Ulee's Gold

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

Ulee’s Gold, released in 1997, uses the metaphor of the beehive to show the need to protect one’s family. The “gold” in the title not only refers to how Ulee makes a living producing honey, but also to the value of the family unit. He has been damaged by fighting in Vietnam, the death of his wife, and what has happened to his son and daughter-in-law. He sees the outside world as a threat, and has trouble accepting help from others.

The story starts with a shot of a swamp (symbolic of the unsavory situation in which the characters are mired?) and a rusted car (suggesting moral decay?) half-submerged in the water. The image is a foreshadowing of what is to come involving Ulee’s son and those he conspired with in committing robberies. The car is next to where Ulee Jackson (Peter Fonda, nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for this performance) carefully tends to his beehives, and the nearness of the car indicates the threat to his family. (Ulee is short for Ulysses, a mythical figure searching for his home after fighting a war, just like Ulee here. His deceased wife's name was Penelope, as is the the name of the Greek Ulysses's spouse). He meets with the honey distributor, Chance Barrow (Traber Burns), at a restaurant and haggles over the price of his tupelo honey. The man says that Ulee isn’t using as many bees as he used to which shows things aren’t going as well as they were. He also says that he hopes the Chinese don’t dump their cheaper honey on the market. Ulee says they can’t compete with his tupelo. He says he and the bees have an understanding: he takes care of them and they take care of him. He says they just have to work harder to survive. Ulee sees the bees as his trusted, dedicated companions who help him get by. The bees became a surrogate family for him after the members of his human family stopped pitching in together or were absent. Chance asks if Ulee has heard from Jimmy (who we learn is his incarcerated son), and Ulee says they don’t keep in touch. Chance says it has been two years, so the estrangement has become entrenched. 

Outside, Bill Floyd (J. Kenneth Campbell), the sheriff, sees Ulee and says that it’s been a long time since he’s seen him. He says they should get past things (presumably referring to Jimmy’s apprehension). Ulee says he doesn’t think they can be social again because of what happened. Bill says that Ulee can’t “stay cut off forever,” but Ulee’s isolationism causes him to dodge the discussion by saying that it is a busy time for his work and he has to get moving.

Ulee picks up his granddaughter, Penny (Vanessa Zima) at the elementary school. When asked he says he’s fine, but there is a general sadness about him, a tiredness in his walk, as if he has been worn down. Yet, he keeps plugging away, since that is what is necessary to survive. Penny talks to the neighbor across the street, Connie Hope (Patricia Richardson), a name that offers optimism for the future. Her clothes show her to be in the health profession, and it turns out she is a nurse. Penny sees her as somebody who is easy to talk with, and the nurse is friendly, complimenting Penny for doing well on her math test. Ulee is polite to her, but minimalist in his greeting. Penny says that Connie is very nice but the cautious Ulee says they don’t really know her. The movie suggests that if somebody shuts others out, then it’s impossible to have relationships. Ulee won’t even allow the young workers to help him get the honey ready for shipment, saying he is used to doing it alone.

Ulee’s other granddaughter, teenager Casey (Jessica Biel, in her first movie performance) is dressed provocatively with a very short skirt and tight-fitting top. Her hair style is wild looking and she has a nose ring. Ulee looks at her disapprovingly (interesting since Fonda played the rebellious one in Easy Rider). He interrogates her about the boy she will be seeing on this Friday night and what they are doing. She sarcastically says they are thinking of going to Mexico and rob banks, since it runs in the family “blood,” referring to her father. Ulee doesn’t even like her kidding about criminal behavior, so damaged is he about what has happened. Ulee tells her, thinking about Casey’s parents, and possibly himself, that she’ll “pay for the rest of your life for being a jackass.” Ulee likes to have everyone at the dinner table to solidify the family unit. The boyfriend’s loud car music disrupts that peace and he tells Casey to be home by 11:30 pm. She defiantly says she will “try,” which isn’t good enough for her grandfather. But she challenges him on how he is going to make her comply. This lack of control stresses Ulee’s already burdened world.

Penny joins Ulee in the garage where he is tinkering with some electrical device. He is always trying to fix things, although he finds the problems involving objects are easier to deal with than those of people. He gently chastises Penny for being up so late, but she points out his overprotectiveness since it is Friday night and she can stay up a little later. Penny looks at a framed photograph of Ulee’s company of men that he served with, which is next to a collection of military citations that Ulee received in the Vietnam War. She seems to want to understand why everyone in the picture died, asking if they were bad men and deserved their fate. Ulee says they were good men, and he is the sole survivor of the group because he was tricky and lucky. This scene may point to his having guilt about being the only one of the men to live, but it also demonstrates that Ulee can deal with adversity. Penny seems wise when she says, commenting on Ulee’s demeanor, that being sad has the benefit of making one “quiet” inside, which demonstrates the emotional range of human feelings. 

Jimmy (Tom Wood) calls saying he needs to see Ulee right away because his wife Helen (Christine Dunforth) is in trouble. Ulee at first says he couldn’t care less about her, and tells Jimmy maybe he can visit him at the prison the following week. Jimmy says that would be too late, so Ulee reluctantly agrees to visit him the following day. When Penny asks who called, Ulee lies, saying it had to do with the bee business, which reflects how he can seem to manage the insect family but not his own. He tells Penny to brush her teeth and he will read to her. He has had to play father as well as grandfather in his life. He picks up Penny’s crayon drawing which shows eggs in a basket which are named after Ulee, Penny and Casey. “Mommy” and “Daddy” are in the picture, but not in the basket. The picture illustrates to what degree Penny feels close to the different members of her family, with her parents not being the ones she can most rely upon.

Casey comes home late and is surprised to see Ulee waiting on the couch. He is honest with her about her father calling. Her first response is to ask excitedly if he is getting out of jail. He says no, and he wants Casey to take care of Penny the next day since he will be visiting Jimmy. She says to get Connie to babysit. Ulee’s response reinforces his isolationist policy saying, “We don’t ask outsiders for help.” To do so would broadcast to the world his problems, which he is ashamed to reveal exist and that he can’t control. He also assumes nobody will come through for him. Casey sarcastically says to tell her father to try and answer some of her letters. She exhibits how a child wants the attention of a parent, and how love can turn to hate when the child feels that the father and mother appear to have ceased caring about their offspring. 

The next day Ulee gets up early to visit his son. He looks at Connie’s shadow through a drawn shade across the street and there is a longing on his face, revealing a submerged need for female companionship. At the prison, there is a great deal of tension shown in the looks of the father and son. The first thing Ulee says is a criticism about how Jimmy hasn’t written to Casey. He says it’s a struggle to keep Casey’s “hormones” in check so she doesn’t have a baby even earlier than her dad and her mother, which again is a slight against Jimmy. The son says that Helen is in Orlando with Ferris Dooley (Dewey Weber) and Eddie Flowers (Steven Flynn), whose name suggests something sweet, but which in this case just covers the rotten reality underneath. The two men committed crimes with Jimmy before he was incarcerated. The men found Helen strung out on drugs. Jimmy agrees with Ulee that the two men can't be trusted and says Ulee has to go rescue Helen. Ulee dismisses the idea, saying she abandoned her children and can stay “gone” as far as he’s concerned. It’s as if, for Ulee, Helen is the queen bee who abandoned the hive. Jimmy pleads with Ulee, stressing that Helen is sick and Ulee is all the family they have to rely on. This request tugs at Ulee’s familial devotion. 

