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I love movies. No, I really love movies. There’s definitely something to be said for escaping into another world. I started thinking about some old movies that I’ve always liked and thought I might bring a little “educational twist” to some of them. Just for fun, I’ve rewritten the basic plot to a few. What do you think? Do you have favorite films that would make great educational flicks? Please post. Thanks for reading!
All Quiet on the West Wing
A young teacher faces profound disillusionment in the soul-destroying horror of educational reform in 2010. The film won an Oscar for Best Cartoon, though was released as a documentary. Spoiler Alert: The Race to the Top didn’t work.
A Streetcar Named Apathy
Disturbed student named Blanche DuBlaBla moves into a new school for the fifth time that academic year. She is tormented by the failures of her past as she seeks non-existent support to help her catch up with her peers. She watches the brutish system help the privileged while her reality crumbles around her. Though the film was well written, it was poorly received, nominated for no awards, and generally ignored by the masses. It’s only available in 16 mm film.
2010: A Classroom Odyssey
Mankind finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, teacher buried in a classroom and, with the intelligent computer GAL, sets off on a quest to discover how it works. (GAL stands for Government Assigned Lurker) Scientists leading the quest become frightened of GAL’s power and unplug her before destroying all of mankind. Eventually, the scientists witness the teacher being transformed into a fetus before quickly growing into the master teacher, John Dewey. The film won numerous Oscars and awards, but the public failed to truly understand the message.
Dial M for Madness
Mr. R. U. Forreal carries out a plot to require states to double the amount of mandatory testing of students. When things go wrong, he improvises a brilliant plan B. The inspector in this suspenseful tale finally uncovers Mr. Forreal’s crazy antics and exposes him for the madman his is. The film won 8 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, and is the highest grossing film of all time. Proceeds from the film are used to keep Mr. R. U. Forreal behind bars.
Jennifer Barnett 
E.T. – The English Teacher
An English teacher is suddenly told he has to go and teach in a country whose culture and language he doesn’t understand. He decides to take up cycling but almost has a heart-attack and ends up in hospital, where his students bring him plants, which die for some strange reason. Despite frequent attempts to use his 4th generation phone, he finally discovers the only way to phone home is using the public payphones. His homestay family finally convince his parents to come and take him back to his own country.
Director snubbed by the Klingon Academy of Arts, Science & Warfare for failing to include sufficient HIq. In Klingon, with Thai, Chinese, Serbian, English, French and Russian sub-titles. Also available dubbed into Spanish. Might have won more awards, but no-one could understand it or cried too much when they watched…
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Colin,
This is absolutely BRILLIANT! Adore your sense of humor and intelligence. I’d so love to read another. Must share as you think of one!
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OK, since you asked so nicely!
Swindler’s List
Olga Swindler is a vain, glorious and greedy High School principal who becomes an unlikely humanitarian. When the state board of education decides that any students who score less than 2000 on their SAT (including the Writing component) must attend 6 weeks of remedial education with the Grammar Nazis, she feels compelled to turn her campus into a summer school for failing students in order to fudge their scores and get them through to college. Based on a true story.
Many critics praised the monochromatic filming saying that it lent a documentary-style of cinematography, which could be compared to German Expressionism and Italian neorealism. The director said that he wanted to give a timeless sense to the film. The only use of colour was the red beanie worn by one of the students seen entering the school at the beginning of the film and later seen standing in the line to claim unemployment benefit, having only obtained a score of 1999.
Won awards from 19 different film academies, listed in the top 100 movies of all time and recipient of the “Hyperbole of the Year” award in 1994.
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