''The Emperor's Club'' is a 2002 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Michael Hoffman and starring

Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. In a career spanning over five decades, he has become a prominent leading man across both Kevin Kline on screen and stage, stage and screen. List of awards and nominations recei ...

. Based on Ethan Canin's 1994 short story "The Palace Thief", the film follows a prep school teacher and his students at a fictional East Coast boys' prep school, St. Benedict's Academy.

Plot

In the early 1970s, William Hundert is a revered

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

teacher at Saint Benedict's, a boys'

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

for the sons of wealthy families. Hundert attempts to impart wisdom and a sense of honor to his students. He begins the new school year by making student Martin Blythe read a plaque that hangs over his door. It contains a statement by an ancient Mesopotamian ruler, Shutruk Nahunte. The plaque sings Shutruk Nahunte's praises, but Hundert explains that he contributed nothing of value to his kingdom, and as a result is virtually forgotten today. Hundert's disciplined life and classroom are shaken when a new student, Sedgewick Bell, is enrolled in the middle of the term. Sedgewick, the underachieving, spoiled son of a

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from West Virginia, frequently disrupts class and does poorly in his homework, even breaks rules by traveling off campus, across the lake to St. Mary's, a girls' boarding school. Hundert meets with Sedgewick's father, Hiram Bell, to talk about his behavior, only to discover that Hiram has minimal interest in Sedgewick's education beyond the passing of his classes. Hundert decides to help Sedgewick, and as they develop a friendship, Sedgewick's grades show improvement. Sedgewick works very hard to earn a spot in the school's annual "Mr.

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

contest", in which the top three students compete in a classics quiz in front of the entire school. However, Sedgewick only qualifies in fourth place. Hundert, not wanting his efforts with Sedgewick to be all for naught, raises his grade to qualify, which effectively excludes Martin, the rightful third-place contestant. During the competition, Hundert spies Sedgewick using crib notes, but Mr. Woodbridge, the

headmaster A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. Role While s ...

orders Hundert to ignore it, as Sedgewick's father is a major donor for the school. Hundert then deliberately asks Sedgewick a question on

Hamilcar Barca Hamilcar Barca or Barcas (; – 228BC) was a Ancient Carthage, Carthaginian general and statesman, leader of the Barcid family, and father of Hannibal, Hasdrubal Barca, Hasdrubal and Mago Barca, Mago. He was also father-in-law to Hasdrubal the F ...

which was not covered in class; it is answered correctly by another contestant who was reading about Roman wars on his own time, Deepak Mehta, who is crowned "Mr. Julius Caesar". The cheating is never made public, but the trust Sedgewick and Hundert had in each other is broken. Sedgewick returns to his old ways and barely graduates in 1976, with Hundert expressing deep disappointment that he failed Sedgewick. Twenty-five years later, Mr. Woodbridge dies, and Hundert is poised to become the new headmaster, but resigns in shock when a less experienced colleague gets the position due to his fundraising ability. Hundert is later told that Sedgewick, now a wealthy corporate

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, will make a large donation to Saint Benedict's, contingent upon Hundert hosting a Mr. Julius Caesar rematch at Sedgewick's resort hotel on the Gold Coast, Long Island. The other members of Sedgewick's graduating class are also invited, and all enjoy the reunion. The three original contestants begin the competition, but as it progresses, Hundert realizes that Sedgewick is once again cheating by being fed answers through an earpiece. Hundert asks a question about Shutruk Nahunte, which all the students find laughably easy; however, Sedgewick is unable to answer it. Deepak answers correctly and once again wins. Afterward, Sedgewick formally announces that he is following in the footsteps of his father, now deceased, by running for a seat in the U.S. Senate. While the men applaud, Hundert is appalled that he was used for political

grandstanding Political posturing, also known as political grandstanding (from the notion of performing to crowds in the grandstands), political theatre, or "kabuki", is the use of speech or actions to gain political support through emotional or affective appe ...

. After the announcement, Hundert and Sedgewick run into each other in the mens’ room, leading to a confrontation between the two. Sedgewick tells Hundert that in the real world, dishonesty trumps principles, and that Hundert has let life pass him by. Sedgewick's words are overheard by his young son, who is shocked to learn the truth about his father. That evening at the hotel bar, Hundert apologizes to Martin and admits that he gave his spot to Sedgewick in the competition years ago. Martin tentatively forgives him. The following morning, the resort is apparently empty; however, Hundert is then greeted by a surprise party held in his honor by his former students, who present to him an award engraved with a quote about education. The men wave goodbye to Hundert as he departs in a helicopter, and he reflects that while he failed with Sedgewick Bell, he succeeded with other students. Hundert returns to his old job teaching classics in the present-day Saint Benedict's, now

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

and more diverse. His class includes Martin's son, Martin Blythe IV. Hundert peers outside the window to see the older Blythe gladly waving to his old teacher. Hundert has the younger Blythe read the plaque above the door.

