The Emperor’s Club parents guide

The Emperor’s Club Parent Guide

Overall B+


Release date November 22, 2002

Violence B+
Sexual Content C-
Profanity C
Substance Use C

Why is The Emperor’s Club rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Emperor’s Club PG-13 for some sexual content.

Run Time: 108 minutes

Parent Movie Review

William Hundert’s (Kevin Kline) life moves at a regulated and unvarying pace, measured only by the beginning and ending of each term at St. Benedict’s School for Boys. Acquainting his students with the lives of the ancient Greeks and Romans, this passionate teacher runs a classroom where the privileged progeny of society come to be educated. Besides the historical greats, his only interest in life seems to be a fellow educator (Embeth Davidtz) who unfortunately for him is already married.

But in the fall of 1972, the steady rhythm of his schedule hits a discordant note when a new student arrives. Sedgewick Bell (Emile Hirsch) is the obligatory son of a West Virginia Senator (Harris Yulin). Apathetic about learning or living by the school’s rules, he arrives with a trunk load of contraband including porn magazines that he eagerly shares with his classmates (and the viewers). A natural leader, he questions every request made by Hundert, targets the man as the brunt of practical jokes and uses rude hand gestures in class to the amusement of his fellow students.

Taken aback by the boy’s insolent behavior, Hundert is seemingly lost to find a way to connect with the young man. Then a cursory visit with the boy’s busy father unveils a common dilemma both student and teacher share. Resolving to help, the frustrated instructor appeals to Sedgewick’s competitive nature when the elimination rounds for the department’s annual Julius Caesar contest begin. Happily, the challenge sparks the boy’s interest in learning. But as the contestants are narrowed down, Hundert concedes to a biased ruling that counters his moralistic teachings and will eat away at his injured conscience for nearly a quarter of a century.

Set in the ivy clad walls of a private school, the movie’s trailers left me expecting an inspiring teacher movie but The Emperor’s Club was not that at all. Instead it is a story of personal growth, of bringing professed principles in line with the practices of everyday life and of facing the realization that the alignment of knowledge and action is a very personal expedition.

Starring Kevin Kline, Emile Hirsch. Running time: 108 minutes. Theatrical release November 22, 2002. Updated

The Emperor’s Club Parents' Guide

Despite his belief in the ideals that he espouses to his students, how was Hundert tested in applying those principles to his own life? What caused him to waver and was he justified in making special amendments for Sedgewick? Were his concessions to his personal morals rewarded in the end?

Fundraising for education was an issue even for the board members and staff of this prestigious school. How did that need affect the board’s choice of a new head dean? What statement do you think the director was trying to make about the role of fundraising in our educational institutions?

What was meant by the comment that life is not determined by a single failure or success?

Home Video

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Shadowlands also features a teacher whose quiet life is interrupted when he meets a pen pal who questions his philosophical perspective. A B-movie screen writer has to stand up for himself when he is accused of ties with the Communist Party in The Majestic.