"Students are turned on by greatness and bored by mediocrity," says Albert Cullum, the subject of director Leslie Sullivan's loving, engaging, and ultimately inspiring 2004 profile. An elementary school teacher in Rye, NY from 1956-1966, Cullum's unorthodox pedagogical methods--which included geography races, math Olympics, and vocabulary competitions, as well as an introduction to Shakespeare, Sophocles, George Bernard Shaw, and other literary giants--drew praise from students and criticism from some parents and other teachers. At a time when most students were following the exceptionally pedestrian activities of Dick, Jane, and Spot, or memorizing the multiplication tables, Cullum's students were skipping across a large chalked map of the United States, building a leaning tower of Pisa out of chairs, or swimming down the Mississippi River (made out of butcher block paper). Combining interviews with Cullum and former students from the '50s-'60s (also seen in a wonderful reunion with their beloved teacher), together with excellent archival footage shot by filmmaker Robert Downey, Sr. (who filmed Cullum's classes performing Shakespeare) and scenes from CBS Camera Three profiles on Cullum, A Touch of Greatness is both a remarkable portrait of a visionary educator and a powerful plea for reform. Before he died in 2003, Cullum spent years in academia teaching teachers how to effectively reach children, trying to inject vitality into an educational system that, in the words of one of Cullum's former students, essentially does little more than prepare inner-city boys for flipping burgers and girls for motherhood. Sporting more than a touch of greatness itself (not to mention a truly infectious musical score by Tom O'Horgan), this value-added DVD--which includes three of Downey's original films, as well as two full episodes of Camera Three--is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights from First Run/Icarus Films for $248 on either VHS or DVD.] Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)
A Touch of Greatness
(2004) 54 min. DVD: $29.95. First Run Features (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Volume 20, Issue 4
A Touch of Greatness
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: