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Spare The Rod [DVD] [1961]

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Max Bygraves (Actor), Donald Pleasence (Actor), Leslie Norman (Director) Rated: Parental Guidance Format: DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars 24 customer reviews
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Product details

  • Actors: Max Bygraves, Donald Pleasence
  • Directors: Leslie Norman
  • Format: Dolby, PAL
  • Language: English
  • Region: All Regions
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Odeon Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 18 May 2009
  • Run Time: 89 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B001Q58KR8
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 38,883 in DVD & Blu-ray (See Top 100 in DVD & Blu-ray)

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Product Description

Product Description

New teacher Max Bygraves (all round entertainer & former Host of Family Fortunes ) arrives at a tough East London school to find that his modern education methods are not welcome. Sadistic master Geoffrey Keen (The Spy Who Loved Me, Octopussy) grabs the rod and thrashes pupils at the slightest sight of trouble, supported by hesitant Headmaster Donald Pleaseance. Bygraves eventually makes good progress with the pupils but is fired after a school riot caused by Keen s brutality. Also starring a young Jeremy Bulloch (The Empire Strikes Back) and Richard O Sullivan (Dick Turpin, Man About the House). Features extensive booklet notes. Picture Restored by BBC Post Production.

Review

if you get the chance it's well worth a whizz --www.imdb.com

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5.0 out of 5 starsSpare the Rod
By Vanessa Dowsett on 18 Jun. 2009
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
On first site one could easy think that because Max Bygraves is in the starring role that it would be a comedy, far from it. It is a young teacher on his first teaching job having studied only on the governments emergency programme (common after the WW2 when so many university trained teachers were lost)He was sent to a rough inner London school where many of the teachers had given up on the pupils and whose brand of 'teaching' and discipline was the use of the cane. Max Bygraves character wanted to re-educate both pupils and staff that the cane was a final option rather than the first. Richard O'Sullivan plays a very good role as a pupil who is considered 'all bad' but his teacher sees something within the boy and he finally leaves to make his mark in the world of work. Don't miss this very powerful film. Other stars include Donald Pleasence and Geoffrey Keen
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3.0 out of 5 starsThoroughly decent movie - recommended
By Pismotality on 22 Jun. 2009
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
Directed by Leslie (father of Barry) Norman, who produced The Cruel Sea, and starring Max Bygraves as an idealistic teacher, the young Richard O'Sullivan as a pupil, plus Geoffrey Keen and Donald Pleasance, this is a film to slot in with Violent Playground and other late fifties/early
sixties British films which illuminate the times.

Based on a novel by an English teacher, the writer wanted Trevor Howard as hero but the film is pretty well done in any case. Bygraves does a decent job although I don't think he's a great actor. I read that the film took a while to be made, in part because there was a suggestion earlier that some of the teachers took a perverted relish in administering punishment. That was dropped - and in my opinion it's quite enough that a group of people are so terrified of losing their authority they fear any change to their system. The film also suggests that some of the worst offenders drifted into teaching for security and resent their position (those Armstrong and Miller spoof teacher recruitment sketches are not so far from the truth in my experience).

The story essentially concerns Bygraves's efforts over a term as supply teacher to reach his class of unruly fiften year olds. Things move to a head with a riot when a cane-loving teacher who has been locked in the toilets overreacts, calmed down by Bygraves, but the main thing is that the film doesn't overstretch itself, either by pretending kids are feral beings beyond redemption or that one man has the power to change everything in a term. Nevertheless, I do wonder what Trevor Howard or possibly Stanley Baker (who plays a Juvenile Liaison Officer in Violent Playground, mentioned above, from a James Kennaway screenplay) might have done with the part. Incidentally, I'm surprised at the comments made about picture quality by another reviewer. Admittedly I'm watching on a pretty poor TV but it doesn't seem a problem to me.
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3.0 out of 5 starsA barely adequate presentation of a lost gem
By Martin Thomson on 18 Jun. 2009
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
Anyone attracted to this DVD by the tag line 'picture restored by BBC Post Production' in the hope that this film has been given a proper new transfer, I would advise you to reconsider before purchasing.

