Club of the Caesars

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Movie
German title Club of the Caesars
Original title The Emperor's Club
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2002
length 108 minutes
Age rating FSK 0
Rod
Director Michael Hoffman
script Neil Tolkin
production Marc Abraham ,
Andrew S. Karsch
music James Newton Howard
camera Lajos Koltai
cut Harvey Rosenstock
occupation

Club of the Caesars is an American drama directed by Michael Hoffman from 2002 . The plot follows the short story The Palace Thief by Ethan Canin .

The story of the Sedgewick Bell class is told from the point of view of the teacher Mr. Hundert as a framework plot, followed by the epilogue of the students' meeting with their former teacher at the annual meeting.

action

William Hundert lives in New England in the early 1970s and is a history teacher at St. Benedict's School for Boys. The new student Sedgewick Bell, son of a US Senator , repeatedly challenges Hundred. The teacher's life is greatly influenced by it. Elizabeth, whom he loves, is married to one of his colleagues.

Although the young Bell is very intelligent, his achievements in history are out of the question. He also falls out of the ordinary because of his disrespectful behavior and the pranks that he leads his classmates to do. One day the boys steal a boat from the school's boathouse and row to the opposite bank to the girls' boarding school.

During a conversation with Bell's father, the senator, Mr. Hundert is pointed out that education should not serve to shape the boys, but only to give them knowledge. The arrogant senator, who advocates violence in his upbringing, only wants to take on the shaping of the character himself.

Every year in St. Benedict's, the winner of a knowledge competition for history students is given the title “Mr. Julius Caesar ”.

On the eve of the first exam for the competition, Mr. Hundert gives Bell a textbook that he himself used during his high school years. He also supports him in further learning for the work to determine the final round participants. However, the teacher realizes that he is more likely to be drawn into the world of the student than to be able to really bring the ideals of humanistic education to the student. More and more he prefers Bell, although this is more about superficial appearances, especially towards his father, and about winning the title.

Mr. Hundert has to put up with the fact that Elizabeth and her husband will take up a post in the UK.

The teacher is impressed with the student Sedgewick Bell's dedication and contribution to the competition. But these are not quite enough for participation in the final. After all, Mr. Hundred gives him a better grade on a job than he deserves. As a result, Bell is illegally placed before his classmate Martin Blythe and is ultimately among the three students who take the final exam for the “Mr. Julius Caesar ”in front of an audience of parents, teachers and students. Bell is among the last two, but only by reading cheat sheets hidden under his toga . Mr. Hundert notices the fraud, whispers to Principal Woodbridge and is instructed to ignore it. Hundert then asks a question that is not on his prepared (and possibly betrayed) pieces of paper and that he knows that the second candidate Deepak Mehta can answer. Bell fails and is only second.

Hundert later confronts Bell in private. When asked why he cheated, he only replies with the counter question: "Why not?" The student says that Mr. Hundert did not reveal the fraud just because he was afraid of his father, the senator.

Sedgewick Bell's interest in history wanes after this incident, and he returns to the old disrespect and student pranks. Nevertheless, despite having mediocre grades, he graduated. His father's influence secures him a place at Yale .

After the rector's death, Mr. Hundert, now deputy headmaster, expects to succeed him. But because he is not credited with the appropriate performance in fundraising and public relations work to finance the private school, he is preferred to a younger colleague. Mr. Hundert says goodbye to school.

He remains in love with Elizabeth, who has returned from the UK after the breakdown of their marriage.

25 years after Bell's graduation, Mr. Hundred is invited to a meeting of the former students. The meeting takes place at a resort owned by Sedgewick Bell, who has since become General Manager, and Bell calls for a new edition of the competition for the title “Mr. Julius Caesar ”with the same participants as then and with Mr. Hundert as leader. The new Rector of St. Benedict's urges Mr. Hundert to attend because Sedgewick Bell made a large donation to the private school dependent on the appearance of his former teacher. Hundred reluctantly lets himself be persuaded and drives to the resort on Long Island, New York.