Cast

Production

Development

The film, originally titled ''The Palace Thief'', was first developed at

Fine Line Features Fine Line Features was the specialty films division of New Line Cinema. From 1991 to 2005, under founder and president Ira Deutchman, Fine Line acquired, distributed and marketed independent films. In 2005, New Line teamed up with fellow Time W ...

, with

reportedly in talks to star and direct. The production went into turnaround and was acquired by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

. Michael Hoffman, who had previously collaborated with Kline on ''

Soapdish ''Soapdish'' is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Michael Hoffman (American director), Michael Hoffman, from a screenplay by Robert Harling (writer), Robert Harling and Andrew Bergman. The film was produced by Aaron Spelling and Alan Greis ...

'' and ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'', was announced to direct.

Filming

Principal photography took place in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from May to June 2001. The school campus scenes were filmed at the Emma Willard School in

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

, New York.

Reception

On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, ''The Emperor's Club'' holds a 50% approval rating based on 128 reviews with an average rating on 5.80/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Though Kline is excellent in his portrayal of Hundert, the movie is too dull and sentimental to distinguish itself from other titles in its genre." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film had an average score of 49 out of 100, based on 32 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The performances of Kline and Hirsch were lauded, with some saying the former "manages a mix of quiet joy and melancholic disillusionment within the confines of a very reserved role", and others noting the latter plays Sedgewick with "a intuitive brew of cunning, charm and malice".

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

gave the film three stars and praised the complexity of Hundert's flawed character, noting that as "a portrait of the escalator that speeds the sons of the rich upward toward power, it is unusually realistic". However, multiple critics pointed out the film is weakened by its sentimentality and muddled messaging. The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

''s Michael Wilmington said the film "boasts lots of talent" and has the potential to explore "some unusual themes" about ethics and values, but ultimately gives in to plot contrivances and improbabilities.

David Stratton David James Stratton (born 1939) is an English-Australian film critic and historian. He has also worked as a journalist, interviewer, educator, television personality, and producer. His career as a film critic, writer, and educator in Austral ...

of '' At the Movies'' opined, "It's decently made, decently acted and moderately interesting but, in the end, pretty forgettable. When it finally gets to the point, which is a potentially interesting one about the duplicity of some sections of

the Establishment In sociology and in political science, the term the establishment describes the dominant social group, the elite who control a polity, an organization, or an institution. In the Praxis (process), praxis of wealth and Power (social and politica ...

, interest has waned." Many also opined the film hews too closely to the clichés of the "inspirational teacher" film genre. A.O. Scott of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said, "The younger actors, especially Mr. Dano and Jesse Eisenberg, as a bright, skittish boy named Masoudi, have the right mix of anxiety and bravado, but the St. Benedict's boys are as thinly conceived as the minor adult characters." He added Hundert "is less a person than a walking moral problem and is in fact more interesting as an ethical puzzle than as a psychological study". Robert Koehler of '' Variety'' noted that in the film's third act, the casting of the older students "doesn’t jibe physically with their younger selves." Others lamented the changes from the original short story. Writing for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', Stephen Hunter commented, "Where complexity within the characters is suggested, it's quickly milled out in the generic spirit of sentimentality about the school experience. Where the original ending may have been bittersweet and full of self-recrimination, this ending is triumphant and self-congratulatory. You walk out yearning for the rebellious, grungy untidiness of real kids".

Accolades

At the 24th Young Artist Awards in 2003, the film received nominations for Best Family Feature Film – Drama, and for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor for

Emile Hirsch Emile Davenport Hirsch (born March 13, 1985) is an American actor. His portrayal of Chris McCandless in '' Into the Wild'' (2007) earned him acclaim and multiple award nominations. Other notable roles include '' The Girl Next Door'' (2004), '' ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Emperor's Club, The 2002 films 2002 drama films American buddy drama films American coming-of-age drama films Films directed by Michael Hoffman Films about educators Films about the upper class Films based on American short stories Films set in boarding schools Films about class reunions Films set in New York (state) Films shot in New York (state) Films set in the 1970s Films set in the 2000s 2000s buddy drama films 2000s coming-of-age drama films Universal Pictures films Films scored by James Newton Howard Films produced by Marc Abraham Sidney Kimmel Entertainment films Beacon Pictures films Films about teacher–student relationships 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language buddy drama films