Customer Reviews

The Emperor's Club (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I had no idea how much I would end up enjoying this wonderful and awe-inspiring film. I was worried that it was going to try to be another "Dead Poets Society." To my surprise, it isn't. In fact, I'll even go further and say that I thought this was a lot better. "The Emperor's Club" is a powerful and gripping drama about principle, virtue and ethical compromises.

The story revolves around a teacher, William Hundert. He's a passionate man who loves what he does and hopes that he is actually having an impact on his students with his teachings. Things get complicated when he meets a new student, Sedgewick Bell. The kid is a troublemaker who cries out for attention with his actions. However, Hundert is convinced that he can turn him around and help him learn something from his class; not only that, but he hopes that he can learn something about life itself. Hundert believes in him so much that he is even willing to make a great compromise that will have an absolute impact in some way, whether it be positive or negative. The results are surprising and unexpected, but the overall product is an outstanding movie that makes you think twice about your life.

This was really a great film that had me surprised all the way. I had no idea how deep and effective it would end up being. When you see "The Emperor's Club," it actually makes you want to look at your life right then and there. You realize that you do want to live a life of honor, virtue and principle. We tend to live in a society that forgets about these important qualities sometimes; this being dubbed, "The Real World." However, this does not mean that we have to forget or overlook these things. It is possible to still have virtue in one's life.

Everything about this movie is remarkable. It has some great acting, a terrific script, and a genuine and authentic direction. Kevin Klein is amazing as William Hundert. It's a crime that he did not receive an Academy Award for his performance in this underrated film; or at least he should've been nominated for one. He is able to portray a great and wonderful character; also, he is able to play a character with realistic flaws that reminds us that he is a human-being. This is something we rarely see in films; as we are always given the impression that teachers are invincible and flawless when they are usually portrayed in films.

The DVD has some nice extra features to go along with it. The picture and sound quality is great. You can even watch it in DTS if you have the right system for it. The special features included are deleted scenes, commentary from the director, a making-of special and more. A pretty nice package, if you ask me.

"The Emperor's Club" is a wonderful experience that should be enjoyed by all. If you have not seen this yet, do yourself a favor; pick this up the next time you're at a video store. Already becoming a favorite of mine in so little time, "The Emperor's Club" is a unique and gripping film about what it takes to live an honorable life. Don't miss out on this great experience.

The Emperor's Club is a movie of man's dedication to oneself, to his family and honour of teacher and school. A distinguished, privated boys boarding school revels in discipline and making sure that young boys turn into great men. One of the teachers, Mr. Herdunt was able to mold his young breed by lecturing them on the Ancient Civilization from Caeser to Socratos...
Revolving around this one teacher...and four students: the exchange student from India, the boy who is to live up to the expectations of his father (Martin), the good boy and lastly, the intolerant, underdisciplined boy. The latter boy, Belle, needs to be worked with and Herdunt is able to do that for him. Encouraging him and assuring him of his smartness he does work and does do well. Each year at this school, a competition is held to find out who can reign for the year as Mr. Julius Caeser. The competition is based on history of the ancient world. Like in a spelling bee, whomever is left over wins the crown of leaves and earns the title of Mr. Julius Caeser. Three of the four boys mentioned above are in the final competition.
25 years after graduation, where Herdunt proclaims he failed Belle as a teacher, there is a reunion. And a rematch of the Julius Caeser competition, with the same three boys.
I admit, this is not a movie I would have gone to if I had only seen a trailer. But, when you have a preview ticket, who would give it up? I assure you, you will not be disappointed. The commrodity of student/teacher and student/student is amazing. It makes you want to wish all schools were like this. A fabulous movie that will live your heart uplifted and a new, wonderful look toward teachers.

This is a truly inspiring movie, definitely underrated.

1) The acting is first rate. Kevin Kline was born for this part and shines. He articulates the drive and determination of Hundert perfectly. The young actors are also phenomenal and this is a breakout film for many of them: Emile Hirsch is everywhere now; Paul Dano is rising up as is Jesse Eisenberg (who was just in the Squid and the Whale).