Only now does Sedgewick Bell return to Mr. Hundert the book he had lent him during school. It looks like Sedgewick read the book shortly before to finally get the win in the repetition of the competition. But things turn out differently again: Mr. Hundert, to his annoyance, has to notice again that Sedgewick is cheating. This time he has a prompter committed, which transmits it via a micro receiver in the ear the answers. Mr. hundred sets Sedgewick a trap: His final question relates to Schutruk-nahhunte , an Elamite ruler is further known to nothing but an inscription with which these rulers after the conquest of a part of the Code of Hammurabi on a Babylonian stele override was . This inscription was also on a plaque above the door of Bell's former class. It was read by a student in the first history lesson of each new year at St. Benedict's and explained by Mr. Hundert. Sedgewick Bell was the only one who had failed to explain, since he hadn't started Mr. Hundert's class until the middle of the school year. Although he had to go in and out of this door every school day, Bell had evidently never read the inscription.

With Mr. Hundert's trick, Sedgewick's fraud fails again, and like the first time, Deepak Mehta wins the title “Mr. Julius Caesar". Bell's planned "revenge" has failed. Again, Mr. Hundred refrains from exposing the Sedgewick fraud. Like back then, Bell put up with defeat. He goes to the microphone, congratulates his opponent and announces that he has decided to follow in his father's footsteps and run for the United States Senate.

Bell and Hundred run into each other in the toilet by chance. Hundred speaks to Bell about the vertigo with the hearing aid. Sedgewick Bell believes he is not being observed and admits the deception: You have to take what you want, and if there is no other way, then with dizziness and lies. Hundert then admits, “I am a teacher, Sedgwick, and in your case I have failed.” Hundert predicts that Bell will one day realize that he has led a life without virtue . Bell doesn't care. He announces that he will win the election and will then be unstoppable. And only then will he think about virtue.

Suddenly Sedgewick's little son Robert emerges from one of the toilet cubicles. He has overheard everything and now knows that his father can act just as ruthlessly as his father, the senator, was once upon a time. Much of the Bells' family life is only acted out and staged for the media.

Hundred speaks to his ex-student Martin Blythe. He admits that he promoted Bell (by changing the grade from A– to A +) in the final round of the last three. Actually, Blythe should have been on the podium back then. Blythe takes note of this modestly and calmly and only says that these are old stories.

The next morning Hundert comes downstairs and hears Sedgewick Bell, interviewed by a television crew about his Senate candidacy, again thrashing out phrases about the importance of virtue. The dining room is empty. The guests are already gone. He goes into the room disappointed, but there are some ex-students waiting in toga: “Hail, Caesar!” He is given a baseball bat as a reminder that he once smashed a car window with the students in the schoolyard during a baseball game, and a blackboard with it a motto about the work of the teacher.

Hundred leaves. He had a failure with Bell, but his successes more than make up for it. Hundert overcomes his disappointment, rejoins St. Benedict's and takes on the teaching of history again. A lot has changed, now girls are also attending the former “School for Boys”. In the new school year, the last to come into the class - a few minutes late - is Martin Blythe junior. Hundert sees Blythe's father, his former student, through the window, waving goodbye. Hundert has Martin junior read the inscription above the school door: "I am Schutruk Nahhunte ..." and notes with satisfaction: "Excellent."

The negative experience with Sedgewick Bell has been overcome. Life can go on.

Reviews

  • James Berardinelli wrote that Kevin Kline was in tip top shape. Well-drawn characters would wear the movie.
  • Roger Ebert wrote that the film was unusually realistic. Kevin Kline has a good understanding of the character he is playing.

“The dramatic film focuses on democratic and national values ​​and thematizes the complexes of honor, morality and virtue with a pathetic undertone. A dusty idea of ​​education is conveyed, and the basic conflict does not seem very original either. "

- Lexicon of international film

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Certificate of Release for the Caesars Club . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , May 2003 (PDF; test number: 94 132 V / DVD).
  2. ↑ James Beradinelli
  3. ↑ Rogert Ebert
  4. ^ Club of the Caesars in the Lexicon of International Films Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used