All hail Kevin Kline! I, who is about to comment and vote this film, salute you!

, 23 January 2005

Author: au_law2001 from Philippines

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

A very significant film about a well respected teacher who tries to correct the ways of a spoiled rowdy kid in an all boys prep
school. The film shows how the teacher is trying to change the son of a senator, who does not spend anytime in his studies, but
focuses on girls, and does a lot of schemes. And as Mr. Hundert does his best, he believes he has changed him after he sees that
he is improving on his studies and getting better grades, and decides to put him on the annual Mr. Julius Caesar, and every time
he answers, it looks as though he is thinking, you know, when you put your head down, or cover your face, and after that the
gives the right one. But, as he fails to answer the last question and looses, Mr. Hundert finds out the truth, Sedgewick has been
cheating, he has been using fake mannerisms, and had sheets of the answers he copied from the books he borrowed from Mr.
Hundert, and 25 years later he wants a rematch, and he brings a reunion which he seems to be using only to promote a campaign
for him running as Senator. And once again he discovers that he is cheating, using someone to tell him the answers via
transmission. He tells him he fails and gives him a final lecture regarding his ways, but Sedgewick disagrees. And at the end you
see him all miserable, leaving, but all his student give him a big surprise. They give him a bat, and thank him for everything he's
done. He also comes to Martin Blythe, who is said to have a legacy, yeah, his father won the Mr. Julius Caesar competition long
ago, tells him that it should have been him to be in the contest long ago instead of Sedgewick. Now, as he continues teaching, a
new student who is late, comes in, and finds out he is the son of Martin, and, what does he do? He does what he did at the
beginning. He tells him to stand at the back and read the plaque at the wall, the sayings of Shutruk Nahunte. Overall, this is a
beautiful film, with a beautiful message going out to all students and teachers all around, to value studying and paying attention
and class, and to have eagerness, take pride in it. I disagree very much to what some say to this film having the anti-Bush
sentiments, for there are more cheaters in this world outside politics and America. You are ignoring the 'real message' of this
film, just as Sedgewick is ignoring his studies, as I said earlier, this is about valuing our teachers, and studies, for you will never
know, that it will help you one day as you grow, get a job, get married and have kids, you will use the virtues given to you and
practice and preach what you've been taught. And to me, some of it is a bit like the episode of The Twilight Zone Changing of the
Guard, about the professor who is resigned, feels his life has been wasted, then the ghosts of his students, tell him he has more
contribution and he taught them values that made them great people, and war heroes, and that his teachings were not in vain, and
his life has not been wasted. All hail The Emperor's Club, I, who is about to end, recommends this to the whole family, to
students, and teachers!

Thank you Mr. Kline, thank you Mr. Hoffman For an inspirational story, though a bit cliché, convincing acting, and stunning
performances of Emile Hirsch, Jesse Eisenberg, Paul Dano, and Rishi Mehta, I grade this an A.

A dedicated teacher learns some important lessons about himself years after he retired from the classroom in this drama. William
Hundert (Kevin_Kline) is an instructor at St. Benedict's School for Boys, an exclusive private academy on the East Coast where
Hundert drills his charges on the moral lessons to be learned through the study of Greek and Roman philosophers. Hundert is
fond of telling his students, "A man's character is his fate," and he strives to impress upon them the importance of the ordered and
examined life. In 1976, however, Hundert finds himself with an especially challenging group of students -- party-minded Fred
Masoudi (Jesse_Eisenberg) , introverted Martin Blythe (Paul Dano), bright but mischievous Deepak Mehta (Rishi Mehta), and
most notably, openly rebellious Sedgewick Bell (Emile_Hirsch). The son of a powerful politician, Bell pointedly runs against the
current of Hundert's example, questioning the importance of the material, flouting the school's rules, talking out of turn in class,
and devoting as much time to his interest in girls as in his studies. However, Hundert sees the possibility of great things in Bell,
and encourages him to take part in the school's annual academic competition for the title of Mr. Julius Caesar. Hundert even goes
so far as to bend the rules in scoring to favor Bell in the early stages of the contest, but his faith is betrayed when Bell is
discovered cheating during the contest finals. Years later, Hundert is reunited with his students, where they learn the years have
taught them all a great deal about their virtues and weaknesses. The Emperor's Club also features Harris_Yulin, Rob_Morrow,
and Edward_Herrmann. Mark Deming, Rovi

The Emperor's Club is a 2002 film that tells the story of a prep school teacher and his students. Based on Ethan Canin's short
story "The Palace Thief," the film is directed by Michael Hoffman and stars Kevin Kline. The movie is set at a fictional boys'
prep school, St. Benedict's Academy, located in Andover, MA. The movie was filmed at Emma Willard School in Troy, NY.
Kevin Kline is also said to have traveled to Regis High School in Manhattan to prepare for his role.

