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Up the Down Staircase

Play trailer Poster for Up the Down Staircase 1967 2h 4m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
On her first day at Calvin Coolidge High, fledgling teacher Sylvia Barrett (Sandy Dennis) encounters an apathetic faculty, a delinquent student body and an administration that drowns its staff in paperwork. The following days go from bad to worse as Sylvia struggles to reach her most troubled students, bright underachiever Joe and sensitive Alice. When Alice's crush on a male teacher (Patrick Bedford) leads her to attempt suicide, Sylvia questions her ability to help the disadvantaged teens.

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Up the Down Staircase

Up the Down Staircase

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Critics Consensus

While it occasionally approaches its source material from the wrong direction, Up the Down Staircase remains a worthy story that benefits from Sandy Dennis' strong performance.

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Critics Reviews

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Charles Champlin Los Angeles Times 07/06/2022
It is at once warm and chilling, tough and sentimental, greatly moving, notably honest, improvisationally fresh, wryly and ribaldly funny, disturbing yet infused with a quantity of optimism no larger than the human heart. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 07/06/2022
4/4
We need more American films like Up the Down Staircase. We need more films that might be concerned, even remotely, with real experiences that might once have happened to real people. And we need more actresses like Sandy Dennis. Go to Full Review Kathleen Carroll New York Daily News 07/05/2022
3/4
In the final examination it is like the student who gets an average grade when he's capable of a 95 -- the underachiever. Go to Full Review Richard Schickel LIFE 07/06/2022
Up the Down Staircase is one of those rare films in which all the important talents mesh to form a wonderfully coherent, humane and sensitive vision of an aspect of our reality. Go to Full Review Lee Steele Toledo Blade 07/06/2022
As the fledgling teacher, Sandy Dennis is big-sisterish and convincingly pitying in the part of Miss Barrett. She is the epitome of that contemporary yet ancient phenomenon: the dedicated mentor with the maternal instinct. Go to Full Review Judy Ludlum Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 07/05/2022
"Teach's" trials do get a bit laborious -- and the theater seat gets a little hard -- before the 124 minutes are spent. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tony H @RT00366890 08/23/2024 It is a time capsule to 1967. This movie was released about the time that I was born, and it gave me a window into this time period. It is very entertaining and shows how typical lives can be worth watching. The movie's greatest feat is that it shows us that we really need to be nice to each other because we don't know what the people we're dealing with are going through. See more CodyZamboni @CodyZamboni 07/05/2023 Movie is not what I thought it would be. Realistic, you are there 1967 inner city school and surrounding low income neighborhoods. Strong commited performance by Sandy Dennis as she tries to reach her students, and fight an educational system that has given up on the kids. Movie pushes all the right emotional buttons. See more 07/23/2022 So not worth 02 hours: and 04 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more s r @ScottR 11/10/2014 Can a new school teacher have an impact in the toughest of schools? Inspirational and authentic. See more 05/13/2012 Sandy Dennis becomes a star in this See more 09/03/2011 Probably, the best film about a teacher struggling to earn respect among its students and get them to like and to live the subject she teaches. A slight shade of 1970s idealism spoils the overall impression. See more Read all reviews
Up the Down Staircase

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Cast & Crew

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Robert Mulligan

Director

Sandy Dennis

Sylvia Barrett

Patrick Bedford

Paul Barringer

Eileen Heckart

Henrietta Pastorfield

Ruth White

Beatrice Schacter

Jean Stapleton

Sadie Finch

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Up the Down Staircase

Up the Down Staircase (1967) Up the Down Staircase (1967) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis On her first day at Calvin Coolidge High, fledgling teacher Sylvia Barrett (Sandy Dennis) encounters an apathetic faculty, a delinquent student body and an administration that drowns its staff in paperwork. The following days go from bad to worse as Sylvia struggles to reach her most troubled students, bright underachiever Joe and sensitive Alice. When Alice's crush on a male teacher (Patrick Bedford) leads her to attempt suicide, Sylvia questions her ability to help the disadvantaged teens.
Director
Robert Mulligan
Production Co
Park Place Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 22, 2016
Runtime
2h 4m