Apt Pupil (1998)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Bryan Singer

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (novel)
Brandon Boyce (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

If you don't believe in the existence of evil, you've got a lot to learn.

Plot:

A boy blackmails his neighbour after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Criminal | Blackmail | Holocaust | Male Nudity

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Brad Renfro	...	Todd Bowden
Ian McKellen	...	Kurt Dussander
Joshua Jackson	...	Joey
Mickey Cottrell	...	Sociology Teacher
Michael Reid MacKay	...	Nightmare Victim
Ann Dowd	...	Monica Bowden
Bruce Davison	...	Richard Bowden
James Karen	...	Victor Bowden
Marjorie Lovett	...	Agnes Bowden
David Cooley	...	Gym Teacher
Blake Anthony Tibbetts	...	Teammate
Heather McComb	...	Becky Trask
Katherine Malone	...	Student
Grace Sinden	...	Secretary
David Schwimmer	...	Edward French
Anthony Moore	...	Umpire
Elias Koteas	...	Archie
Kevin Spirtas	...	Paramedic
Michael Byrne	...	Ben Kramer
Danna Dennis	...	Nurse
Jan Triska	...	Isaac Weiskopf
Joe Morton	...	Dan Richler
Michael Artura	...	Detective Getty
Donna Marie Brown	...	Mother
Mark Flythe	...	Darren
Warren Wilson	...	Newscaster
Jill Harris	...	Reporter
Norbert D. Singer	...	Hospital Administrator #1
Mildred Singer	...	Hospital Administrator #2
Mary Ottman	...	Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert 'Duckie' Carpenter	...	Skinhead (uncredited)
Joseph Ashton Montgomery	...	Student (uncredited)
Phaedra Neitzel	...	Student (uncredited)

Directed by
Bryan Singer

Writing credits (WGA)
Stephen King		(novella "Apt Pupil")
Brandon Boyce		(screenplay)

Produced by
Tom DeSanto	....	co-producer (as Thomas DeSanto)
Jane Hamsher	....	producer
Tim Harbert	....	executive producer
Don Murphy	....	producer
John Ottman	....	associate producer
Jay Shapiro	....	associate producer
Bryan Singer	....	producer

Original Music by
John Ottman

Cinematography by
Newton Thomas Sigel		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Ottman

Casting by
Francine Maisler

Production Design by
Richard Hoover

Art Direction by
Kathleen M. McKernin

Set Decoration by
Jennifer Herwitt

Costume Design by
Louise Mingenbach

Makeup Department
Jori Jenae	....	makeup artist
Kerry Mendenhall	....	assistant hair stylist
Daniel Parker	....	makeup designer
Daniel Parker	....	makeup supervisor
Joni Powell	....	key makeup artist (as Joni Meers Powell)
Edward St. George	....	key hair stylist
Lisa Rocco	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Tim Harbert	....	unit production manager
Hilarie Roope	....	post-production supervisor (as Hilarie Roope Benz)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fernando Altschul	....	first assistant director
Scott Cameron	....	assistant director
Kelly Kiernan	....	second assistant director (as Kelly A. Kiernan)
Robert A. Neft	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Pete Allyn	....	construction coordinator
James Amado	....	swing gang
Ayenne J. Applebaum	....	lead scenic
Jenny Baum	....	set dresser
Michael Blair	....	construction foreman (as Mike Blair)
Chris Call	....	property master
John Coven	....	storyboard artist
David Eckert	....	set designer
Nick Gillie	....	swing gang
Frederika Gray	....	stand-by painter
Katherine Lipsitt	....	swing gang
Richard McConnell	....	propmaker
Walt Mikolwski	....	construction foreman (as Walter Mikowlski)
Rhonda Paynter	....	swing gang
Portia Perry	....	paint foreman
Christopher Redmond	....	assistant property master
Steve Roll	....	carpenter
Amy Shock	....	set designer
Andre Sowards	....	props
Jeffrey Thomas	....	greensman
Bill Vernetti	....	swing gang
Szu Wang	....	swing gang
Michael Whetstone	....	leadman