William Hundert (Kevin Kline) is a passionate Classics professor enthusiastic about the start of the school year. His class turns
out to be a strict yet inspiring lesson for the new students arriving at St. Benedict's Academy. They include laid-back Louis
Masoudi (Jesse Eisenberg), the introverted Martin Blythe (Paul Dano), and the studious Deepak Mehta (Rishi Mehta), all highly
intelligent. Hundert inspires his students to study hard in order to become one of the three contestants for The Emperor's Club and
be crowned "Mr. Julius Caesar", a competition which puts the top three students of his class in a contest where they will be asked
questions regarding the Classics. When the headmaster (Edward Hermann) is explaining the contest to the students, he mentions
that Martin's father was once a "Mr. Julius Caesar".

Hundert quickly gains the respect of his class and the school year gets off to an orderly start. However Hundert finds his tightly-
controlled world shaken when a new student, Sedgewick Bell (Emile Hirsch), walks into his classroom. Sedgewick Bell is the
cocky son of a senior U.S Senator who possesses none of Hundert's principles. Initially, a fierce battle of wills takes place
between Hundert and Bell. Bell's rebellious nature quickly makes him the interest of the class, as he not only is willing to talk
back against Hundert, he also freely shares pornographic material and is willing to play hooky and travel off-limits to a nearby
prep school for girls. Despite Blythe's constant pleas not to break rules, Masoudi and even studious Mehta find themselves
enjoying their rebellious tendencies with Bell. Despite this, Hundert is able to humiliate Bell when he asks the class to list, in
chronological order, all the Roman emperors. All the other students comply in perfect unison, effectively embarrassing Bell who
has not studied the course material. Hundert also makes a trip to Washington D.C. to meet with Senator Bell from West Virginia.
Bell's father is clearly uninterested in his son's character development while at St. Benedict's, instead telling Hundert just to teach
Bell lessons so he can graduate, giving Hundert some insight into the younger Bell's prior upbringing. Hundert returns to St.
Benedict's and finds that Sedgewick Bell has received a phone call from Senator Bell who chews out Sedgewick for wasting his
time in having to see paul and his money on the tuition (but he does not yell at his son for being a slacker). After seeing a
chastized Sedgewick, Hundert, then tries to develop a close student-teacher relationship as Hundert tries to become a mentor to
Bell in order to help change him into a better man. Bell starts studying, proving to be a bright student and eventually his grades
improve enormously. Bell eventually finishes in the top three in Hundert's competition that precedes the Emperor's Club contest,
along with fellow classmates Masoudi and Mehta. Bell had actually earned his position at fourth place, until Hundert privately
decided to raise his grade on the final essay after reviewing it again, thus moving him above Blythe, the third place winner.
Hundert is caught between celebrating Bell's newfound success and feeling guilty when he sees a despondent Blythe sitting all by
himself under a tree.

The entire school watches the competition, as the three contestants are quizzed by Hundert. After many questions, the confident
Masoudi is the first to make a mistake and he is thus eliminated. As the competition narrows down to Mehta and Bell, Hundert
becomes increasingly suspicious of Bell raising his toga to his head to think. When Hundert takes a recess to confer with the
headmaster; he is urged to give Bell a pass as Senator Bell is in attendance. He then asks Bell a question not in the books: "Who
was Hamilcar Barca?", knowing full well that the answer would not be on any materials used to cheat (It was not even in the
curriculum) but knowing that Mehta would be able to answer it due to his personal interest in military science and reading about
the Carthagian general in his spare time. Bell is stumped and Mehta is crowned Mister Julius Caesar of The Emperor's Club.
Afterwards, Bell openly admits to Hundert what Hundert had suspected earlier: that Bell cheated by placing crib notes on the
inside of his toga sleeve. It is revealed in the end, Bell could not take the pressure of losing, and like his father, tried everything
he could to guarantee a win. Although Hundert does not publicize this, the trust he once had with Bell is broken. The next couple
of scenes show the students graduating to higher grades before finally their graduation from St. Benedict's Academy, and Bell
shown reverting to his punky behavior and loss of interest in academia. In the year 1976, Bell is shown barely squeaking by in his
classes, but gaining acceptance to Yale University on account of being Senator Bell's son. During this time, Hundert regrets not
being able to influence Bell more.