2) James Newton Howard's score to the film is very engaging and definitely makes the pivotal scenes that much more powerful.

3) The theme is centered on character. Shutruk-Nahhunte is not known of today because he gave back nothing. He just did for himself and contributed nothing to society. Sedgewick "is" Nahhunte. Though on the outside, he seems successful, Sedgewick will probably not contribute much to the good of others. The other historical people in Hundert's curriculum are people who gave back or contributed something to their respective societies. They are remembered because they left a good legacy on life. It is hinted that the other students will go on to leave similar legacies, while Sedgewick will not. (Though in the deleted scenes you see how the director was trying to make this more evident; it just didn't flow well.)

4) As a teacher, this is a favorite of mine and perhaps that biases my review. (In a good way, bad way, who knows)? I have shown parts of this film in class with very positive reactions from my students. The film is unique; it shows the main characters young, and then shows how they end up later in life. Kids are always thinking about how they'll end up and I think they appreciate that aspect of the film especially. I also think it also shows kids that they can have fun in life, but should also be thinking of what their contribution to the world will be. We all should.

The Emperor's Club is a story of students in a boys school in the late 60s-early 70s. Kevin Kline is a teacher of the Classics (Greeks and Romans) and is the assistant headmaster of the school. He is a man who's life is his work which he takes seriously to a fault. Kline, as a teacher, I think sees that each student is an individual and treats them as such.

His greatest test is dealing with a student, the son of a US senator, who arrives with an arrogance that is extremely off-putting. In thoday's view, I would rate this new student as extremely toxic in his influence. Kline's character tries to reach the student and for a short period of time, succeeds. The turning point, is a lecture to the student by his senator father to shape up, and the competition for the Mr. Julius Cesear contest run by Kline. The student shapes up, scores improve and, after soul searching by Kline, reaches the final threee for the competition. In the competition, the toxic element takes hold and Kline discovers that the student is cheating. Rather than expose the student, Kline eliminates him by asking a question that only the other contestant remaining in the competition will know. When Kline confronts the student about it, and asks "Why" the student's reply of "why not?" is telling about his personality. From then on the student is the focus of every moment of indiscipline in the school and remains so until he graduates.

25 years later a rematch is arranged and history repeats itself. Again Kline does not publicly confront the student, now a senatorial candidate, with his acts, in public. Rather he gives a quick lecture in the men's room to the student, apparently just between them. There is one listener though, who makes a surprise appearence. The other students, now successful men in their own right, meet with their former teacher and honor him for his many successes.

This movie may be trite to some. However in this climate of economic retrenchment and state budget deficits remedied by eviserating school budgets (California), this film is a refreshing look at education as it could be. It is a movie with no surprises, but there are many none the less.

I had the opportunity to see this film on flights to and from Japan so I watched it three times on each flight. It is the best picture I have seen in the past 12 months. Kline is exceptional in his performance. Edward Herrmann is also excellent as the headmaster of the school. His scenes, while brief for the most part, are critical to the success of the film.

Careful cast selection of the boys and their adult counter-parts was also critical to the success of the film's theme. It is an ensemble casting that works well.

The school is also an impressive part of the film. You arrive at the school in the late 60s and by the turn of the century, you have seen changes that are not dramatic by themselves but are none-the-less important. The school has moved from being a boys school to a co-ed school. You see a school adapting to the times. You could say that this is a representation of an elitest school that has no bearing on reality today. However, schools such as these are still turning out the bulk of our leaders, now and tomorrow, so I do not see it as an irrelevant topic. It is a reality that is still with us. Not quite a "To Serve Them All My Days" story, but a close second to it.

This is an exceptional film that I think is a must see for everyone. It is a tremendous vehicle for Kevin Kline and I was disappointed that he was not recognized for a stellar performance. I highly recommend it to everyone.

