The Emperor's Club

Plot synopsis:
Professor William Hundert is a distinguished Classics history teacher at St. Benedict's Academy for Boys. Another year is beginning, and the students file in and introduce themselves. Hundert has a certain plaque above his door he requires one student, Martin Blythe to read. The plaque states: "I am Shutruk Nahunte, King Anshand and Sussa, sovereign of the land of Elam. By command of Ishushinck I destroyed Sippar, took the stele of Niran-Sin, and brought it back to Elam, where I erected it as an offering to my god, Inshushink." He requires his students to look up Shutruk Nahunte, then stops them, saying they won't find it in any history book, because Nahunte is not any. Hundert then says that Nahunte was virtually forgotten because "Ambition and conquest without contribution is without significance." Then he challenges his students, saying "What will your contribution be? How will history remember you?" which becomes the theme of the film. A friendly relationship between Hundert and fellow teacher Elizabeth is also introduced, as she has returned from Greece and presents Hundert with a snow globe of the Parthenon.A new student enter the fray shortly after, a certain Sedgewick Bell, the son of a senator from West Virginia. The cocky Bell starkly contradicts the principled Hundert, and various acts of rebellion lead to much tension between the two. As Bell's attitude worsens, and Hundert unable to straighten him, Hundert feels forced to travel to Washington D.C. and have a word with Senator Bell, Sedgewick's father. The Senator shows a surprising amount of apathy in his son's character development, and reprimands Hundert, telling him that Hundert's job is to teach him facts out of a text book, but not to influence him as a person. Hundert dejectedly returns to St. Benedict's and begins preparations for a certain "Mr. Julius Caesar" contest. The three finalists are determined by a series of essays given by Hundert, and the three highest net scores proceed to the finals, where they stand on stage in togas and answer trivia questions about ancient Roman history. During the course of the essays, Hundert surprisingly sees a changed Bell, one who begins working hard in his studying and overachieves Hundert's expectations. After Hundert completes the grading of the essays, Deepak Mehta, Louis Masoudi, and Martin Blythe have the highest score. However, wanting to reward a newly-dedicated Bell, Hundert alters his grade, putting him ahead of Blythe.The Mr. Julius Caesar contest arrives and Masoudi, Mehta, and Bell are pitted against each other. Masoudi quickly misses a question and is forced to sit, leaving Bell and Mehta to duel each other for the crown. Both do surprisingly well, much to Hundert and Bell's father's excitement. However, Hundert notices Bell does a peculiar motion whenever he is asked a question, where he put his hands over his eyes. Hundert speculates Bell is cheating and quietly asks the headmaster what to do. Contradictory to Hundert's principles, the headmaster tells Hundert to allow it. Knowing Mehta read an extra-curricular book about Hamilcar Barca, who is not in the assigned textbooks, Hundert asks Bell a question about him. Surely enough, Bell can't answer and Mehta wins the crown of Mr. Julius Caesar. Hundert visits Bell later and discovers that Bell indeed was cheating, having taped notecards of the question on his toga, out of sight to anyone but him. Hundert keeps the incident to himself but the trust and respect he had developed for Sedgewick has been broken. Hundert feels he has failed as a teacher, especially considering he disallowed Blythe from participating.
Twenty-five years later, Hundert and Elizabeth are married, and the headmaster of St. Benedict's has passed away. Thinking he'll take the vacated position, Hundert is shocked to discover a fellow teacher has been given the privilege of being named the headmaster, because the Board believes he's a better fundraiser. Hundert immediately tenders his resignation, much to the Board's chagrin, and retires. Shortly after, Hundert receives a letter inviting him to a class reunion, one that a now-successful and wealthy Sedgewick Bell is hosting. Also, if Hundert agrees to come and host a rematch of the Mr. Julius Caesar contest, Bell will donate a large amount of money to the school. Agreeing to this, Hundert arrives at Bell's estate, where an enthusiastic Bell greets Hundert. Before the rematch begins, Bell speaks of Hundert's dignity and how much Hundert taught him, in spite of his rebellious nature. Then, Bell reveals his attentions to succeed his late father and run for Senator, and the contest begins.Once again Masoudi loses on the first question and Mehta and Bell duke it out again. Both again do surprisingly well, but Hundert catches a glimpse of an earpiece in Bell's ear, then looks to the back and sees a man on a headset looking in books. Shocked, Hundert continues the contest, but asks Sedgewick Bell who Shutruk Nahunte was, knowing Nahunte isn't in any textbooks. Both Bell and the man on the headset are stumped, but Mehta quickly recites the plaque that was above Hundert's wall, and wins the contest again.