The first thing to note is that, contrary to the packaging which states the picture to be 4:3, the film is actually presented in 1.66:1 widescreen, enhanced for 16:9 TVs.

This ought to suggest a new transfer, but it looks to me as if the same old soft, grainy master that has been kicking around for years has simply been cropped and reframed to create this new transfer. Even if it is new, the element used was obviously an old 35mm print and the image suffers from badly hot, clipped whites and crushed blacks with very little detail in either the brighter or darker areas of the image. To add to this, the picture is riddled with dirt and scratches.

Don't get me wrong, it is watchable (just) and it is doubtful that we will see a better transfer of this film be made available any time soon. Unfortunately, this is an indictment of the cheapskate attitude that film and video releasing companies in this country have towards their classic titles. All in all, a missed opportunity.
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5.0 out of 5 starsMax Bygraves could have been remembered as a serious actor instead of a comedian.
By Michael Hill on 23 April 2015
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
People who remember Max Bygraves remember him as the comedian but here he is a serious actor in a hard hitting film about schools at the time. Not really sure of what he wants out of life, he tries teaching and is thrown into the deep end in a school where the teachers feel like they are under siege from pupils who don't want to learn. His boss (Donald Pleasance) is an indifferent headmaster and a fellow teacher (Geoffrey Kean) believes beating the kids with a cane is the only way to teach them anything. Bygraves' character does his best to teach them using his own methods and has some success till an incident with the class thugs ruin things for him, and ruins the thin peace he has managed to establish in his class. He decides that maybe he should quit teaching and the headmaster tells him he should, but not all the pupils want him to leave. A strong performance turned in by a young Richard O'Sullivan.
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4.0 out of 5 starsSpare the Rod
By C. Wilkinson on 26 Jun. 2009
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
A very good performance by Max Bygraves. I'm surprised he didn't go further as an actor. Film is of it's time and is predictable in it's plot but that dosn't spoil the wonderful locations many now demolished. Will please if you enjoy the down to earth, simplistic films of the era and genre.
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5.0 out of 5 starsAnothe B&W oldie
By Walter de la Mare on 15 May 2011
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
I wasn't keen on Max Bygaves at all when he was at his most popular, but I was a lot younger then! But I did enjoy his acting in this film. Quite a story.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

good film

Published 6 months ago by Mahadevi
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

EXCELLENT

Published 7 months ago by A.N OTHER
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

I didn't no max Bygraves made so many films very entertaining

Published 9 months ago by Steven Hitchins
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

great

Published 9 months ago by hannah
5.0 out of 5 starsthis film is brilliant about disipline in schools the teachers dont...

this film is brilliant about disipline in schools the teachers dont get away eith it now adays but sometimes you have to use disipline for chieldren to listion and learn or they... Read more

Published 12 months ago by digger
5.0 out of 5 starsPleasant surprises

Spare the Rod is very well-acted and we get the chance to see Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett in The Emlpire Strikes Back) in one of the lead juvenile roles, and also Donald Pleasance. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Sherlock
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

excellant

Published 13 months ago by sandra hutchinson
4.0 out of 5 starsEnjoyable film if you enjoy the vintage b&w era

Very gritty film and Max Bygraves was a revelation as I only vaguely knew of him as an 'entertainer' growing up, but here he puts in a very creditable acting appearance as a new... Read more

Published 13 months ago by David Wheeler
5.0 out of 5 starsrecommended

absolute top notch film, recommended highly

Published 17 months ago by Mr. Amj Craven
5.0 out of 5 starsAbsolutely brilliant!

After purchasing a Max Bygraves film for my Mum last Christmas, managed to find this one for this year. It was really enjoyed by all, a great story, well worth watching.

Published on 9 Mar. 2014 by Jo

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