Ulee calls Casey and says that she has to take care of Penny longer because he may be bringing her mother home. Casey says, “Why bother?” It is sad to see such a feeling of hopelessness from a child concerning a parent. Ulee agrees with Casey’s feelings about Helen, but says that her father is worried about Casey’s mother. Casey again shows interest about her father, asking how he’s doing, because despite his imprisonment, she longs for a connection to at least one of her parents. Ulee is alone in his pick-up truck after the call, the solitary appearance of the image defining him, as he keeps calling the number Jimmy gave him to reach Eddie and Ferris.

Ulee finally gets through to Eddie on the phone. Ulee meets the two men at a pool hall/bar. Eddie has this fake smile and speech that offers only a pretense of civility, since his politeness contrasts with his seedy actions. For example, Eddie says hello to “Mr. Jackson,” and how it’s been a long time since they have seen each other. Ulee won’t be hypocritical and sarcastically replies, “Not long enough,” and adds, “I guess some things can’t be helped.” Ferris has a creepy predatory sexual nature, and presents with a lascivious smile. 

Back at where the men are staying, Helen is passed out in a bed. While acting hospitable, making Ulee a cup of coffee, Eddie says they had to tie her up because she was uncontrollable, wandering around in her sleep. He says that most people would have called the police. Again, Ulee says sarcastically that Jimmy is lucky to have such good friends. Eddie bypasses the intent under Ulee’s words and says he’s right. But, he says, Helen is too much for them and they had to give her more drugs to manage her, which of course continues the addiction. Eddie says they called Jimmy because of Helen’s condition. Eddie pretends that he and Ferris are happy to return Helen to her family. Ferris adds Helen is a nice “piece of ass,” and Eddie tells Ferris to shut up because he is spoiling Eddie’s positive slant on the story. The look on Ulee’s face suggests that he realizes Ferris had his way with Helen. Ferris says there is another reason for calling Jimmy. Eddie then admits his ulterior motive in contacting Jimmy about Helen. He knew Jimmy would send someone and that they would pass on what the two men want. There was a robbery the three men participated in, and Eddie says they found out that there was more money from the heist that Jimmy stashed away. They want it. Ulee says he won’t get involved in that and says that if they want to give him Helen, that’s fine, otherwise, he’ll just leave. After he gets up to go, Ferris goes after Ulee, but he sees the younger man coming for him, and is able to shove him behind the front door and keep him confined there. The action shows how although older, Ulee is still a force to be reckoned with. But Eddie has a gun, and says that if Ulee doesn’t cooperate, Eddie and Ferris will come after the family. Ulee gets Eddie to agree to a one-week period before he has to return and tell them how to get the hidden cash. They get the sedated Helen into Ulee’s truck. Ferris is now quite scary as he displays his sexual obsession when he tells Ulee to say hello to his granddaughters for him, and adds they must have “grown.”

Helen wakes up after the long drive and acts wildly right near the town’s school as they pass it by, drawing the attention of crowds of people, which is the opposite of what Ulee wants. Helen fights Ulee as he tries to get her into the house. Casey is sarcastic and says why did he even bring her home. Penny is wise enough to get Connie for help. Connie says that Helen should be hospitalized, but realizes quickly that Ulee doesn’t want to expose the sordidness of the family issues to the public. Connie gives Helen a shot to calm her, but they still must restrain her. Ulee knows that in addition to these domestic problems, he must also move hives and get honey ready for shipment. Connie continues to be a good Samaritan and offers to show up to supplement what the family can do to get Helen under control. 

Ulee finally concedes he needs help, and enlists Penny, thus trusting a human relative to help take care of his bee family. Penny asks if Ulee has ever forgotten where he set up his hives. He says no, and when Penny says, “that’s good,” we know that she is complimenting Ulee for being a good parent, unlike her mother, who seems to have forgotten where her children are. When they arrive at one site, the hive has been disturbed because, as Ulee says, a bear had a snack. This fact shows that despite his conscientiousness, Ulee can’t always protect his bees from danger, just like he can’t completely shield his family from threats. He does make sure Penny is safe from stings by giving her gloves and a hat, as he uses a bee smoker to calm the insects so he can collect a swarm of bees that coalesced on a nearby branch. Penny asks why Ulee isn’t afraid of getting stung, and Ulee’s response is that one must stay calm since the bees sense anxiety and fear. Ulee has a calming effect with his even voice and slow movements, but he also seems flat emotionally most of the time, as if his spirit died and he is now a sort of emotional ghost.

While Ulee gets gas for the truck, Sheriff Bill is parked close by after talking to someone. He walks over and comments how much Penny has grown, thus suggesting that Ulee has kept his grandchildren segregated from his old friend. Bill stresses how he had nothing to do with what happened to Jimmy, and Ulee agrees the fault lies with his son. But Ulee’s anger about what has happened to his family spills out in a passive-aggressive style, and he implies Bill receives bribes as standard practice working as a government official (the government standing for a symbol of the untrustworthy public at large and thus susceptible to corruption). When Bill lets on that he knows about Helen returning, Ulee shows controlled anger about how he probably blames Connie for letting information about his daughter-in-law becoming known. Bill says it has been six years since Ulee’s wife passed away and implies that Ulee has to move on from feeling bitter about her death. He also urges Ulee to accept some help occasionally. Ulee gives him a jar of honey and is derogatory by calling it a “bribe,” basically telling the sheriff that he doesn’t want any outside exposure because Jackson messes have to be cleaned up by Jacksons.

When Ulee and Penny reach home, Connie is there cooking food for Helen. She says that Helen has settled down, but being without the drugs will be very difficult for her. Despite the warning, Ulee doesn’t make it easy for Helen, saying she isn’t leaving until the “poison” has left her system. He lectures her about running from responsibility. She counters by saying, “There’s all kinds of running, Ulee. Your body may have stuck around, and that lousy bully part of your mind, but your heart took off a long time ago.” Ulee is defensive and erupts for the first time, saying that the problem was Helen and Jimmy wanted to take “shortcuts” from the long road that life travels down. As Connie tries to get him to leave the bedroom so as not to upset Helen further, he turns on the nurse, too, again revealing his need for privacy, by saying how the world doesn’t have to know “what’s going on in our house.”

Right after his outburst, Ulee feels sorry, and offers Connie some tea. He takes an emotional step forward here as he is hospitable to an outsider, possibly showing that he needs to confide in someone. She notes that there is quite a large load in his truck. He says that he “normally” doesn’t bring a large quantity of bees back home but things haven’t been “normal.” It’s almost as if Ulee symbolically needs reinforcements from his bee family to help deal with his other family. He talks about all the steps that he must take to keep the business running and admits how hard it is to accomplish all the work. Taking care of both his families is daunting. She asks permission (an important element of her request) to know about his wife. He says she had to put up with a great deal since Ulee was away in Vietnam, and then was hospitalized because of his knee. He then was absent a great deal more while working to set up the hives. When she passed away, Ulee says the death hit Jimmy (who she basically raised alone) and Helen hard, and Ulee basically “fell off the planet.” We now know why Helen said Ulee ran away from his life. Ulee admits that he wasn’t emotionally self-sufficient and only survived because of Casey, Penny, and his reliable friends, “the bees.” 

