Rating: PG13
Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 11/22/2002(USA)
Release Date: 05/06/2003
SubTitles: French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French/Espanol
Sound: DD5.1/DDS/DTS
Run Time: 110 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Adult Language, Watch With Your Teen
Distributor/Studio: Universal Studios
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, All Movie Guide
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