Hundert goes to the bathroom to collect himself, and Bell walks in, engaging Hundert in pleasant conversation, which Hundert uses to confront Bell. Suddenly Bell's demeanor changes and he becomes defensive and spiteful, telling Hundert that he doesn't care for Hundert's principles and virtue, because it's all a bunch of bull****. Bell reveals he lives in a world where "people do what they do to get what the want." Suddenly, Bell's son emerges from a stall with a shocked look on his face, and quietly walks out. Bell is left speechless and embarrassed, knowing he just revealed himself to be a cheater and liar in front of his son. Hundert quietly retires to his room, and wakes up the next morning expecting to find his students down at breakfast. Reading a note they left wishing him well, and disappointed by their absence, he prepares to leave, but they throw a surprise party in his room when he returns, and Hundert later admits to a now-grown Martin Blythe that he allowed Bell to unfairly sneak over him in the Mr. Julius Caesar contest years earlier.Upon returning to his home, he decides to return to St. Benedict's, now a co-ed school, as a teacher of the Classics. It shows a fresh new batch of students, including Martin Blythe's son. Seeing Martin Blythe outside his classroom window and exchanging a friendly wave, Hundert has Blythe's son read Shutruk Nahunte's plaque, just as his father did years earlier.

Tags: prank, historical, flashback

Review:
Movies that stress intellectual or moral higher pursuits are somewhat rare to come by and when they are,they either are heavy-handed(Dead Poets Society)or arcane,word-of-mouth projects(Kidco,Stand and Deliver).If they don't feature some level of arousing interest(two examples:Sirens or Kinsey,both films I greatly appreciated BTW),then they are probably going to fall under the wheels of Hollywood's promotional behemoth if they are produced for the large screen.Such,I suspect,is the case with The Emperors Club, a Neil Tolin screenplay based on a Ethan Canin short story.
The central figure is one William Hundert(Kevin KLine,perhaps never more dignified in role),a well-respected and generally popular teacher at a Catholic,boys-only academy,who teaches the classics(i.e.Roman and Greek history and culture).
His long stay as an educator is put to the test(probably not the only time,but what has to be the most memorable) in the 1976-77 school year when an arrogant,selfish son of a congressman(Emile Hirsch,avec David Cassidy fro)enrolls in the school,for whom Hundert decides he's going to make a special effort to "mold" into a true student of enlightenment.
His efforts then have effects on both his students and himself that stay with him long after.Well-acted,well-scripted,thoughtful and gently guided by Michael Hoffman(who directed Kline in the pleasant Midsummer Night's Dream adaptation three years earlier),this film quietly came and went in the Autumn of 2002 and it seems like a shame,but not un-understandably so.
This is a show with virtually no violence and very little(if any)sexual content and the majority of the cast are either rising young stars who haven't quite reached high acclaim yet or are older character actors,so one will enter this on virtually a blind-faith interest of the film's topic or(more likely)an appreciation for Mr.Kline.
Unlike Dead Poets (and also Mona Lisa Smile), the Emperor's Club teacher has no controversial subject matter or approaches, just relatively traditional (though passionate & effective) teaching methods.The story depicts Mr. Hundert, a highly respected and idealistic Classics professor at an ivy covered, prestigious boys' prep school, St. Benedict's.
A reunion 25 years later will depict the impact of this teacher's flawed choices on his former student's character and whether or not past injustices can finally be righted.I don't want to give the outcome away, but this reunion provides a fascinating portrait of Mr. Hundert's students as grown men.
Compelling glimpses of two of these student's offspring, Robert Bell and Martin Blythe IV, prove to be incredibly revealing.Kevin Kline, an under rated actor, is masterfully convincing in the role of the scholarly, dignified, and conflicted Mr. Hundert, and his 25 year aging process seems well depicted.
Also, the roles of the boys Martin, Louis, Deepak, and of course the unpleasant Sedgewick are all well cast, as well as their older versions.This is not simply another great film about an extraordinary teacher who has a profound impact upon his students.
In some respects, this actually makes him a much more three dimensional, realistic, and compelling character than such previous exemplary teachers as Mr. Chips (Good Bye, Mr. Chips), Mr. Keating (Dead Poets Society), and Mr. Holland (Mr. Holland's Opus).
It all made me wish I was a student myself in Mr. Hundert's Classics class, surrounded by all those busts of Cicero, Socrates, Plato, and Caesar.The Emperor's Club is a unique, intelligent, and thought provoking film that contrasts society's misguided values with the truly meaningful and important.
It does run a bit on cheesy sentimentality, but the ending is more than surprising considering the type of film this is.It is a period-piece about a teacher (Kevin Kline) at a prestigious school for boys, and how he tries to "mould" a strong-willed fifteen-year-old boy.
And just when you think that it's as depressing as it can get, the very, very end gives your spirit a bit of a boost.Kline realizes that in those years that Sedgewick attended his class, he ignored the other students who were trying - and actually cared - about what they were doing.
