This is one of the first indications of the rising star that Denzel Washington proved he was destined to become. The narrative is similar in tone and spirit to LEAN ON ME (1989), which starring Morgan Freeman, it predates by three years. Being a film made for television it did not enjoy the production values afforded to the bio pic about Joe Clark. But this does not stop Washington as directed by Eric Laneuville of ST. ELSEWHERE (1982-1988), from making this a step toward super stardom whereupon later this same film would be retitled HARD LESSONS (1986). High School Educators rarely get the attention and respect they deserve, but perhaps this cinematic depiction will make up for some of that benign neglect.
McKenna starts off to the jazzy musical score provided by Herbie Hancock. He is dropped off by his beautiful girlfriend Bobbie Maxwell as played by Lynn Whitfield amid student curses before a building bearing a coating of graffiti. The new principal isn't particularly expected to last the semester as he is viewed with cynicism by some of the student faculty. A particular case in point is Ben Proctor as portrayed by Richard Masur, who involves the new administrator with some pretty nasty skullduggery to hurtle over. But after putting out a fire in the hallway, he starts to paint off the graffiti on the wall across from the school. He initially has to confront resistance from certain teachers, parents and not a few students. When McKenna finally tragically realizes that his school is in the middle of a gang war zone, he is the witness to teachers jumping ship before they end up as casualties.
There are plenty of films based on the awe-inspiring carnage that can be wrought by inventive explosive devices of every kind. Therefore it is somewhat refreshing to see violent disputes settled with an ethic and aesthetic somewhat higher than that of the vendetta. The idea that human conflicts can sometimes be resolved through the knowledgable application of compassion and the willingness to sacrifice in the spirit of unconditional love, may appear to be somewhat novel here in the West, but Professor McKenna demonstrates that it has real uses in Education. While Non-Violence, like Mathematics and Education itself, is a subject that is not all there yet, I don't think anyone would argue that it is easier to teach and instruct an alive and aware student than it is to weep over a corpse. Denzel Washington as McKenna strides the halls of his high school with a never say die attitude. It is subtly inspiring to see him posit himself as a true warrior of enlightenment.
As I mentioned before, this is a made for TV movie. What it lacks in dazzling special effects and sophisticated camera work, it more than makes up for in moral tenor. There is no pandering or catering here to the visceral thrills and tastes of the reptilian brain. We get a glimpse of what an appeal to higher order thinking skills might manifest as practiced by a truly educated individual. Geometry and Shakespeare aside, it is an interesting take on how civilization can be produced in the classroom.
Here is something to watch with your kids on a Saturday afternoon and discuss with them later. It may well provide new insights on how an educated person might overcome the obstacles of Life as opposed to those who dedicate themselves to turf law. Some may recall at the root of the word 'education' is a concept that has to do with drawing out or bringing out the best in the student and others. There is some of that addressed here when we see McKenna's boys and girls in caps and gowns at their graduation ceremonies. Perhaps for just the briefest moment, beyond the sandlots and the dusty basketball courts, these graduated students experience that feeling of the God within which is reported to be also at the root of the word 'enthusiasm'...