The Emperor's Club was one of the best films about a teacher that I've seen. It was a refreshing and rewarding movie because the story kept my interest without ever slipping into Hollywood's normal excessive sentimentality or easy plot turns. Kevin Kline was perfectly cast as a history teacher at an exclusive boy's school (Mr. Hundert, not "Herdunt"), and his struggles with a difficult student (Bell) didn't always unfold the way I thought they would.

Hundert faced various moral dilemmas during the story. The situations that led to those dilemmas and the teacher's decisions were both presented in realistic ways. Who knows how any of us would have have handled similar decisions? In fact, I saw the film with a teacher friend who remarked about the movie's accuracy, that indeed sometimes teachers must decide whether to grade a student higher than merited (to inspire) or give the appropriate grade and risk de-motivation.

The best thing about The Emperor's Club was the gracefulness and subtlety in how the story was told, epitomized by its untidy yet still satisfying conclusion. It's a movie that will lead to active discussions between moviegoers after leaving the theater.

From Goodbye Mr. Chips in the 1930s to Dead Poets Society in the 1980s, the movies have had a long-running love affair with inspirational, sentimental stories set at ivy-covered, collegiate-gothic, all-male prep schools. These films inevitably center around a beloved teacher and the lifelong bond he forges with his devoted students.

The latest addition to the genre  a successful one  is The Emperors Club, with Kevin Kline assuming the role of the teacher who considers it his duty not only to instruct his students in the details of classical history but to mold them into men of integrity and character in the process. The Emperors Club follows the standard formula up to a point. William Hundert is the most highly respected faculty member at St. Benedicts Academy. He is able to bring the history of the ancient Greeks and Romans to vivid life for his admittedly highly motivated young charges. Then, one day, into his classroom strides Sedgwick Bell, a bright, highly unmotivated student who would rather mock the stuffiness of education and inspire his buddies to feats of rabblerousing than devote his life to the serious pursuit of academia. It, thus, becomes Hunderts job to turn Sedgwick around, a feat that always seems much easier to accomplish in the movies than it ever is in real life.

The Emperors Club, after its rather conventional beginning, deviates from its predecessors in one key respect: Hundert, though a man of values and integrity, is not above compromise himself, and he winds up making a very serious one, the ramifications of which he has to live with for many years to come. Rather than showing him as some sort of saintly figure, screenwriter Neil Tolkin (working from a short story by Ethan Canin) and director Michael Hoffman allow Hunderts humanity to shine through. He is a flawed individual who permits personal feelings to cloud his judgments and who is willing, once he has created a problem, to allow the truth of his own guilt to remain hidden even when innocent victims suffer as a result of his actions. The Emperors Club is also notable for its clear-eyed recognition that not all situations in life need have a satisfying resolution, that some people simply do not acknowledge their own failings and, therefore, never develop into morally superior people no matter how many experiences life throws at them. Yet, what breaks Hunderts heart is the recognition he comes to that such a person is often times more highly rewarded by the world than the man who follows along the straight-and-narrow path all his life.

Kline gives a superb performance as Hundert, capturing the quiet dignity, understated passion and conflicted conscience of a man who loves his boys and who tries to do the right thing but who, like the rest of us, doesnt always succeed in doing so. Emile Hirsch is also excellent as young Sedgwick, the boy whose need for attention and lack of moral guidance from his father lead him to accept the winning-at-all-cost philosophy to get him through life.

The Emperors Club, despite having its roots firmly planted in a grand storytelling tradition, still manages to take us into new territory from time to time  and its recognition of the importance of education and academics (we actually get to learn a little about Roman history while watching the movie) makes it virtually unique among films of its time.

I saw this movie in the theatres a couple years ago and have longed to watch it again. Today was the magical day - my twelve year old daughter and I cuddled together on her bed and watched this beautiful, evocative story unfold before us.

