Conrack (1974) A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: Martin Ritt
Written by: Pat Conroy, Irving Ravetch, and Harriet Frank Jr.
Starring: Jon Voight, Paul Winfield, Madge Sinclair, Tina Andrews, Antonio Fargas, Ruth Attaway, and Hume Cronyn
Synopsis: In this Vietnam era variation based on the novel "The Water is Wide" by Pat Conroy, an idealistic young Causasian teacher named Pat Conroy (Jon Voight) accepts a job in the deep South to teach a small class of 5th through 8th graders on an island off the coast of South Carolina populated mainly by impoverished rural agricultural Afro-Americans. At the school, which is little more than a shack, Conroy discovers that the students can't read, write, tell him what country they are in, or even count their own fingers. They mispronounce Conroy's name as "Conrack."
Whereas the principal Mrs. Scott (Madge Sinclair) belittles the students and favors the whip, Conroy tries to personalize his teaching experience, shares his life stories with the kids, and befriends them. His classes include listening to records, picking flowers outside on somebody's property, brushing teeth, yoga, football, watching sword fighting movies, and a number of unconventional activities. For example, when he learns that local kids often drown because nobody knows how to swim, Conroy tosses his students into the water and conducts swimming lessons.
Eventually Conroy's unconventional ways come to the attention of hostile superiors. Conroy comments that he believes the status quo is a racial issue that won't be solved until racist attitudes are dead and buried.
Opinion: "Conrack" is one of those "teacher" movies where a new teacher tries to impact the lives of initially reluctant students. It is notable in its portrayal of education. Rather than portraying education as a strictly academic enterprise based on memorizing the three Rs, the point of this movie is to depict education as mainly a vehicle for socialization.
Conroy sees a problem with school officials telling the students that they are poor, lazy and dumb, so that the students are being socialized to think of themselves as poor, lazy and dumb. He sees education that favors one social class over another or that portrays incomprehensible, irrelevant situations as having little value. The trick for Conroy is to make learning joyful through games and field trips, and to present knowledge as a cooperative exploration of all that is relevant to the kids' own life situations, and in so doing, educate.
This movie matter-of-factly portrays the events and Conroy's thoughts without boring us or resorting to long speeches.
Movie reviewed by David Sunga
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