Twenty-five years later, Hundert is denied his bid to become headmaster of the school by the board, who feel he lacks the ability
to drum up financial donations for the school. Hundert immediately resigns. Later he receives an invitation for a class reunion
and a chance to meet up with his students at an event (surprisingly) staged by a full-grown Bell (Joel Gretsch), who is now
extremely rich and successful. Once reunited with his students, he is impressed that every one of his students from that fateful
class had done well since their days at St. Bendict's and all had successful careers in business, with Deepak Metha now a
professor himself. It is also revealed that Hundert, ironically, is the one who will get Sedgewick Bell to pay for building a new
school library under the circumstances that Hundert would host a "Mr. Julius Caesar" contest rematch between Bell and his
fellow alumni Masoudi and Mehta. Before the match Bell talks to Hundert about how his influence had really changed his life
and he hopes that he would be able to regain his dignity in the rematch. An enthusiastic Hundert agrees to host once again. And
so the Emperor's Club contest is again played, albeit the crowd being Bell's schoolfriends and their respective wives and children,
and the three contestants still wearing togas, but with tuxedos. Masoudi purposely answers the first question wrong, content to
humor the crowd with fake Roman names such as 'Gassius Flatulus.' Again, the main competition is between Mehta ( Rahul
Khanna) and Bell as both still remember (or kept up diligent study of) their lessons from Hundert's class. Sadly, despite Hundert's
belief that Bell has changed, he is able to perceive that Bell is cheating, this time through a hired graduate student feeding him
answers through a clandestine earpiece. Hundert poses another unofficial question, this one regarding the plaque over his door,
asking "Who was Shutruk-Nahhunte"? Despite supportive shouts from his classmates that this one is easy and they all know this
one, Bell again does not know the answer due to him being a late arrival to Saint Benedict's and not being told about the leader at
Mr. Hundert's first class (or ever taking the time to look around the classroom to study the plaque). Mehta is crowned Mr. Julius
Caesar once again. After the competition ends and Bell recongratulates Mehta for defending his title of "Mr. Julius Caesar", Bell
announces that he will be running for a seat in the U.S. Senate just like his father, stressing taxpayer funding of education.
Hundert finally sees that Bell only used the event to drum up support for his campaign and to get contributions from his old
classmates.

Shortly after his announcement, Hundert and Bell run into each other in the bathroom, where Hundert confronts Bell about his
immorality. Bell coldly goes on to tell Hundert that Hundert has no accomplishments in life, whereas he will become a nationally
famous senator no matter what the cost. Bell also says it does not matter that he cheated, as life is full of cheaters. Just then, Bell's
son, who had admired his father up to this point, comes out of a stall with a shocked expression on his face, and Bell is left to
face his son and rationalize his Machiavellian ways. Hundert believes that Bell will become just like his father was; too wrapped
up in his political life to devote attention to his family and properly raise his son. Hundert, realizing again that he has failed Bell,
now recognizes the importance of letting Blythe know that he had given away Blythe's seat in the original "Mr. Julius Caesar"
contest. He confesses his action from a ¼ century ago to Blythe, who attempts to be mature about this revelation but then excuses
himself, his mannerisms strongly suggesting he did not appreciate having old wounds reopened. Hundert, feeling he has failed
two students contemplates his legacy as a teacher.

Hundert wakes up the next morning and goes to the dining room expecting one last breakfast with his pupils. Instead, he finds an
empty room and is told that they have all left already. Hundert dejectedly returns to his room, only to discover that the men had
thrown him a surprise party. All his students are at the party, except Bell, who seen talking with reporters; beginning his political
campaign. Nonetheless the meeting is a joyous event as Hundert and his students talk about how much he has influenced them
and how they are grateful that he was their teacher. Mehta gives Hundert a gift "from one teacher to another", which is an
inscribed plaque quoting the value of mentoring. Hundert finally comes to the realization that while he failed to turn Bell into a
better man, he still has helped make many of his pupils into better men and he accepts the offer that he is always welcome for
reinstatement at Saint Benedict's, going back to his old job as the teacher.

Hundert thus returns to St. Benedict's Academy and again teaches Classics to a new class (which is now coeducational). It is also
revealed that one of his students is Blythe's son, who is proud that his father was once Hundert's student. Hundert then asks
Blythe's son to read the plaque over his door, just as young Blythe did at the beginning of the film. Hundert then looks out the
window to see Martin Blythe proudly waving to him, and an expression that Hundert has found peace with his past troubles and
gladness that he has been truthful with Blythe.

Cast

 Kevin Kline as William Hundert

 Emile Hirsch as Sedgewick Bell (youth)
 Embeth Davidtz as Elizabeth
 Rob Morrow as James Ellerby
 Edward Herrmann as Headmaster Woodbridge
 Caitlin O'Heaney as Mrs. Woodbridge
 Harris Yulin as Senator Hiram Bell
 Paul Dano as Martin Blythe (youth)
 Joel Gretsch as Sedgewick Bell (adult)
 Steven Culp as Martin Blythe (adult)
 Rishi Mehta as Deepak Mehta (youth)
 Rahul Khanna as Deepak Mehta (adult)
 Jesse Eisenberg as Louis Masoudi (youth)
 Patrick Dempsey as Louis Masoudi (adult)
 Gabriel Millman as Robert Brewster