It covers many of the larger themes, the over-arching one to be the virtue of Character, especially through using a Western Civilization prep school classroom as its context and a passionate, well meaning (and human) teacher and his students as our models.

All said and done, the greatest teacher of character is Martin Blythe, in my mind the strongest character in the entire story, closely followed by his classmate Deepak Mehta, who shows us how victory with grace is a valuable way of being.

Kevin Kline portrays beloved teacher, Mr. Hundert, with the same passion that his character holds in his skin, his breath and his being. There are several places I noticed subtleties this time around which made me wonder about his relationship with his father - seeing even more clearly how it may have mirrored Sedgewick Bell's relationship with his Senator father.

The opening segment is one I will watch over and over and over and over. There is so much depth there, so much richness: and the entire movie may be viewed again with a notepad in hand to capture the quotes from ancient thinkers sprinkled throughout.

If you have a child in junior high school, get your hands on this movie. It sparked great conversation between my daughter Katherine and me. (We especially liked that there was a character in the final classroom scene whose name was "Katherine Scott".) It was watching it with her beside me that really aided me in "getting it" even more this time around.

The Emperor's Club is as fine a movie as I've seen in a long time; it proves the point that special effects and car chases do not a good movie make--good acting and a story that holds one's interest are the key. And good acting is there from all of the principals, especially Kevin Kline, as Mr. Hundert, the teacher all of us wish we had had once upon a time. His love of his students and his subject shine through in his interactions in and out of the classroom. Rob Morrow (I've missed him)gives a fine performance as a fellow teacher, and Edward Herrmann is also excellent as the Headmaster. Harris Yulin provides another of his nasty, arrogant characters he does so well; Emile Hirsch plays his son, Sedgwick Bell (Is that name for real?), a handsome, charismatic underachiever, whom Hundert does his best to help find the beauty of learning, the rewards of honor, and, not incidentally, some self-respect, even at the expense of another student. Look for Roger Rees (Cheers, Nicholas Nickleby, Robin Hood Men in Tights)in a cameo as one of the school's directors. The boys are excellent. I wish I knew the actors' names to give them credit, but I don't. The adult former students are played by Patrick Dempsey (Sweet Home Alabama) and Steven Culp (JAG), among others. Joel Gretsch plays the older Sedgwick Bell, who was turned out as one might expect rather than one might have hoped. And Hundert lives through his disappointment and emerges triumphant. A very, very good movie.

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.

I see everyone comparing this film to "Dead Poets Society", and I don't really see the connection. The entire message of "Dead Poets Society" is centered around the notion of resisting conformity, conformity that was everywhere in the 1950's. "The Emperor's Club" has a message that I believe is much deeper and more profound; that is, morality, virtue and honor cannot be taught. Rather, these attributes are either inherent in an individual or they are not. The great philosophical minds (Socrates, Plato, etc) of history clearly understood this and it is this question that Mr. Hundert grapples with as he attempts to guide and mold students into fine, upstanding members of society who share the the same characteristics as the ancient Greeks. The brilliance of this movie (and Kline's performance as a teacher) is that the film is able to convey the importance and necessity of character and virtue without having to rely on sappiness and sentimentality a la "Dead Poets Society" or "Mr. Hollands Opus". Instead, the viewew is treated to an in-depth character study of a teacher who goes through both triumphs and pains in his quest to instill in his students the values of the great ancient minds.

My favorite scene in the movie is when Mr. Hundert confronts a Senator (the father of a spoiled brat who also happens to be a trouble maker) and the Senator plainly asks him what is the "good" of what Mr. Hundert is trying to teach. Needless to say, the teacher is at an existential crossroads. How can this Senator (of all people) not recognize the importance of the ancient Greeks and Romans, whom are very Constitution and concept of Democracy are based around? The performace given by Kline during this scene should have warranted him an Oscar.

Simply put, see this film if you're tired of the mainstream, commercial, special-effects-ridden, crap that has been polluting the movie theatres of late.