Look what I found. A hidden gem tucked away in the bowels of Netflix.
"The George McKenna Story" also known as "Hard Lessons" is about another worker that's often blamed and rarely praised: teachers. George McKenna (Denzel Washington) was the new principal at George Washington High School in Los Angeles. This was a principal's nightmare: graffiti on the walls, gang fights, kids skipping class, burnt out teachers, and a frustrated community. The school was so bad that the good kids in the neighborhood bused to different schools. Mr. McKenna was intent on changing that.
The 80's gave us a fair share of school reform movies just like it gave us vigilante movies. It seems like the two go hand in hand. If crime is so bad that vigilantes are needed, then you can only imagine that the schools are just as bad as the streets. Just like we commend the vigilante, we commend the school reformer.
Mr. McKenna accepted the challenge ahead of him and met it with poise and gumption. Inevitably, he ran into all kinds of obstacles, but he stayed the course. Some, such as certain teachers and even his own girlfriend, believed he was doing too much. Bobbie (Lynn Whitfield), his girlfriend, left him because she felt pushed out. He was so consumed with the school and its students that they had become his family, leaving little room for Bobbie. One could hardly blame her for leaving as the house filled up with students' paraphernalia and students' issues. Unfortunately, that's what it takes to reform a school such as Washington High--a total almost obsessive dedication.
"The George McKenna Story" was spectacular largely due to Denzel Washington. He ups the value of whatever project he's working on. The music was a bit of a drag though. The synthesized sound sucked. The scratching from the rap beats was OK but dated. The music actually ruined the mood. There were a couple of portentous scenes that would have been so much better if not for the dragging synthesized music. And this is not the first time I've been disappointed with Herbie Hancock's cinematic work. He had the same synthesizer sound in "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling."
Despite the music "The George McKenna Story" is now amongst my favorite school reform movies. "Lean On Me" will always have top billing, but there is no shame in being second to such a classic.
"The George McKenna Story" also known as "Hard Lessons" is about another worker that's often blamed and rarely praised: teachers. George McKenna (Denzel Washington) was the new principal at George Washington High School in Los Angeles. This was a principal's nightmare: graffiti on the walls, gang fights, kids skipping class, burnt out teachers, and a frustrated community. The school was so bad that the good kids in the neighborhood bused to different schools. Mr. McKenna was intent on changing that.
The 80's gave us a fair share of school reform movies just like it gave us vigilante movies. It seems like the two go hand in hand. If crime is so bad that vigilantes are needed, then you can only imagine that the schools are just as bad as the streets. Just like we commend the vigilante, we commend the school reformer.
Mr. McKenna accepted the challenge ahead of him and met it with poise and gumption. Inevitably, he ran into all kinds of obstacles, but he stayed the course. Some, such as certain teachers and even his own girlfriend, believed he was doing too much. Bobbie (Lynn Whitfield), his girlfriend, left him because she felt pushed out. He was so consumed with the school and its students that they had become his family, leaving little room for Bobbie. One could hardly blame her for leaving as the house filled up with students' paraphernalia and students' issues. Unfortunately, that's what it takes to reform a school such as Washington High--a total almost obsessive dedication.
"The George McKenna Story" was spectacular largely due to Denzel Washington. He ups the value of whatever project he's working on. The music was a bit of a drag though. The synthesized sound sucked. The scratching from the rap beats was OK but dated. The music actually ruined the mood. There were a couple of portentous scenes that would have been so much better if not for the dragging synthesized music. And this is not the first time I've been disappointed with Herbie Hancock's cinematic work. He had the same synthesizer sound in "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling."
Despite the music "The George McKenna Story" is now amongst my favorite school reform movies. "Lean On Me" will always have top billing, but there is no shame in being second to such a classic.