Sound Department
James Ashwill	....	foley mixer (as Jim Ashwill)
George Berndt	....	adr supervisor
Rick Canelli	....	adr recordist
Simon Coke	....	sound editor
John T. Cucci	....	foley artist (as John Cucci)
Thom 'Coach' Ehle	....	sound consultant: Dolby
Michael Haight	....	sound editor
Michael Herbick	....	sound re-recording mixer
Linda Lew	....	foley recordist
Robert J. Litt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chuck Michael	....	supervising sound editor
Nash Michael	....	sound editor
Karen Minahan	....	assistant sound editor
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr mixer
Rodger Pardee	....	sound editor
Geoffrey Patterson	....	sound mixer (as Geoffrey Lucius Patterson)
Marsha Sorce	....	sound recordist
Mark Steinbeck	....	boom operator (as Mark D. Steinbeck)
Thomas Thoms	....	cable puller
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Philip Beck Jr.	....	special effects supervisor
Ron Petruccione	....	special effects technician
Chris L. Ward	....	special effects technician (as Chris Ward)

Stunts
Dustin Courtney	....	stunts
Ben Jensen	....	stunts
Gary Jensen	....	stunt coordinator
Lane Leavitt	....	stunts
Kenny Bates	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Baer	....	still photographer
Chad C. Barrow	....	best boy grip
Vicki Brinkman	....	camera loader
Jonathan Brown	....	camera operator (as Jonathan W. Brown)
Keith Gorman	....	board operator (as Keith A. F. Gorman)
Lisa Guerriero	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
David Horton	....	grip
Dustin A. Huber	....	rigging gaffer (as Dustin Huber)
Jason Jensen	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Jimmy E. Jensen	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera (as Jimmy Jensen)
William T. Jones	....	rigging key grip (as William T. [Jake] Jones)
Patricia Lee	....	lamp operator (as Patti Lee)
Art Martin	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
David L. Merrill	....	key grip
Darryl Murchison	....	lamp operator
Anthony G. Nakonechnyj	....	chief lighting technician (as Tony 'Nako' Nakonechnyj)
Pat O'Mara	....	rigging grip
Bill Petty	....	grip
Chris Roundtree	....	grip
Tom Skulski	....	dolly grip: "b" camera
Chuck Turner	....	grip
Christopher Whitman	....	best boy electric
William D. Wynn	....	dolly grip (as Bill Wynn)
Michael Chang	....	rigging best boy (uncredited)
Art Martin	....	Steadicam first assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Kathryn Eisenstein	....	casting associate
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jeanne Ione Flynn	....	set costumer
Meredith McLaughlin	....	costumer
Parker Poole	....	costumer (as C. Parker Poole)
B.J. Rogers	....	assistant costume designer (as B. J. Rogers)