Since he was willing to confess to her about himself, Connie feels it is her turn to confide in Ulee. She has been divorced twice, and can’t decide whether it is fortunate or not that she doesn’t have children, probably because they would have had to go through the marriage breakups. But, they could have been there to help her through them. She says she doesn’t think he would approve of the divorces since he believes in sticking to commitments. But he reassures her that he isn’t sure about anything anymore to make judgments. She smiles, gives her a phone number so she can be reached at work, and wants to know how things are going. She also says to call her “Connie,” and apologizes that the sheriff found out about Helen. Ulee is starting to make a new friend after several years of self-absorption.

Ulee works hard at moving the hives and processing the honey as the clock on the wall shows him still laboring at 12:30 am. His dedication exacts a price as his knee injury is causing him to limp, and his back aches. He has to lie down on the floor to get relief. He finds Casey talking to her dad on the phone, which seems to make Casey feel better. She tells her father that she misses him. She is no longer wearing skimpy clothing or piercings, hinting at her reconciling to staying at home as opposed to putting herself on public display. In a sense, she is becoming more of a homebody, sort of giving Ulee license to be more outgoing. 

Ulee asks if Connie was there, which shows he is letting the nurse into his life and even is relying on her. Casey says Connie checked in and also took Penny to school, demonstrating how Connie is showing her commitment to the Jackson family. On the phone, Jimmy wants to know what’s going on since Eddie, not wanting to divulge anything on a phone call to the prison, has called Jimmy asking if Ulee has talked to his son. Ulee cuts Jimmy off and says he’ll visit in a couple of days, putting the reliable bees ahead of his wayward son’s situation, using the week Eddie gave him to sort things out. 

 Ulee picks Penny up from school and she has a picture she drew which shows her helping Ulee with the bees. Helen is sweet to Penny now, laying her head on her daughter’s shoulder. Penny explains her drawing to her mother, saying, “sometimes the bees get confused and run away. That’s them there on the tree. But they don’t want to be really gone. And they’re happy when someone helps them back into their home. But you got to keep calm and don’t panic when they sting, ‘cause they don’t mean nothing by it.” Her words metaphorically sum up the theme of the film. The bees and the parents are the “confused” ones, not knowing what to do when life becomes threatening. They abandoned their home, and they may “sting” others defensively (and emotionally, when it comes to the human counterparts), but they really want to return to their family. But, this analogy also applies to the emotionally distant Ulee, and that outside help is needed to bring everyone together again. The story is commenting on the way families work, where members may hurt others with no true malice, and they need to stay united even though things drive them apart. Casey is an example of the family dynamics at work here. Since her mother returned, Casey seems more committed to staying around and helping clean up, even turning down a chance to be with her boyfriend. She volunteers to help Ulee get the barrels of honey ready for sale. She thus joins Penny in cementing the commitment to the family.

At the prison, Jimmy is furious because he realizes that Helen told Eddie and Ferris about the extra bag of money he stole. Ulee is generous about Helen’s situation at this point, telling Jimmy that she was in terrible shape, and warns him that Eddie and Ferris will come after the family if they don’t get what they want. Jimmy says Ulee was a “jungle warrior,” which confirms that he was a good soldier. But he wants to aim Ulee’s past skills that were meant for the battlefield toward Eddie and Ferris, suggesting that Ulee kill them, doing the world a favor. Ulee calmly says he didn’t hear what his son suggested. Even though he is on a different battlefield now, Ulee does not want to give into the violence that he was part of in his younger days. Jimmy says the money is hidden in a cooler under the truck we saw at the beginning in the swamp. Outside, Ulee calls Eddie for a meeting. As he does so he sees a happy family on the street, which adds to the bitterness of his dire situation. He tells Eddie that he will meet them on Saturday with the money as they agreed.

Helen is still shaky, but sober and out of bed, cleaning up in the kitchen. She now sees more clearly and thanks Ulee for getting her out of Orlando. When Ulee tells her how he must get the stolen money to Eddie and Ferris, she realizes she was the one who confirmed its existence. She is very upset because they tricked her into thinking they already knew about it. Ulee is compassionate now toward his daughter-in-law, saying that it was a terrible secret to keep. He says he doesn’t want to go the police and implies it may just add jail time to Jimmy’s sentence if the existence of the stolen money was revealed. Ulee is willing to skirt the law to protect his son, despite Jimmy’s shortcomings.

Chance is surprised that Ulee couldn’t deliver his usual number of barrels of tupelo honey. Ulee is not ready to open up about his situation to make the man understand why he let him down. Chance can tell Ulee is not his usual self because it’s the first time he didn’t ask for a receipt. Chance asks if Ulee is okay, but as usual, Ulee can’t bring himself to ask for help.

Ulee arrives home at night and Connie is across the street and asks if she can help him bring in the groceries. As usual, he refuses aid, and Connie jokes, saying “tough man Jackson carries his own groceries.” He says gently that he’s been “turned around,” and is out of practice dealing with new feelings and new people, which may suggest he has some romantic interest in Connie. She lets him bring in the groceries himself, while still showing her concern for the Jacksons by asking about Helen. 

When he goes inside Jimmy and Ferris are there, and Eddie has his gun out. He says there aren’t any weapons in the house, which shows Eddie has already searched the place. Helen, Penny, and Casey are on the couch, silent. Jimmy says that they were tired of waiting, but they came most likely not trusting Ulee to deliver the money without any police involvement. The libido-infused Ferris slides down next to Casey and puts his arm around her. When she tries to get up, he grabs her and holds her close to him. Ulee says that if Ferris hurts anyone, they won’t get the money. Eddie tells Ferris to lay off, but uses him as a bargaining chip, saying that they have to get his mind “out of the gutter,” so it’s best that Ulee tell them about the stolen cash. Eddie says Ferris will stay with the females, but Ulee calmly says that as Eddie noted, Ferris needs “distraction,” so he also has to go retrieve the money. Ulee is again putting the welfare of his family before his own safety. The brutal Ferris says they should just beat the information out of Ulee, but Eddie doesn't see the need for drastic measures. Since this story takes place before the prevalence of cell phones, they just disable the land line. Eddie asks if Ulee has duct tape. Ulee’s response, which he used before, is “you bet,” which has a sarcastic, overly cooperative feel to the response. Eddie and Ferris secure Helen and the girls to chairs, and tape their mouths shut. Ulee says to Helen he is sorry about not only what’s happening, but for everything, which most likely includes how he was so distant in the past. The men get in Ulee’s truck and Ulee aggressively backs out the vehicle, but reassures Eddie that he won’t give them trouble. He performed the noisy exit knowing Connie would hear it. She goes to the Jackson house and finds the females bound and gagged.

