Conrack (1974)

Before he was an acclaimed novelist a young Pat Conroy taught school for a year on Daufuskie island, a small knot of land off the South Carolina coast. The Citadel educated white man was certainly an oddity teaching an entirely black class in a one room school house. Conroy's name was difficult for his students to pronounce so they called him Conrack. His year teaching there was a profound experience for young Pat, who was doubtless saddened by the conditions on the island and his students shocking level of ignorance about the world beyond it. Conroy was fired after a year because of his unorthodox teaching style, and his refusal to use corporal punishment ruffled a few administrative feathers back on the mainland. Conroy recorded his experiences in his 1972 memoir The Water is Wide, which served as the basis for this movie. Conroy is played in the film by Jon Voight, who does a job in the part, but his hair looks so much like John Denver's that I can't help but wonder what an alternate universe version of this film, one staring that mellow singer, would have been like, I think it would have worked. Paul Winfield and Hume Cronyn have supporting parts, and the cast of kid are endearing. I'm kind of surprised this film isn't better know then it is, its a solid entry in the inspirational teacher sub-genera. ***