THE GEORGE McKENNA STORY

US, 1986, 95 minutes, Colour.
Denzel Washington, Lynn Whitfield, Richard Masur.
Directed by Eric Laneuville.

The George McKenna? Story is a film about education, principles of education and encouragement of children. It is in the tradition of To Sir With Love and Up The Down Staircase and pre-dates two popular films of 1988-89: Stand and Deliver, with Edward James Olmos, and Lean on Me, with Morgan Freeman as Joe Clark of New Jersey.

Denzel Washington (A Soldier's Story, Cry Freedom) has a strong and persuasive presence as George McKenna?, a Los Angeles principal with strict codes but with compassion in applying them. While the material is essentially American, particularly of Los Angeles, the principles of education have a universal application.

1. Pleasing telemovie? For a wide audience? American audiences, black audiences? For audiences around the world?

2. Los Angeles settings, the suburbs, the slums, middle-class homes? The school? Musical score?

3. The film as a true story, audience reaction to George McKenna?, to the staff and to the students, hopes for change? The end and the words of George McKenna? himself?
4. Denzel Washington as George McKenna: strength, sense of presence? His appearance, his girlfriend and sharing his hopes with her? His personality? Unobtrusive yet strong? His hope and his discouragement? The initial opposition, discovering the students, the staff? The question of whether to resign or not? Responding to the challenge? The treatment of the students, apologies to his girlfriend for staying at school? The school taking up his whole life? Being a father-figure? His explanations of the traditions of his mother as a teacher? Family discussions?

5. His experiences of the school dramatised for the sake of the audience understanding his impact: Robert and his walking out from the film, suspension, the return, his interest in Shakespeare? Cynthia and McKenna? asking her to help people to learn to read? Her decision to move away to another school for her scholarship? Kelly, tough, unable to read, the one-on-one basketball? The boy whose father collected garbage and who hit him, forbidding him to go to school? Miguel and his living in the car, an illegal? E.J. and the system, the fights with the gangs?

6. The presentation of the staff: Proctor and his opposition, cynicism, agitating against McKenna?, losing, bowing out of the school? Alan and his response, his help? Mrs Wright and her enthusiasm and demands? The black teachers and their support? The staff meetings, listening to McKenna's plans, responding, not responding? Getting the contracts with the parents? His motto, the badges? Agitating? The supervisor and the possibility of his being sacked?

7. His presence in the school, knowing the students' names, being fair, persuasion, strict codes, dress, etc? The students going by bus to other schools and his appeal to them to stay? The motto, `We are family'? Strength on the community in the area? Meeting with parents, disappointment? His appeal? Contracts and drawing the parents into the school?

8. The development of the students: Robert and his learning Shakespeare, going into the competition, participating? The support of the English teacher brought in by McKenna? Cynthia persuaded to come back to the school? Kelly and his death? The boy and his hostile father, the scholarship? Miguel and his graduation? E.J. and his going to jail, McKenna? appealing to him?

9. The improvement in the school, percentages, delinquency? The scholarships? The graduation? The motivation of the students?

10. The intercutting of the Shakespeare festival with McKenna? pacifying the gang fight? E.J. in jail? McKenna's achievement?

11. The telemovie for the wide audience, the invitation to identify, to admire McKenna?, to move for improvement in standards in education?