and that your costumes

or your dress...

...is right out of 1920.

Shut up!

Look, Sir, when can we go?

There's no time after school,

and I've got to look after the kids.

I have to do the housework

and get the supper for the lodgers.

Me mum's expecting a baby any day,

and I got to babysit.

Why don't you take us?

We could go in the morning.

Who would like that?

What a drag!

Don't you want a day off?

Put your hand up.

- Put both hands up.

- Fat chance!

It wouldn't work.

It's not the sort of risk

we'd dare to take at North Quay.

I would like to try, Sir.

The best of pupils are inclined

to show off in public.

Your class?

You'd never be able

to supervise them.

When I took this job,

you said you wouldn't interfere...

...as long as I stayed

within your framework.

If you can get another

staff member to go with you...

...I'll approach the council.

I see little hope of approval.

Thank you, Sir.

Miss Blanchard, I think I can

arrange an outing with my class...

...if I can get

another teacher to go along.

I'd love to.

And it's Gillian.

When is the outing?

When we get travel warrants

and permission.

Just let me know when.

Thanks, Gillian. Bye.

Good morning.

What would you like

to talk about today?

Ladies first.

Miss Joseph.

Marriage, Sir.

You know, boyfriends and things.

How do you know he's the right one?

What to look for.

How to avoid divorce.

Don't get married.

Where's Miss Purcell?

She's to look after the home.

Her mum had the baby last night.

What hospital?

No hospital, Sir.

The doctor came to her.

She all right?

Well, she just had a kid.

Didn't she?

Now, marriage.

First, let us lay some ground rules.

I've never been married,

so what I say is as an outsider.

Now, what should a girl

look for in a man?

I think first we ought

to determine what is marriage.

Miss Joseph.

Holy wedlock.

Potter, be serious.

You'll get your turn.

Miss Pegg.

It's life, isn't it, Sir?

Everyone gets married.

I mean, sometime.

Why didn't you?

No one would have him.

I was very poor.

There was something in me

that wanted an education...

...so I put all of

my energies into that.

Well, I got started later.

Just never met the right girl.

What should a girl

look for in a man?

- Miss Clark?

- What work did you do, Sir?

I waited tables.

I cooked in a hamburger joint.

I washed dishes for a time, cars.

For a year I was a janitor

in an apartment block.

- Lots of jobs.

- You washed dishes?

I did.

But you talk posh.

- That wasn't easy.

- You didn't always talk like that?

When I was your age, I used a patois,

a kind of simple English.

I going bust your booby

if you don't get up off of this...

I didn't understand a word.

Well, I don't always understand

what you say either.

If you work hard,

you can do almost anything.

You can get any job you want.

You can even...

You can even change your speech

if you want to.

After I got my degree, I worked

in South America for an oil company.

The only women in that region...

...were jungle Indians who carried

blowpipes and poison darts.

You could have broke my hands.

We were discussing marriage.

To my mind, marriage is

no way of life for the weak...

...the selfish...

...or the insecure.

What's the matter, Weston?

These damn fool Americans!

They bog up everything

they're connected with.

What a shower!

I'll never forgive the President

for missing Churchill's funeral...

...nor sending the vice president.

Rotten manners.

- It was very naughty.

- I quite agree.

A typically stupid, appalling

and unnecessary mistake.

- What can you expect?

- Still beefing?

Give them a chance.

They've not been leading the world...

...as long as Britain has.

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