The Emperor's Club

The title of this film sounds unfortunately a bit too much like The Dead Poet's Society, and has a similar theme and setting. Ultimately, I think this similarity is a detriment to The Emperor's Club, because although there are certainly similarities, the major differences and highlighted themes tell their own story.

The featured teacher is classics professor Hundert who deals with a particularly unruly student with his own set of issues all during a time when he faces obscurity, administrative pressures, and forbidden love. Where professor Keating tried to push the boys out of their conservative shells with his liberalistic literature, Hundert rather attempts to instill in his boys a sense of morality, and values of honesty, integrity, and the rewards of hard work. Although he isn't always the best example of these things, I find most of his major life choices admirable, and that Hundert makes a plausible and acceptable role model.

Unfortunately, Hundert makes the intellectual mistake of accepting blame for his own student's academic and ethical failure, despite the obvious overriding influences of corrupt parents. The movie attempts to make that attitude sympathetic and sentimental, but by the end it seems only a logical flaw, especially after other characters have clearly articulated Hundert's lack of culpability.

Through Hundert's self-judgment, this film must pose the ethical question of whether teachers are responsible for more than academic instruction. I don't doubt that at that age especially teachers have a broader range of influence over their students, but I must agree with the ur-villain of this piece and say that the primary responsibility for moral education rests solely on the parents. If parents shirk this duty, then questions of morality must naturally be answered elsewhere, and teachers seem the next logical step. But if a parent declines such extra-familial influence, would it not be unethical to actively pursue such instruction? And would not the teachers then be absolved of all responsibility for the child's moral education, beyond what is reasonably due any fellow human?

Hundert, I say to you: stop the self-flagellation and get over yourself.