Kline's character is flawed, and while he is a good teacher, he makes mistakes, such as spending so much time on Sedgewick and bumping a smarter kid off of the school toga challenge, just so he can put Sedgewick in it (the challenge).Kevin Kline isn't Otto here.
From `Goodbye Mr. Chips' in the 1930's to `Dead Poet's Society' in the 1980's, the movies have had a long-running love affair with inspirational, sentimental stories set at ivy-covered, collegiate-gothic, all-male prep schools.
The latest addition to the genre  a successful one  is `The Emperor's 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.
It, thus, becomes Hundert's 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 Emperor's 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.
Yet, what breaks Hundert's 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, doesn't 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 Emperor's 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 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.
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.
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.
The movie deals with a good and idealist teacher (Kevin Kline) of Roman classic history and his relationship to a roguish and rebel pupil (Emile Hirsch) in a high class school .
The film is displayed throughout among past and present time where we find the same characters though twenty five years later , except Kevin Kline the actors are different .
The actors' interpretation is excellent , such as Kevin Kline as a mature and upright teacher who hands perfectly the role , Emile Hirsch as the rascal young is top-notch as well as Embeth Davidtz who is wonderful and enjoyable .
However, as he has proved yet again, anything other than dramatic roles is a waste of his acting talent.In the finest film he has made, he is superb in his role as school teacher and mentor to a generation of boys -- including one particular bad egg.Excellently cast, scripted and acted, this is a must see..
I thought it was going to be a version of Goodbye Mister Chips or Dead Poets Society, but the movie has an unexpected twist at the end and lesson that we all can learn from.
Kevin Kline is an inspiration, while Emile Hirsch is truly brilliant in a difficult role for his age group.The movie reminded me of the Breakfast Club because none of the main characters are what they seem at first glance to be.
5. Kline's character is a repressive (and repressed) authoritarian figure who refuses to let his students express themselves or experience life in any way, yet the film expects us to take his side throughout.
Kline's character never cites historical figures from ancient China or Mexico or India or Mali or anywhere else in the world, and if you've seen the movie, can you honestly imagine him ever thinking it was worth his time to even learn their names?
The truth is, he's right in a lot of ways: when his friends are adults, they'll be a lot more happier that they snuck off one day and rowed to the girls' school across the lake and had an actual life experience than that they once memorized the names and dates of some Roman emperors (which, from what we see, is basically the extent of what Kline's character actually teaches).Basically, this film is not only crushingly sappy and not compelling, it's wrongheaded and a bit offensive too.
From the idea that here's nothing I didn't know before to the idea that cheating doesn't matter if it doesn't hurt anyone - which is the real measure.The fact that a teacher (Kevin Klein) decides to encourage a failing student (Emile Hirsch) by improving his score - at the expense of an already successful pupil - is a clear case of 'morally-correct cheating' - much like Robin Hood redistributing the wealth from those who have too much to those who have too little (although he was a bit more blatant about it).Ultimately though, this action fails everyone - including Klein's character.There is a glimmer of hope amongst the ashes at the end of the film - an act of forgiveness which seals the overall lesson being taught by the movie.It's a feel-good-feel-bad film and one which is definitely worth viewing.
The movie follows a long experience of William Hundert (played by Academy award winner Kevin Kline) as a professor in a privileged and prestigious school for boys, particularly two episodes from his life divided by a long period of time.
The movie asks a question what cost his social achievements were reached but the idea of re-matching school competition after many years as well as the fact that these lessons of ancient history survived in memory of former students after such a long time is far-fetched.
The movie tries to avoid clichés usual for such a movies, cinematography is good here, some scenes are quite good and finally the acting in the movie is obviously not bad but unfortunately most likely The Emperor's Club is a movie where numerous flaws of the story and weakness of some moral messages easily outweigh all the rest.
and his performance is admirable first for the art to not be the clone of other teacher - characters.yes, The Emperor's Club is not version of Dead Poets Society and Mr. Hundert is far to be Mr. Keating.
Fine drama about a history teacher, performed my Kevin Kline, and a tough and rebellious student, performed by Emile Hirsch (who we saw in "The Girl Next Door" and "Lords of Dogtown" with Heath Ledger) The aspect the movie focuses on is the influence of a teacher on the personality and character of a student and what he will become in his future life.The story is nice, but it's nothing new.
And in the end, Hirsch doesn't really _take_ the values of Western Civ, merely parroting them to get ahead in society.Watch especially two characters: Martin Blyth (Paul Dano) as one of the slighted boys who goes through life unaware of the slights, and of Robert Bell (Jimmy Walsh), the son of Sedgewick who overhears the showdown between Kline and Hirsch.Not the ending you expected from the beginning - you are encouraged to root for Sedgewick, and you give Hundert a pass on his passing slights.