Editorial Department
Anthony Bozanich	....	second assistant editor
Roger Fenton	....	associate editor
Tirsa Hackshaw	....	second assistant editor (as Tirsa K. Hackshaw)
Jesse Hove	....	post-production assistant
Gloria Kaiser	....	color timer
Masahi Mizuno	....	post-production assistant
Shannon O'Bryan	....	post-production office coordinator
Michael Storm	....	post-production assistant
John Palermo	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Charlie Bouis	....	music recordist
Tim Boyle	....	music mixer
Tim Boyle	....	music recordist
Amanda Goodpaster	....	music editor
Larry Groupé	....	conductor
Larry Groupé	....	orchestrations
Frank Macchia	....	orchestrations
John Ottman	....	orchestrations
Robert Puff	....	music preparation
David Sabee	....	orchestra contractor
Lia Vollack	....	music editor
Lia Vollack	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Ted Basso	....	production van driver operator
Jim Frear	....	transportation captain
Greg Van Dyke	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Rick Benattar	....	assistant: Ms. Hamsher/Mr. Murphy
Mellanie Bradfield	....	script supervisor
Craig Conover	....	craft service
Robin Cross	....	first assistant accountant
Julie Duvic	....	location manager
Ethel Edwards	....	production assistant
Maureen Estes	....	studio teacher
Susan Giordano	....	first assistant accountant (as Susan L. Giordano)
Bryan Guenzel	....	production assistant
Peter Haas	....	unit publicist
Thomas M. Harper	....	production assistant
John Herget	....	set medic (as John 'Blue' Herget)
Joy Lissandrello	....	production assistant
Jo McIllece	....	production coordinator (as JoJo Leachman McIllece)
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach
Johnston H. Moore	....	assistant production coordinator
Andy Norris	....	production assistant
Shannon O'Bryan	....	production secretary
Robert Ohlandt	....	production assistant (as Robert J. Ohlandt)
Mary Ottman	....	medical advisor (as Marry Ottman, R.N.)
Anton Pardoe	....	assistant location manager (as Anton B. Pardoe)
William R. Peck	....	production assistant
Blake Perkinson	....	production assistant
Michael Provart	....	production assistant
Matthew Spiegel	....	production assistant
Scott Storm	....	production assistant (as Scott A. Storm)
Eric 'Sprocket' Uporsky	....	production assistant (as Eric Uporsky)
Bob Weber	....	production accountant
Roee Wiczyk	....	assistant: Mr. Singer
Sherry Williams	....	payroll
Jeremy Alter	....	location manager: re-shoots (uncredited)
Terry Goldman	....	assistant: Mr. Ottman (uncredited)
Jack E. Herman	....	extras set coordinator (uncredited)

Thanks
Michael Berenbaum	....	special thanks: SHOAH (as Michael Bernbaum)
Richard Dreyfuss	....	special thanks
Christopher McQuarrie	....	special thanks
Michael Puopolo	....	special thanks
Jason Rodriguez	....	special thanks
Leslie Swift	....	special thanks: US Holocaust Museum, Washington, D.C.

Production Companies

• Phoenix Pictures (presents)
• Bad Hat Harry Productions (producer) (as Bad Hat Harry)
• Canal+ Droits Audiovisuels (in association with) (as Canal+ D.A.)
• Apt Pupil Productions
• Happy Ending Productions
• JD Productions
• Paramount Pictures
• TriStar Pictures

Distributors

• Bontonfilm (1999) (Czech Republic) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Films (France)
• Columbia TriStar Films de España
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (1999) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (1999) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)
• TriStar Pictures

Special Effects

• Digiscope (digital effects)

Other Companies

• American Humane Association, The  animal action monitoring
• Bruce's Catering  catering
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies by
• Cinema Research  opticals and titles (as Cinema Research Corporation)
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)
• Kodak Motion Picture Film  produced on (as KODAK Film)
• Kona Cutting  negative cutting
• LA House of Props  special thanks to (as House of Props)
• Lundin Ranch  animal wranglers (as Lundin Farm)
• Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust  special thanks to
• National Museum of Photography, Film & Television  special thanks to (as National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, Bradford, U.K.)
• Panavision  cameras & lenses (as Panavision®)
• Rockbottom Rentals  cell phone rentals
• Sony Pictures Studios Property Department  special thanks to (as Sony Prop Dept.)
• Steve Martin's Working Wildlife  animal wranglers
• Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation  special thanks to (as SHOAH)
• TBS Casting  extras casting
• The Museum of Tolerance and the Simon Wiesenthal Center  special thanks to (as The Museum of Tolerance)
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum  special thanks to (as US Holocaust Museum, Washington, D.C.)
• Warner Hollywood Studios  recorded at (as Warner Hollywood)
• Worldwide Movie Animals  animal wranglers

Also Known As:

L'élève doué (Canada: French title)
Un élève doué - Été de corruption (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for scenes of strong violence, language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

111 min | Argentina:112 min

Country:

USA | Canada | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby SR

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Brazil:18 | USA:R (No. 35516) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Alhambra, California, USA

Company:

Phoenix Pictures

Trivia:

Editor / composer John Ottman actually did two cameos in the film, but both were cut. The first was reading the lines of the off-screen teacher, but his voicing of lines was substituted last minute by Christopher McQuarrie. He also had a cameo as the music teacher conducting the high-school band in the graduation scene but was eliminated from the final cut.

