YMMV / The Learning Tree

• Adaptation Displacement: Not too many people know about this film, and even fewer people know about the novel it was originally based on.
• Award Snub: Didn't get a single nomination from the Academy Awards or the Golden Globes.
• Cult Classic: The few people who know about this film, phrase it for being the first feature film by a black director to be financed by a major Hollywood studio, and having an ironic complexity that's not commonly seen in previous films about racism. The fact that it's one of the first films preserved for the National Film Registry, speaks volumes of just how beloved and essential the film
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Newt's white principal is this for obvious reasons which are listed below.
• Iron Woobie: The entire Winger family, especially Newt. Newt in particular has to deal with racism, witnessing an innocent black man get shot, and was even accused of rape at one point. Yet throughout all this, the family manages to maintain their optimism and stay strong and focused.
• Jerkass Woobie: Marcus may be pessimistic and rough, but he also has a mother who died before he was born, and a father who's an alcoholic and never gives him any love. It's hard not to feel bad for him when he has to go to prison for beating up a white man, who by the way, beat him up before Marcus did the same.
• Moment of Awesome: A brief moment occurs when Marcus had been sent to the principal's office for saying he hated his teacher for downgrading him. During the principal meeting, he stated that Ms. Mc Clintock had looked down on him and other black kids by making them feel hopeless. Then the principal reveals that he knew about how unfairly black kids weren't being treated and that he would do something it he could. He even stated that he planned to start talk to the teachers about these issues during the next board meeting. Why is this awesome? Because the principal happened to be white. The fact that a white man, like him is this considerate and sensitive shows the not all white people are racist against blacks and that maybe there is hope to bringing down the racism. Can we have a Crowning Character of Awesome?
  • Judge Cavanaugh gets a good one in the court when he calls out the white people in the courtroom, for called Marcus' father a "nigger" after that found out he shot Mr. Kiner. He's basically stated that they were in a way just as bad as Mr. Savage was, since they were pressure him to commit suicide. He also claimed that Newt — another black guy — was willing to risk his identity just to come down and defend the falsely accused victim, so targeting Booker would be unfair.
  • Newt himself deserves credit for having the bravery and generosity to try coming to Silas' aid when he was already going through enough trouble and knew how harshly black people were treated.
• One-Scene Wonder: Newt's white high school principal is often considered one of the viewers' favorite characters, due to understanding that black students are being judged (due to the school's previous principal), helping to defend Newt's side, and overall being one of the film's most likable characters despite his one scene.
• Slow-Paced Beginning: A couple of filmgoers would agree that the first ten minutes may not be very interesting to certain viewers with Newt's family being introduced and a prayer scene.
• The Woobie: Tuck becomes this when he's falsely accused of beating up Mr. Kiner and gets shot by Sheriff Kirky.
  • Arcella also becomes one when she's raped by one of her close white friends, Chauncey.