Movie Review: Conrack (1974; 20th Century Fox/Twlight Time)

...admittedly, there was a time when this ardent purveyor of cinema would, without fail, amorously engage and embrace the dramatic sub-genre of 'unconventional and idealist teacher, called in by the 'establishment' to help educate the seemingly impossible-to-educate...to help, where others have failed...in an arena of hypocrisy, where the 'establishment' really doesn't seem to care, and becomes irate, when said teacher repeatedly bucks the system, does things his/her own way, and in the end, succeeds where the so-called 'establishment' and 'system' have failed'. After all, it's so easy to get caught up in the emotion, relatability and compelling sense of inspiration of these stories...even those often labeled as 'based on a story'. We've all seen these stories, often before, in naming just a few of these dramatic films like 1989's "Lean on Me", 1955's "Blackboard Jungle" and 1988's "Stand and Deliver". Exploitative takes on the genre, like 1981's "Class of 1984", and 1987's "The Principal". Even humorous facets, like 1987's "Summer School", and the recent 2012 chuckle-inducing, "Here Comes the Boom". As irresistible as these films are, one cannot help but feel that the sub-genre has long since fallen into the niche of 'cliche', and as such, seem less sensitive, compelling and inspirational...you know, the ol' yawn-inducing, 'been there, done that' syndrome...