The men go to the spot near Ulee’s hives where Jimmy hid the money. Eddie says that it seems like bee-keeping is a silly business, which shows his aversion to the cooperation and family bonding that the bees symbolize. Ferris frees up the cooler containing the cash. Eddie puts down his gun as he and Ferris grab at the money. Ulee smartly kicks the pistol into the swamp. An angry Ferris charges Ulee who easily makes him fall into the mud, an appropriate place for the slimy Ferris. He pulls out a knife and his snake-like, hooded eyes stare at Ulee, saying he will cut Ulee. Ulee says to Eddie that there was no need for the gun now that they have the money. But by disarming the men, Ulee has diminished their lethal capabilities without himself taking possession of the weapon which might escalate the violence. Eddie tells Ferris they need Ulee to get out of there probably so as not to raise any suspicions. (I suppose they could have left Ulee there, taken his truck, then ditched it, and run off with the cash, since they would have to go on the run anyway for the crimes they have committed). 

On the ride back Eddie is ticked off that Ulee disposed of his gun. He says that Ulee hasn’t done much with his life, quite a statement coming from a lowlife such as Eddie. Ulee borrows Eddie’s fake politeness by saying evenly that he has to thank Eddie for reminding him “that there’s all kinds of weakness in the world, not all of it is evil.” Ulee is actually saying he has weaknesses, but at least they aren’t so despicable, like Eddie’s. After they get back to their car, Eddie acts like he’s being mannerly again by saying, “Take care now, Mr. Jackson.” But his evil ways are sneaky, and he approaches Ulee after he turns away from Eddie, and acting like the coward that Jimmy said he was, stabs Ulee in the upper back. Eddie says it’s payback for the “stunt” back at the swamp. To show how careless they are, Eddie and Ferris drive off playing loud rock music, showing they don’t understand the concept of a clean getaway. Sheriff Bill immediately stops them, and luckily Ulee disposed of Eddie’s gun so there is no threat to the police officer. After informing them that their brake light was burned out, Bill then says he recognizes the two men from being from that area. He asks about the cooler in the back seat that is soaking wet, and asks to open it up. Ferris says that they found it on the side of the road, that it’s full of money, and they were going to turn it in. But, another police car arrives, and we know that Helen has told the police the whole story.

Ulee walks far enough, holding onto his arm as he bleeds, to see the police apprehend Eddie and Ferris. Ulee wakes up in the hospital and his guardian angel, Connie, is there. They are funny, as she tells him to settle down because he is on her “turf” now. He says he guesses he’s not dead, and she remarks that if he is, he’s “fooled a lot of folks.” Sheriff Bill is also there. He humorously toys with Ulee, wondering why Eddie and Ferris had anything to do with the beekeeper. Ulee plays dumb. Bill says he believes the two men used to hang around with Jimmy. He wondered if Jimmy had some money stashed away and says that Eddie and Ferris said that Ulee got the money for them. But Bill says he believes that they really had that money all along and Jimmy wasn’t involved. With prior warrants out for them, and along with charges of grand theft and assault with a deadly weapon, Bill says the two will be locked up for quite a while. Ulee says that Bill should let him know when they are released because, as he deadpans, “They’re not friendly.” Bill is letting Ulee and his son off the hook, and Ulee realizes it and has moved to a place of trusting his old friend again. He confesses that he didn’t know about the money until just a few days ago. Bill says that they just messed with Ulee because they were after his honey. The sheriff then starts to smile at his joke, but in a way, the evildoers were trying to deprive him of the real “gold” in Ulee’s life, his family.  

Appropriately, the next scene involves the Jackson family. Ulee, Helen, Casey, and Penny visit Jimmy. Jimmy and Helen hug and Helen kisses Penny. Being a good father, Jimmy asks if Casey’s boyfriend is treating her well. She reassures him that she won’t take any “crap” from him, which tells Jimmy she is thinking clearly. Jimmy remarks that he may be getting out in a year, which Ulee is surprised and happy to hear. Jimmy asks how Ulee is doing, and he says that someone helped him with the honey. He has taken care of his family, but he also knows now that sometimes people need help from others. When Jimmy asks how the bees are doing, Ulee says, “Hell, the mites are choking ‘em, insecticides are killing ‘em, drought’s starving ‘em. They’re fine.” So, just like people, who confront dangers all around, they continue to survive. Jimmy says he would like to work with Ulee when he gets out. The Jackson hive is starting to look promising.

Back at the house Helen and the girls are baking as they catch up, as Ulee says, for lost time. Connie visits Ulee as he builds new frames for the hives, always finding something more to do for his family. He gives her a jar of honey and thanks her for everything. He says he feels like a drone now since the women don’t need him anymore, but his complaint is a mild one, as he enjoys what is happening. He asks Connie to stay for dinner, as he has now begun to join the world again. To the music of Van Morrison, who sings about the sweetness of tupelo honey, the bees outside swarm to their hive, their home, reflecting the value literally and symbolically of Ulee’s gold.

The next film is Duck Soup.

Blackboard Jungle

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

Blackboard Jungle (1955), directed by Richard Brooks, may seem tame now, but when it was released it tackled subjects the film industry avoided, such as teen violence, sexual candor, and racial issues in public schools. Even the use of rock and roll music was new, as the film begins and closes with “Rock Around the Clock,” by Bill Haley and the Comets, which became one of the biggest selling singles of all time thanks to this movie. The story begins with notes announcing the intent of the film, saying juvenile delinquency is on the rise and there is a need to address it. The title of the motion picture obviously is contradictory since it contrasts a school, a place that is meant to perpetuate a civilized society, with an uncivilized environment where the brutal survival of the fittest law dominates. The film uses references to fighting and music to drive home its theme.

Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford), the name suggesting a paternal parental figure, is a teacher arriving on the first day of classes at an all-boy high school. There are several others there applying for jobs at the inner-city school. Some may be just looking for employment because they couldn’t get a job in a better school district, or they may want to make a difference in the lives of at-risk youths. There is a mother asking her boy, as she drags him away from playing in the streets near an open fire hydrant, if he wants to be “a bum.” Her remark immediately shows us the local perception that the children in the lower-class part of the city may be doomed to failure. Kids in the schoolyard are dancing the suggestive jitterbug, demonstrating their rebelliousness to established social norms that held little promise for them. The high school boys whistle at an attractive woman walking by, not caring about the unrestrained, sexually harassing nature of their behavior.

Principal Warneke (John Hoyt) interviews Dadier for an English teacher position. The “war” in the educator’s name suggests there is a battle raging with the youths. Ford, who usually plays a hard-boiled character, sounds and looks nerdy here, and later becomes more combative out of necessity. The principal notes that Dadier speaks very softly as Dadier says he attended an all-girls college because after returning from the war as a navy veteran (more references to confrontation), there was educational assistance for veterans, but there weren’t many openings at the colleges. His background at a school with a female student body seems to undermine his qualifications to deal with hardened male students. Warneke asks if Dadier can be heard at the back of a classroom. Dadier says he was in plays in college and the principal asks him to project his voice. Dadier quotes from Shakespeare’s Henry V, about going “once more unto the breach,” which is a rallying war speech, again stressing the fight the educators have on their hands. Even Warneke notes its appropriateness. Dadier gets the job, but when he asks Warneke about the school’s disciplinary problems, Warneke cuts him off saying there are no such problems while he is principal. He is worried about his reputation more than fixing the problem, and so acts like it doesn’t exist. Dadier gives his paperwork to Miss Brady (Henny Backus), the secretary, who is curt and unfeeling, calloused from performing her job in this scholastic battlefield.

