The Emperor's Club (2002)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Michael Hoffman

Writers (WGA):

Ethan Canin (short story "The Palace Thief")
Neil Tolkin (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In everyone's life there's that one person who makes all the difference.

Plot:

An idealistic prep school teacher attempts to redeem an incorrigable student.

Plot Keywords:

Prep School | Reunion | Classroom | Revolver | Third Generation

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Kevin Kline	...	William Hundert
Emile Hirsch	...	Sedgewick Bell
Embeth Davidtz	...	Elizabeth
Rob Morrow	...	James Ellerby
Edward Herrmann	...	Headmaster Woodbridge
Harris Yulin	...	Senator Bell
Paul Dano	...	Martin Blythe
Rishi Mehta	...	Deepak Mehta
Jesse Eisenberg	...	Louis Masoudi
Gabriel Millman	...	Robert Brewster (as Gabe Millman)
Chris Morales	...	Eugene Field
Luca Bigini	...	Copeland Gray
Michael Coppola	...	Russell Hall
Sean Fredricks	...	Mr. Harris
Katherine O'Sullivan	...	The Nun

Also Known As:

The Palace Thief (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.

Runtime:

Argentina:108 min | Canada:109 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39170) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Denmark:A | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Budd Lake, Mt. Olive, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Beacon Communications

Trivia:

The girls' prep school location was used as the boys' prep school in Scent of a Woman (1992)

Goofs:

Continuity: As the boys are running into the building after Hundert breaks the car window with a baseball, a red headed boy near Hundert drops his bat twice.

Quotes:

[first lines]
William Hundert: As I've gotten older, I realize I'm certain of only two things. Days that begin with rowing on a lake are better than days that do not. Second, a man's character is his fate.

Movie Connections:

References Le mépris (1963)

Soundtrack:

Funk 49

Good luck finding a teacher like this in real life!

I can't help feel bit jealous when ever I see Private Schools in movies. My high school was unfortunately full of teachers who didn't give half a goddamn about you. And it was/is one of the most respected (read pretentious) in the country. I never learned one single thing that was actually of use to me and I believe going to such a place is mostly responsible for turning me into the faithless cynic that I am now.

In this movie Kevin Kline (a seriously underused actor) plays a history teacher who is dedicated to making sure his students grow up to be fine and morally sound, upstanding people. They all get along until Sedgewick Bell (Emile Hirsh)the hell-raising son of an arrogant Governor arrives in class. His grades are terrible but Mr. Hundert sees intelligence in the boy and struggles to push him in the right direction at the expense of the rest of the class who actually want and care for education. Over the years he comes to regret his mistakes but sees a chance to put things right again with a reunion of all his former students organised by Sedgewick who appears to want to put things right.

There are loads of Student/Teacher movies out there but what separates The Emperor's Club from the likes of Dead Poet's Society and Mr. Holland's Opus is that Mr. Hundert's teaching is never in doubt. But he is flawed. Kevin Kline is so good in the role that for most of the film I thought I was watching a real person and not a character. And doesn't he sound like Niles from Frasier?

I do wish I went to somewhere like St. Benedicts or at least had a teacher like Mr. Hundert. It seems that teachers who really care only exist in the movies As are students who are willing to learn. Or perhaps it's just my bad non-education that skews my opinion. Still, I know good movies when I see one and The Emperor's Club get's my recommendation if you're sick of Hollywood, massive budgets, overblown SFX and intrusive marketing and just want a good character drama.