But at its heart are questions about ethics and integrity.Kevin Kline's Mr. Hundert, Professor of Western Civilization, is a staid, venerable scholar whose passion for teaching is matched by his appreciation for high ethics and good character.
In the film, Kevin Kline does a fantastic job as a devoted school teacher to help instill moral values into the lives of his young students.Although some people criticize the film for being too predictable, my family thoroughly enjoyed the film.
A lot of people have compared this film to Peter Weir's "Dead Poets Society" but I found it much closer in spirit to that English classic, "Goodbye Mr. Chips."   Kevin Kline plays a kindly professor much like Robert Donat's Mr. Chipping.
But in the "Emperor's Club" things don't turn out so tidy.The story revolves around the relationship between a teacher of classic history and Sedgewick Bell, a troublesome student and the son of a powerful U.S. Senator.
Defiant and disruptive at first, the pupil is eventually motivated by his teacher to learn the classics.There's a contest held each year at the school to crown the student who knows classical history the best - hence the title of the film.
Hundert's last glimpse of Bell is of him sitting on a couch being interviewed by a reporter and telling her how he intends to bring moral integrity back to America.The movie is well-done and Kevin Kline is excellent in the role of Professor Hundert, but I had a real problem with the ending.
It's a kind of "feel good" and "feel sullen" film experience, as you realize that people get away with a lot in this world, and the wealthy and powerful people can rise and flourish despite their use of deceit; and yet, there are many more good people than bad, which leads Kevin Kline's character to return to the world of teaching, where he can continue to do more good and harm.
This film can stand on its own, and actually make the viewer feel much better after having seen this movie than Dead Poet's Society of more than a decade ago.
As been said before, 'The Emperor's Club' (isn't that a great title?) is similar to such movies as 'The Dead Poets Society,' but it has a fresh angle on it.Kevin Kline is superb as Mr. Hundert, a teacher at St. Benedict's, a boarding school for boys, who has that kind of 'serious-humor' that only a rare few can ever achieve, who referees two academic contests taking place aproximately 25 years apart.
`The Emperor's Club' starts out in medias res with our protagonist, retired classics teacher William Hundert (Kevin Kline) arriving at a posh resort.
Looks Like Dead Poets Society Meets Mr. Holland's Opus...But This Time the Teacher Gets "Schooled".
Kevin Kline is amazing, even though he looks like he aged maybe 10 years when he's supposed to have aged 25 in the present day sequences of the film.
By my criteria, art (literature, cinema, etc.) is only 'excellent' if it makes a profound point about human nature, and if it does so with some subtlety.The Emperor's Club showcases an authentic group of young prep school students (not the 20+ year-olds who often pose as them in other movies), and a very measured but inspiring performance by Kevin Kline.
I still like Kevin Kline, he's a good guy, just made a bad choice with this movie.
Early in "The Emperor's Club" Professor William Hundert (Kevin Kline) informs his students that: "It's not living that is important, but living RIGHTLY." Hundert later asks the same young men: "How will history remember YOU?" Those are the two themes that are examined in this fine film.
By the end of "Emperor's" Professor William Hundert learns that how he deals with students can have far-reaching consequences both good and bad.
But -- Kevin Kline is as effective as always, and the film does introduce flaws into the estimable teacher role that are new, which automatically makes it more interesting than it otherwise would have been.
People have called director Michael Hoffman's The Emperor's Club an unsurprising film with a surprising moral, but screenwriter Neil Tolkin provides the lesson at the onset of the film as Classics teacher William Hundert (Kevin Kline) rows on the river.
Even with star power lent by a very wooden Kevin Kline in the lead role, The Emperor's Club never quite feels like a fully-realized feature film.On one note, I think the Producers missed a great opportunity for Political Satire.
In his first year of tenure at the school, he found himself struggling to reach Sedgewick Bell (Emile Hirsch), a neglected senator's son whose unruliness and disregard for his studies proved to be a formidable obstacle for Professor Hundert (Kevin Kline).
Yet, the lesson that Hundert learned in the end is one that made "The Emperor's Club" a truly memorable film.
It took a while for me to warm to the story, primarily because of the parallels to another film, the similarly titled "Dead Poet's Society."  But once you get past the title and the all boys private school setting, these movies are pretty different.
"The Emperor's Club" is a well crafted serious drama which takes a  hard look at a staid and principled prep school teacher (Kline) as he struggles to teach the importance of character along with simple facts of Greek and Roman history.
A kind teacher (Kevin Kline) at an exclusive all boy boarding school in the mid-70s, gets a troubled student (Emile Hirsch).
I think a movie such as this, and Dead Poets Society, tap into that feeling of remembering a teacher that changed your life.