The next shot is of a teacher hitting a punching bag, highlighting again the fighting theme. The instructors talk about the need for discipline and obedience and complain about the principal’s denial of the problem. Jim Murdock (Louis Calhern), the teacher’s name suggesting like word “murder,” (more violent imagery) talks about taking a ruler to an unruly student, but one man says that the student will take that ruler and beat him to death. The teachers often vent about the seriousness of the situation but use dark humor to cope with it. The incongruity of a place of education turning into a penitentiary is emphasized here. Teachers view themselves as guards, and Murdock likens the situation at the school to the prison on Alcatraz. One of the teachers is named Manners (Tom McKee), his name possibly suggesting a desire to restore social rules. Murdock’s negativity is evident as he calls the school “the garbage can of the educational system.” He shows his defeated soldier’s mentality when he tells Dadier “don’t be a hero and never turn your back on the class.” He sarcastically says he’s been there twelve years and received two Purple Hearts (the military references abound) with no salary increase. Murdock says that they sit on the “Garbage can” so women can walk around safe from the dangerous youths. There is an attractive female teacher, Lois Hammond (Margaret Hayes), her name suggesting Hammond organs, which introduces the theme of harmony versus discordance. She asks if there aren’t some students who are not lost causes. Murdock asks if wearing her form-fitting outfit requires some bodyguards to protect her, which turns out to be a foreshadowing remark. (We have the sexism of the times revealed here with Murdock’s comments). Dadier echoes the thought about how all the kids can’t be bad, but Murdock asks why not, pointing to the hopeless abyss that people like him have accepted.

Josh Edwards (Richard Kiley, who later starred on Broadway in Man of La Mancha), a mathematics teacher, walks into Dadier’s classroom and talks about his conflicting feelings about teaching, wanting to do something meaningful and reaching a “goal.” But he also realizes he’s just doing a job. Edwards says despite the talk, a teacher should be able to handle any student. Dadier is doubting any success here already, saying Edwards’s enthusiasm may wear off soon, and the ability to handle difficult kids is questionable. 

Anne (Anne Francis, who starred in Forbidden Planet), Dadier’s wife, who is four-months pregnant, meets her husband at a restaurant. He wants to surprise her with a celebratory dinner since he was hired for the teaching position. (He ordered champagne, again showing the out-of-date ideas of the time). She is upset that she had a miscarriage before. He says no guilt should exist. He doesn’t want negativity from their past or what surrounds his job to intrude on their happy time. He says that the baby will have her looks and his brains (another marginalizing comment about females). When they go outside two hot rod cars race with one flipping on its side in front of the couple, showing how they can’t avoid the danger around them. Someone in the street makes angry comments about the youths driving the cars. The feelings here are similar to those expressed by adults in Rebel Without a Cause and The Fugitive Kind (both films analyzed in other posts on this blog).

The next day there is a very noisy gathering of students in the auditorium, (the word means a place to listen. Noise always contrasts with harmonic melodies in this story). One teacher says it sounds like when he landed in Salerno, Italy in World War II. Dadier says that at least the boys aren’t shooting at them. But the other man notes, “not yet.” The analogy to the teachers fighting a war with the students continues. The female teacher, Hammond, shows up with a more demure outfit and asks if the students will like her. Murdock continues the violence motif (and the sexist one) by saying the boys may “fight over” her. The boys shout derogatory remarks, saying that when the speaker says, “testing 1,2,3,4,” that he can count, showing he graduated from this school. Their sarcastic comments reveal their perception of the low level of education they feel they are receiving. The speaker retaliates, as if returning fire, by saying their remarks consist of “stupid nonsense.” Dadier satirically comments that the man probably teaches public speaking. When Hammond is introduced she is met with sexually aggressive taunting, showing the students’ lack of respect and decency. The scene demonstrates the hostility that escalates when people are entrenched in their combative stances.

While moving in the halls, Dadier tries to keep order. There is a boy in a suit who is crying, obviously from being bullied, because his studious appearance makes him stand out, ironically becoming an outsider and a target in a place meant for education. When Dadier asks the boy what’s wrong, the boy sees other students who give him intimidating looks to warn the youth against snitching. Dadier asks the name of a student, who is Artie West (Vic Morrow, the future star of TV’s Combat series and who died acting in the movie version of The Twilight Zone). Dadier wants him to write down the names of those who talk, which would be informing on others, and West isn’t about to do that. Dadier doesn’t understand the alternate rules that govern the school at this point.

Dadier goes into the restroom and finds boys smoking, He asks sarcastically if the place is the officers’ club, another military reference. Dadier tells them to leave, but two are slow to depart in defiance. Gregory Miller (Sidney Poitier) says the other student is Emmanuel “Trades,” (Paul Mazursky, the future renowned director). Miller makes up the boy’s last name, who Miller says jokingly had the school named after him. Miller’s words show that academic opportunities are not available to those attending the school. When Dadier threatens to take Miller to the principal’s office, Miller stresses the power struggle between them by saying Dadier can do what he wants because he holds “all the cards.” He keeps calling Dadier “Chief,” but it is in a mocking manner to show disgust for the teacher’s position of control over him. He says to Emmanuel, “Let’s go, bright boy,” but Emmanuel derisively says to Dadier that Miller meant him, not the teacher, which shows a lack of any respect for the intelligence of Dadier. They go through the doors to the restroom, which look like the ones used in saloons in the Old West, where gunfights occurred, another image suggesting violence.

In his classroom, Dadier tells everybody to sit and settle down. West keeps talking, and rebelliously asks Dadier “why” should he stop talking, as if there is no point to paying attention to the teacher. Dadier writes his name on the blackboard in a bit of a condescending manner by breaking up the syllables and pronouncing them. At this point a baseball, an object usually associated with American pride but which here is used like a weapon, hits the blackboard like a cannonball, removing a chunk of the surface where Dadier has written his name. The sound is like an explosion, resembling incoming fire aimed directly at the teacher. Dadier picks up the ball, but instead of escalating the battle, does not try to single anyone out, and uses humor by saying whoever threw the ball will never play for the New York Yankees. Here, Dadier diffuses the violence. There is a slight smile on Miller’s face as he appreciates the comment and Dadier’s not taking the usual authoritarian reaction to the students. 

Some of the boys call Dadier “Daddy-O,” making fun of his name, but their word strengthens the connection to the teacher as a paternal symbol. Dadier says pronunciation is an important part of English and he wouldn’t want to fail anyone for not being able to say his name. When Dadier tells West to say Dadier’s name and to take his hat off, West responds with a threat, asking the teacher if he ever had to fight thirty-five guys at once. West’s remark reveals that he relies on others to fight his battles, and hints at his insecurity and weakness. Dadier does not back down, and tells West to take off his hat or else he’ll knock it off. West looks around the classroom for support, but the others turn away, realizing Dadier is not someone who can be easily intimidated. West backs down when it is he alone fighting in the conflict. 

The students joke around some more, with Miller mockingly repeating Dadier’s statement that they would be surprised that English can help them get a job, pessimism being the ruling feeling here. Dadier tells West to stay after school, and the others make gay sexual suggestions about the detention. Dadier goes along with the kidding to a degree, as West asks why Dadier will come back the next day. Dadier says he would miss seeing West, which shows he can play along with the boys’ humor. Dadier asks why one student, Santini (Jamie Farr, later coming to fame in M*A*S*H*), keeps smiling. Miller explains that the boy is an “idiot,” since the politically correct “mentally challenged” was not used at this time, and these boys wouldn’t have been sympathetic enough to say it anyway. But, the film highlights the lack of the period’s education system in trying to accommodate someone with a disability.  

Dadier asks Miller to stay after class. He says he looked up Miller’s records and thought he was a natural leader. Dadier says he knows that Miller is smarter than the rest of his classmates and the other students will follow his example. He asks Miller to consider using his leadership talents. Miller first dismisses the idea, but agrees to consider what Dadier said. As he leaves the room, West and a few other boys look at Miller, suggesting their dislike with the possibility of him being a traitor, conspiring with the enemy. 

Hammond offers to give Dadier a ride home at the end of the day. As she goes downstairs to meet him at the door, she lifts her skirt to straighten her stockings. It appears she has romantic notions toward the married Dadier. However, a student, Joe Murray (Peter Miller), at the bottom of the stairs, covertly watches her actions, suggesting there will be trouble ahead. Dadier hears Murdock at the elevator saying the students don’t know anything about mathematics, only how to multiply themselves, showing his belief in the baser nature of all his students. His surrendering in this battle to negativity can be seen when he says there will be a never-ending chain of substandard students going through the school. Dadier goes downstairs to join Hammond, but she is not there. However, he finds a woman’s shoe in the hallway, and we know that she is in trouble. Dadier hears Hammond scream from inside the locked library, where Murray is grabbing her, trying to take off her dress. The movie again depicts ironic contrast by showing a vile act in the library, a place where culture and learning should be taking place. Dadier takes his briefcase, which is supposed to be used for scholastic purposes, and makes it a tool of destruction, breaking the door window to get into the library. He then must further debase the briefcase by turning it into a weapon to fight Murray. Murray throws books at Dadier, perverting the objects of learning by transforming them for violent purposes. The student tries to escape through a closed window, but only succeeds in cutting and hurting himself. As others come to help, teacher Edwards asks what happened. Murdock cynically says it’s just the first day of school, as if mayhem is customary here.

Dadier tells his wife Annie how upsetting it was to hear Hammond scream. Annie voices the antiquated sexist idea that the woman probably dressed sexy and provoked the attack. Dadier assures her that she did not dress seductively. Annie is jealous, since her husband knows exactly what Hammond was wearing, and asks if Hammond is attractive. She asks what she was wearing when he came home, but he playfully turns the tables on her because she doesn't remember what he was wearing. His response is a smart rebuttal of stressing the importance of how women look as opposed to men, and how feelings of love are more important than just appearance. 

Around the schoolyard, the students talk about Dadier’s overcoming Hammond’s attacker. Dadier’s reputation as a fighter spreads and the boys exaggerate the facts, saying that Dadier carries brass knuckles and was a boxing champion in the Navy. The boys now see him as a challenger to their toughness, and a threat to them personally. Miller ignores Dadier when he addresses him, and other boys are silent as they give him threatening looks as they crowd the doorway to the school, making it more difficult for the teacher to enter the building. In his classroom, everyone is eerily quiet. Dadier has sentences on the board which allow a choice between correct and wrong grammatical responses. He picks Miller first, since he is a leader, and hopes he will initiate proper class participation. But Miller subverts the process, deliberately giving the wrong answer. The rebellion continues as each student follows Miller’s lead by giving the incorrect word. 

Dadier takes their rebelliousness and turns it against them. showing their actions have consequences. He says to copy the numerous sentences and for homework they must choose answers, which will count as a test that may determine whether they pass or fail the course. He asks to see Miller outside the classroom. When he accuses Miller of arranging the silent treatment and giving the wrong answers, Miller says maybe the boys don’t like it that Hammond’s attacker, Murray, is going to jail. Miller says Dadier’s earlier complimentary comments were a “snow job,” as he questions the teacher’s sincerity. (It does not seem believable that at the time in which the movie is set that an African American student is accepted as a leader, but it is an admirable act to portray him as such).

Hammond asks Dadier to escort her safely to her car and wraps her arm around his for security, but also to get closer to him. West sends his girlfriend to spy on Dadier and Edwards at a bar. The two teachers have some drinks, and Dadier is a bit drunk, wondering if there were many teachers who were alcoholics, given what has happened already during their day. Edwards is very disappointed that the circumstances get in the way of allowing him to do what he wants, which is to teach. He loves jazz, and has a great record collection, with some irreplaceable recordings. He wants to play them for his students to show how the disciplines of music and mathematics overlap in an attempt to enrich their world. 

Edwards says they should take a dark backstreet shortcut to the bus stop. As they walk, Edwards says that the students are just ignorant, but Dadier at first adds they are also bad. He admits shortly that he doesn’t really think they all are lost causes (like Murdock does). Some boys go past the two men, bumping into Dadier, while others follow behind. Suspense again builds as we anticipate an ambush. Dadier says he hears footsteps, and then one boy jumps out calling him “Daddy-O” and hits Dadier, which symbolizes an attack on a surrogate parent. Several boys assault Dadier and Edwards, who suffers collateral damage since the attack is revenge for what happened to Miller at the hands of Dadier. It is ironic that the students harm Edwards after he had just defended the boys. 

Anne was planning a romantic dinner but Dadier comes home with wounds from the ambush, undermining their time together. (It seems unlikely that Dadier wouldn’t have been sent to a hospital to be treated since the police were called by a neighbor near the bar and arrived at the scene). Anne says he won’t be going back to the school, but Dadier, showing his desire not to retreat, says he will return because even though he is beaten up, “I’m not beaten.” It is suggested here that physical danger can be overcome with mental toughness.

Dadier goes to another school and talks with the principal, Professor Kraal (Basil Ruysdael), who was Dadier’s teacher in college. Dadier says he’s going back to his school, but he admits he doesn’t believe the kids want to learn. Kaal says that Dadier is like a blind man who feels the tail of an elephant and thinks it’s like a snake. In other words he is being microscopic, and not appreciating the bigger picture. Kaal takes him around the school and the children there are learning Latin, science, and are orderly at assembly as they sing the national anthem, with its words highlighting the ideals of the United States. (Important to note, there appears to be a single person of color among the student body, but then there are few in Dadier’s school. So the film doesn’t single out one race as problematic, but it doesn’t show children of color exceling). Dadier says anyone can teach successfully at Kaal’s school because the student body is from a different part of society that is receptive to receiving an education. Professor Kaal says all children are entitled to an education, but Dadier argues how can he reach students who have low IQ's or act like wild animals (the “jungle” of the movie title surfacing here). Kaal agrees that the teacher preparation in college was not adequate to deal with the problematic younger generation, which is where the film lays some of the blame for the lack of scholastic accomplishment at schools with a disadvantaged student body. But, he says there are many schools that are successful compared to where Dadier works. (Is this the case today with large inner-city schools having persistent violence and poor academic results?) Kaal offers him a job there, but Dadier says he’ll try again at his school, showing his desire not to surrender his hopes.

