Aluno e Amante

I saw this film early in my life, and I have never forgotten it. I though it was a very good movie; it had a believable plot; the acting was good; and, I wish it were available on video. I would certainly purchase it.

Young Kim Hutchins (Pippa Scott) just out of college lands a teaching job in a jerkwater town. Traveling with her friend and colleague, the two women are harassed by some men while stopped because of car trouble. A handsome young man (Robert Harland) passing in his truck comes to their rescue, chasing off the no-good louts. After fixing the minor wiring problem, he immediately takes a shine to Ms. Hutchins and confidently begins dating her on a regular basis. Her feelings for him are equally strong and the two seem to be in love. However, on the first day in her classroom she is horrified that he is one of her senior students. He has no intention of giving her up, even though her reputation and job is at stake. Will she settle for passion or mediocrity? This film was way ahead of it's time and doesn't deserve to be relegated to obscurity. Though dated, the performances are quite good. Ty Hardin plays one of the older students, an obnoxious disrespectful jock who causes her no end of trouble. But the real standout in the cast is Robert Harland, whose sympathetic portrayal of a sincere man crossed in love who won't give up is truly memorable. It's a mystery why he didn't appear in more films as a leading man.

Kim Hutchins (Pippa Scott) and Joyce Goodwin (Majal Barrett) meet while applying for high school teaching positions. They get the jobs, not knowing just how tough their new students will be.

When Kim gets mixed up with a the hotheaded Hank Moore (Robert Harland), a bad situation gets much worse.

AS YOUNG AS WE ARE is a well-made "juvenile delinquent" movie. What makes it better than many films of its sub-genre is Ms. Scott's wide-eyed, yet strong role. Harland is also very good in his seething, could-explode-at-any-second performance as Hank Moore...

This movie chronicles the story of a new young teacher (Majel Barrett) in her first job in a rural California town. On the drive there, her car breaks down. She is helped by a young man who later takes her to dinner and dancing. She enjoys her dates with the young man, but, on the first day of school is shocked to find that he is one of her students. Complications ensue, naturally, leading to a dramatic climax. It's great to see Majel Barrett in a leading role instead of a featured player (as she is usually seen in "Star Trek"). The conflict of a young teacher and her attraction to her not-very-much younger students is still very relevant today. A decidedly different view of teachers, as opposed to the "Our Miss Brooks" type more commonly seen in movies of the era.

Pippa Scott and Majel Barrett are newly graduated teachers. Given their youth, they have a hard time landing jobs, but finally get one at a school in the countryside, where they'll be teaching classes filled with the children of migratory workers; it's a rough element, but rewarding. On the way there, their car breaks down. They are rescued by Robert Harland. There are sparks between him and Miss Scott. Imagine her state of mind when she discovers he's one of her students. Despite her determination to do the right thing, Harland pursues her, causing a lot of gossip.

For a release from Paramount, this was shocking for the era in a way that, had the teacher been a man and the student a girl, it wouldn't have been. Even with the crumbling Production Code, this was a tough subject for 1958. The years have passed, though, and we've seen headlines like this, including cases in which the married teacher carried on an affair with the high-school student. Given the fact that nothing really happens, the impact has died down over the decades. As a result, it's more the portrait of an era than of two people.