Intermission: 'Emperor's Club' follows in long line of good teacher movies

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Jim Wunderle is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.|ret||ret||tab|

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William Hundert is the kind of teacher well-known to film audiences. He's much like the educators in movies from "To Sir, With Love" to "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" to "Dead Poets' Society." Or even Mr. Kotter.|ret||ret||tab|

As played by the always-engaging Kevin Kline, Hundert, like those who have gone before him on the silver screen, wants to teach his young charges more than just facts and figures. |ret||ret||tab|

He wants to instill in them a sense of morality and dignity. He wants them to know the contributions the great men of history have made to shape the world we live in today. He wants them to grow up and do something noble and courageous with their lives. |ret||ret||tab|

And as often happens in this scenario, a troubled brat comes along to upset the well-ordered apple cart that is Hundert's classroom. |ret||ret||tab|

The previews for Michael Hoffman's "The Emperor's Club" gave one the impression the film might as well have been called "Mr. Holland's Dead Poets' Club." While the first part of the film follows the formula closely, the last act has a twist that makes it somewhat different. |ret||ret||tab|

Opening in the present, we see Hundert being helicoptered in to a fabulous estate on a remote island. |ret||ret||tab|

Don't worry about what he's doing, that's explained later. The film immediately flashes back to the mid 1970s, when Hundert was in his prime as a teacher of ancient history and the classics at St. Benedict's, a private school for boys where the rich and powerful send their kids to prepare for becoming rich and powerful. |ret||ret||tab|

Things are very structured at St. Benedict's. |ret||ret||tab|

Uniforms with ties are worn, and even cutting across the lawn merits a mild reprimand. |ret||ret||tab|

But Hundert is a good teacher, and the young men in his class seem eager to learn. |ret||ret||tab|

Enter Sedgewick Bell. He's the son of a powerful and more than likely extremely corrupt U.S. senator who is less interested in studies and school protocol than he is in the men's magazines and other contraband he keeps in the trunk under his bed. |ret||ret||tab|

It takes little time for the other boys to fall under his spell. |ret||ret||tab|

They even commandeer a canoe, row across the lake to the girls' school and nearly manage a skinny dipping party with some of the students there. |ret||ret||tab|

While Hundert is not a megalomaniac, he can't afford for his students' sake to lose control of his classroom. |ret||ret||tab|

He's also genuinely concerned about Sedgewick, whom he believes has a great deal of potential. He decides to go see the boy's father. It takes little time for the condescending Senator Bell to let Hundert know exactly where his place is and how he feels about the teacher's goal to "mold" his students.|ret||ret||tab|

But Senator Dad also makes a call to young Sedgewick and tells him he better not screw this up. |ret||ret||tab|

The senator just hasn't the time to clean up his kid's messes. This, coupled with the fact that Hundert has made a special effort to reach out to him, seems to bring a change in Sedgewick, who buckles down and gets with the program.|ret||ret||tab|

The highlight of the year at St. Benedict's is the "Mr. Julius Caesar" competition. Throughout the year the boys are quizzed and a running tally of scores is kept. At the end of the school year, the top three boys face off in sort of a "Jeopardy!" style quiz, and the winner is crowned "Mr. Julius Caesar."|ret||ret||tab|

Without giving too much away, let me say that Sedgewick manages to make it into the final three.|ret||ret||tab|

He eventually loses (and there's more to this as well), and when the film switches back to the present, where it began, we find Hundert on his way to the estate of the now rich and powerful Sedgewick Bell, who wants to have a rematch of the contest in exchange for a huge grant to the school. Hundert takes this as a sign that maybe Mr. Bell has turned out OK after all, but the plot twists aren't over yet. A subtle, but potentially devastating emotional climax occurs with Hundert, Sedgewick and Sedgewick's young son when cards are laid on the table for all, perhaps one too many, to see.|ret||ret||tab|

Hundert is a complex but understated character who strives to teach a sense of morality but himself suffers from the same flaws common to all. |ret||ret||tab|

A few key scenes serve to separate Hundert from the stereotypical "super teacher." Kevin Kline captures the essence of the character and delivers a fine, quiet and somewhat troubled, performance.|ret||ret||tab|

I still prefer "Miss Jean Brodie" or "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," but "The Emperor's Club" is a nice addition to the long line of teacher films.|ret||ret||tab|

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