Dadier was out for a week, and walks in with a police detective asking him to give up the names of his assailants. Dadier is reluctant, saying it was dark, and points out identifying the perpetrators will do more harm than good. He is probably thinking about the boy who assaulted the teacher and was arrested, which just spawned revenge. The detective says that the current generation had no fathers around because they were in the military, and the mothers were at work, so they had “no home life, no church life, no place to go.” He says they formed gangs to fill the void so they could be where they felt they belonged. The movie may speak to educational shortcomings today where those who come from deprived neighborhoods seek a group where they feel they belong and join gangs as the only alternative. He says the kids are like the rest of the world, “mixed up, suspicious, scared.” (Again, the film may seem relevant to people today who may relate to those feelings given the political climate). The detective says that the problems cut across social classes, but we have already seen a school that was successful, so the possibility of children receiving a successful education is not shown to be out of reach. 

Dadier enters the classroom and West, one of the attackers, just smiles at Dadier, as if gloating. Miller makes a joke about Dadier needing make-up to cover his bruises, and makes a covert gay reference about knowing guys who use cosmetics. The effect is one of stressing traditional manly stoical appearances when dealing with physical altercations. The whole room begins to shake as a loud noise fills the room. Miller tells Dadier that they installed a new machine shop. Obviously the school management doesn’t seem to care that they are making a difficult situation worse. Dadier brought in a tape recorder to encourage participation and move the focus away from himself to the students. The class wants Morales (Rafael Campos) to talk, but Dadier wants another boy. Miller challenges Dadier, saying maybe he doesn't want someone who doesn’t speak English so well. Miller here points out bigotry in the system. Morales is allowed to speak. He jokingly relates to what happened in his morning, repeatedly using the word “stinking,” but it reveals how awful his life is. But then West uses an ethnic slur referring to Morales while accusing Dadier of bigotry, showing West is the one who is really prejudiced. Morales retaliates with a derogatory comment about West’s Irish ancestry. Dadier tells them to stop, basically saying derogatory words are like throwing verbal punches, each one eliciting a retaliatory response. The class ends with the machine shop blaring its sounds and shaking the classroom, showing that noise has replaced communication, and chaos has been substituted for order.

As Principal Warneke scolds Murdock for slapping a student, (emphasizing how physical blows just escalate violence), Dadier arrives after being summoned by Warneke. In Warneke’s office, the principal complains about “brutality, stupidity, and bigotry,” elements that create destruction in a society. (Just like in the classroom, there is discordant noise created by trains nearby, emphasizing the lack of harmony in this environment). A student twisted the situation in Dadier’s classroom, saying that the teacher was bigoted, using slurs including the “n” word. Warneke accuses Dadier of prejudice, but an angry Dadier says he used them as negative examples as to what not to say. This scene shows how the system can be manipulated when the person in authority is more concerned with how he will appear instead of checking into the facts first. Warneke assigns Dadier the job of putting on the Christmas show, since he had some dramatic training in college. Bringing up the benevolent time of Christmas contrasts with the lack of “peace on earth” at the school. As Dadier leaves Warneke, he encounters Miller after school as the student is working on a carburetor in shop. Dadier wants to know if Miller tried to get him into trouble with the principal. Miller plays with Dadier by not denying he twisted what was said in the classroom. When Dadier accuses him of being involved with the beating, Miller seems genuinely outraged and says Dadier just has it out for him. Miller goads Dadier, saying he wants to hit the student and that will finish him as a teacher. Dadier starts to make a racial reference, but stops short, apologizing to Miller, who seems surprised that Dadier did the right thing by asking forgiveness.

Outside the school, West is with others as they plan to steal a newspaper truck. Dadier wanders nearby to get a newspaper from a newsstand. The boys hit the driver of the truck and ride off. West knows enough to just direct the heist, but not actually participate. He throws a bottle at Dadier to distract him as the teacher tries to follow the truck. West acts like somebody else threw the bottle of booze (that he illegally was drinking), but Dadier questions the boy’s presence there at the scene of the crime. He points out all of the boys are wearing identical jackets, indicating they belong to the same gang. West, stressing that he attends the school of reality, tells Dadier that the teacher is in his classroom now. He says the first lesson is not to butt in, showing how this delinquent defies Dadier’s attempt to help, so cynical is he and his generation of marginalized youths. West’s words stress what he feels is the irrelevance the school has to offer to help him in his precarious life on the streets. 

Edwards is playing his records when West and his classmates arrive, without Miller, who is absent. Edwards says the music is for his next, more advanced class. This condescension just irritates the boys, and they also want to hear music. Edwards relents, but when he does not trust West touching the records, West’s anger surfaces and he destroys all of Edwards’s rare collection of recordings. All that is left is the scratching of the phonograph needle, again providing an example of noise replacing melodic sounds. Dadier shows up, and Edwards says he just doesn’t “understand,” because there is no logic in pointless destruction. 

Dadier wants his students to contribute to pay for the loss of Edwards’s record collection. West makes a joke about whether they would get a tax deduction, which satirizes the fact that they are so poor that the idea is a ridiculous one. Later, in their lounge, the teachers show their contempt for the students. Murdock says the kids will probably steal the contributions for Edwards’s records. Another says he’d like to rig up an electric chair to shock the boys, a particularly nasty comment implying the students will eventually be condemned to execution. Murdock shows scorn about the principal just making the students write five hundred times that they will respect the property of others following the destruction of the records. Dadier chastises them, for either being too brutal (which has no effect on kids who are used to brutality at home and on the streets), too apathetic, or too accommodating. He admits he is just a “fumbler” and is no more successful than the others. But he, as opposed to Murdock, believes they can’t give up and have to continue to try to connect with the boys. 

Anne gets an anonymous letter warning her that her husband is involved with another woman, an obvious reference to the female teacher, Hammond. This scene shows that the attack on Dadier even invades his home life. Since Dadier hasn’t come home yet, Anne is jealous, and goes to the school. But she is reassured as her husband comes out alone and says that he helped Edwards clean his desk since he quit. Anne says that Kraal responded to her letter and she urges Dadier to get a job at his ex-professor’s school. Dadier sidesteps the issue, because he still feels that if the students were just left to teachers who didn’t believe in helping them, then they would be lost forever. The scene ends with the noisy elevated train again blaring discordant sounds.