Goofs:

Continuity: Todd's shoes are different when he's riding toward Kurt Dussander's house from when he actually arrives.

Quotes:

Kurt Dussander: [regarding the killing] We had opened a door and couldn't be shut.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "State of Play: (#1.4)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Tony's Analysis

A Character Study Illustrating How Nazi's Were Able to Assert Their Power

The only thing more frightening that having the Holocaust as part of our world's long history is to know that are human minds capable of creating and sustaining such an oppression. The real horror of Bryan Singer's adaptation of Stephen King's novella "Apt Pupil" lies in that we have this knowledge. We know that Adolf Hitler possessed the powers of immense manipulation and charisma. This has been so ingrained into our heads that I remember as a child knowing that Hitler was charismatic before I really knew what the term meant. This film is an exploration into the mind of a person who conceivably has many of the same manipulative characteristics. In the progression of the film, we slowly learn why.

Before any images actually come on screen, we hear the voice of someone asking if the Holocaust occurred as a result of economic or social cultural reasons. Or was it in fact, human nature? We then realize that the monologue is being given by a school teacher in a social studies class. The principle character, Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro), a member of this class and is fascinated with studying the Holocaust. He spends much time in the library reading books and newspaper articles on the subject. Just as the opening credits finish, the camera zooms in slowly to the eyes of a concentration camp leader. This is the first of many extreme close-up shots of eyes. This distance motif is incredibly effective. The eyes are the window to a man's soul and the psyche that "Apt Pupil" explores.

One rainy night, while Todd is riding the bus, he sees a mysterious man, who he realizes is Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellan), a Nazi war criminal and concentration camp leader who managed to escape from Germany years before. This is when we really begin to see Todd's disturbed mind. He is the kind of person who is so meticulous that he finds fourteen finger print matches of Dussander and builds a file that will be sent to the Israeli government if he doesn't agree to tell stories about the Holocaust that "they are too afraid to tell in school". It is now clear that Todd is not so fascinated with the Holocaust because he's racist (the film makes no reference to him being racist). He admires the power, dedication and will behind the driving force of the Holocaust. He mimics this power in his blackmailing of Dussander.

The scenes with Dussander explaining in explicit detail the acts that he performed in concentration camps are quite disturbing in themselves, but what is more disturbing is that Todd seems more detached than Kurt. Most of us would cringe in disgust if we were to sit and listen to the stories that Kurt tells. We get the impression that Todd is thrilled with the fact that he is able to control this man and make him relive his past.

In the film's most harrowing scene, Todd brings Kurt an officer's uniform, similar to what he would have worn during the War years, and makes him march. Up until this point, we are led to believe that perhaps Kurt has had some time to develop remorse over the years for his haneous acts of brutality, but when Todd begins commanding him, Kurt fades to the same state of mind of his Nazi persona from the past and we see the man capable of ordering concentration camp personnel to gas hundreds of Jews. The scene is truly chilling and stands out as the most memorable in the film.

"Apt Pupil" is occasionally slow, but never boring. I, for one could not take my eyes off the screen for a second. The power struggles between Todd and Kurt are always intense. The sequence of events leads up to a horrifying scene with Todd and his guidance counselor (David Schwimmer). Here, we learn of the lengths that Todd will take his manipulation. "You can't do that," the guidance counselor says. "You have no idea what I am capable of doing," replies Todd. This line of dialogue is very effective. We know from having seen the rest of the film that Todd is capable of quite a lot. While not as powerful or intense as Stephen King's novella, the film "Apt Pupil" gives us a creepy insight to the corruption of power and manipulation.

**** out of ****