In contrast, the next scene has Dadier entering the assembly room because he hears harmonious singing. Miller leads several other black students in a hymn, appropriately containing the words “let my people go,” which fits in with the plight of African Americans, and probably echoes the feeling of confinement that the school signifies for the students. Miller guesses that Dadier wants him and the other students to be part of his Christmas program, which Miller admits is what they have been practicing for. While they talk, Dadier handles a lock that sits on the piano. Could it symbolize how the students and the teachers feel imprisoned in this malfunctioning educational system, and Dadier is trying to find a way to escape the dilemma, open things up between himself and his students? Dadier tries to reach out to Miller, asking him what are the rules that make Miller cooperative when the two are alone, but not in class. Miller avoids answering, since he isn’t ready to break through what divides the two of them yet. 

Dadier shows a cartoon that is entertaining and funny which tells the story of “Jack and the Beanstalk.” They all enjoy it, but West is the holdout, looking sullen because the others may be shaking off his negative influence. The discussion that follows explores the question the cartoon story raises as to who is the hero and who is the criminal. The students want to see more stories, and being an English teacher, Dadier is happy to oblige. Other teachers are surprised to see Dadier’s students excited. Murdock is still skeptical. In a way, he is West’s counterpart on the faculty, still finding solace in cynicism, which justifies not trying to work at attempting positive actions.

Anne keeps getting letters and then receives a call saying that Dadier is with Hammond. The voice sounds like that of West. At the school Dadier works with other teachers and Miller on the show. After the other teachers leave, Hammond remains. (She is taking care of the costumes, which is a stereotypical role for a woman to be employed at). She says she doesn’t have any purpose in her life and she puts the moves on Dadier. She admits to being bored and she asks why don’t they just leave the school and go away together. He is not interested since he is committed to his marriage and his job, in contrast to most of the teachers there. 

Dadier walks Miller to his job telling him he should continue his education because he really doesn’t want to be a car mechanic. Miller seems to be giving into the same defeatist attitude as the other students and teachers, saying that car mechanics are needed by white and black people, so it will give him a living. The sense of incarceration is at work here since Miller feels locked into what jobs he must take. He expresses his confinement when he says he has to live in a black neighborhood. He says that he and Dadier are on “opposite sides of the fence,” which shows again the divide that occurs in a stagnated, partisan society. Miller says that he tried giving school a chance at first, but found the other students don’t care about what happens to them, neither do the teachers, and not even his parents. Dadier says that many African Americans have found success now, and that he should keep trying. He makes a pact with Miller that he won’t quit if Miller tries to go after what he wants out of life.

When Dadier arrives home there are a number of people outside saying his wife had terrible pain and was rushed to the hospital. The doctor tells Dadier that Anne had a boy that is still in danger since he was premature. The doctor says Anne seemed upset, almost mentally unbalanced, concerning something secret, and wonders if there were any problems she was experiencing. Dadier comforts Anne and reassures her of his love. On the way out, the neighbor who helped Anne out of the apartment saw the letters that insinuated Dadier was involved in an affair. 

Dadier is outraged by the letters. Later, after the Christmas show, which was a success, he rants in front of Murdock, saying that the other teacher was right, that the school is a “garbage can.” After what happened to his wife, Dadier gives into the nihilism that surrounded him. Murdock, realizing he was wrong, actually encourages him to stay, saying Dadier showed that not giving up allowed him to reach the kids, and that enthusiasm spilled into Murdock’s classroom. Dadier talks about going far away from the “delinquents,” but Murdock says that if Dadier quits here, he’ll keep on giving up no matter where he goes. Dadier repeats what Miller says about it doesn’t matter because nobody cares. Dadier talks about how teachers get less money than so many other workers, which implies how the country does not respect what teachers do. 

Dadier is at the hospital and seems very sad while the announcer on the radio, in contrast, wishes everyone a happy new year. He gives into negativity as he says that maybe their son may not live. Anne tries to encourage him, saying she was like his students, that “somebody told me a lie and I believed it.” She doubted him because she believed the lie about his infidelity. The suggestion here is that the kids were told that there was no point to work toward achieving their goals, and they accepted the falsehood, and capitulated to a life of failure. (Could her statement have relevance to our current divided society that gives into fears and believes fake stories and unsubstantiated conspiracy theories?) Even though her epiphany may seem forced here, she delivers a positive message. She says she now understands why he wanted to remain at the school because kids need the same things as do all people, which are “patience, understanding, and love.” The doctor enters and brings the good news that their boy is out of danger. He turns the radio back on with its New Year’s celebration sounds, in contrast to the noise previously heard in the film. He wishes them a happy new year, offering hope for the future.

Back in the classroom, Dadier tries to teach the boys practical information about applying for jobs through the want ads. West says it’s cheaper to steal a Cadillac than work for one, as he continues to undermine cooperating within the system. Dadier takes the test paper from Belazi (Dan Terranova) and deducts points to show that the arithmetic that Artie employs doesn’t work, because one has to pay with penalties for breaking the rules. When he tries to get West to bring up his paper for cheating, the boy challenges Dadier. Miller comes out in support of Dadier and West tells him to stay out of it, calling Miller “Black boy.” Dadier doesn’t want Miller to get into a fight as he is trying to shield him from acting violently. West challenges Dadier to force him to go to the principal’s office. He mockingly calls him “Daddy-O,” denying his parental authority. West pulls a knife, and cuts Dadier on the hand. Miller stops Belazi from helping West. The other students don’t come to West’s aid, and Dadier points out that West isn’t so tough without his gang. Dadier accuses him of twisting the teacher’s lesson about prejudice, jumping him and Edwards with other boys, and writing letters and calling his wife. Dadier is able to disarm West, and slams him against the blackboard repeatedly, as if trying to break down the “blackboard jungle.” West pleads that Dadier not do this there, implying it is too humiliating in front of the others to be beaten. Belazi, West’s only remaining ally, grabs the knife but Morales gets it and plunges it into a desk, breaking off the blade. This disarming of the fight mentality that permeated the school from the beginning of the movie is followed by another symbolic act. Santini, the mentally challenged student, takes the American flagpole and thrusts it into Belazi, as if showing that the country's ideals will vanquish those that would try to destroy them. The students now are protective of Dadier, saying they want him to have his cut cared for. Miller says they are all willing to help him take Belazi and West to the principal's office, showing they realize that the two don’t, as Dadier says, “belong in their classroom.” Dadier has acknowledged that the students have ownership over their education. They are now willing to discard the lie that there has to be a war between them and the faculty, and can banish the liars who foster that division for their own power grab. Without support from the others, Dadier knows that the two hardcore boys have no backup, and will go with him. Dadier has performed the exorcism of the evil elements in his classroom. West sucks his thumb momentarily, symbolically showing that he is reduced to the misbehaving baby that the father, Dadier, must discipline. 

The last scene has Miller bringing Dadier the can that has a small amount of money in it to reimburse Edwards for the broken records, an attempt to restore wholeness to the broken relationship between teachers and students. Miller asks if Dadier will be leaving the school. When Dadier asks what does he think, Miller says that Dadier knows the ropes now, and it would be a shame to have to break in a new teacher. Miller uses humor to act as if the students were the ones that did the instructing. Dadier asks if Miller was quitting, but Miller says they had a pact so he’ll see him again. A social contract has been made in an attempt to bring people together. The film suggests that maybe we could all learn from what the main characters are trying to teach.

The next film is Ulee’s Gold.