Student Life in the Cinema

A Cinematic Guide No. 2: Hatching a genius

FOREWORD:

Years spent on film festivals had opened my horizons and taught me the most important lesson: if you want to gain knowledge of the real cinema, you have to follow the directors. So since then, I’m walking step by step on the path prepared by: Jim Jarmusch, Wim Wenders, Derek Jarman, Lars von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar, Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, François Ozon, Xavier Dolan, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Roman Polański, and tons of more… But there’s also of course enticing mainstream and eternal classics. In “The Cinematic Guide” I’ll try to share with you my fascination with the cinema the way I see it, showing most relevant, important, and acclaimed from artistic point of view “productions”. Be prepared for the most valued knowledge straight from the screening room, film creators, and film festivals.

And the film journey continues…

Today I’m planning to approach films about school from substantive and non-substantive point of view. University, college, boarding school; only for boys, only for girls, or coeducational. Every one of us had experience with those, I suppose, as long as they are mandatory until some point of young people’s life. Even though not everyone can be a genius, every student tries to make his school and post-school life extraordinary. Studying, sleeping, and socialising with your fellow scholars may lead to serious complications either with the law (such as murder or conspiracy activity during the war) or with your health (such as clinical depression, schizophrenia, or suicide attempt). It may also be a reason to find amusement, entertainment, or a true inspiration.

The acclaimed British poet and classicist, Robert Graves (1895–1985), who spent his young age at six different preparatory schools during the early 20th century, wrote:

Preparatory schoolboys live in a world completely dissociated from home life. They have a different vocabulary, a different moral system, even different voices. On their return to school from the holidays the change-over from home-self to school-self is almost instantaneous, whereas the reverse process takes a fortnight at least. A preparatory schoolboy, when caught off his guard, will call his mother ‘Please, matron,’ and always addresses any male relative or friend of the family as ‘Sir’, like a master. I used to do it. School life becomes the reality, and home life the illusion. In England, parents of the governing classes virtually lose any intimate touch with their children from about the age of eight, and any attempts on their part to insinuate home feeling into school life are resented.

Filmmakers from different periods of time tried to catch those moments in life of famous or only fictitious characters. Focusing on student life may seem a daunting experience, so there always must be someone who’s causing a stir in order to come up with something distinguished, unique, and original. It could be a teacher, a fellow student, or even a disease which makes the lonely student life worthwhile. In my opinion the flagship movie paving the way for other pictures is Peter Weir’s film from 1989 “Dead Poets Society”. Set in 1959 at the fictional prestigious all-male Welton Academy where Tradition, Honour, Discipline, and Excellence are replaced by Travesty, Horror, Decadence, and Excrement. Rebel representants of the new rules are seven students: Neil Perry, Todd Anderson, Richard Cameron, Knox Overstreet, Stephen Meeks, Gerard Pitts, and Charlie Dalton. They’re inspired by the English teacher John Keating (phenomenal Robin Williams) who inculcates his pupils with the romantic ideals being opposite to the conservative realism of the Academy. His unconventional teaching methods are not met with approbation of the school’s strict headmaster. The movie has wonderful, oneiric, magical atmosphere associated with the poetry creation. If you like the immortal school subject, I recommend to notice the other fine examples in the cinema.

STUDIES & SOCIETIES

“THE RIOT CLUB” (2014)

The film is based on the stage play “Posh” by Laura Wade and set at the elite Oxford University. Director of “Italian for Beginners”, “One Day”, and Academy Award-nominated “An Education” Lone Scherfig is telling the story of two freshers, Alistair (Sam Claflin) and Miles (Max Irons), aspiring to join privileged society of all-male the Riot Club. The film is dealing with the subject of socialisation of the next generation political upper class being confronted with real, poor, and moral values of the rest of the world.

An appropriate here would be a quote from Nick Duffell, author of “Wounded Leaders: British Elitism and the Entitlement Illusion – A Psychohistory”, who articulates that the education of the aristocracy in the British boarding school system leaves the nation with a cadre of leaders who perpetuate a culture of elitism, bullying and misogyny affecting the whole of society.

Climax in the movie is taking place outside of the city, in the country club. During detestable dinner all the smartest, the prettiest, top ten young men are somehow squandering their future with one barbarian act. One for all, all for one. Similar to Dead Poets Society: it’s the club. You can truly hate those boys, but you have to admit the artistic value of the movie rooted in tradition, although fictitious, yet based on reality.

“KILL YOUR DARLINGS” (2013)

This based on real events movie directed by John Krokidas is set in 1944 – the time when Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) is enrolled at Columbia University in New York City. There he meets Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan), William S. Burroughs (Ben Foster), and Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) – the earliest members of the Beat Generation. Best and brightest of the American society are beginning somewhat revolution at the University quoting father of free verse Walt Whitman and following his direction to ignore rhyme and metre in poetry. Ginsberg is infatuated with Lucien, the same as David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall), and consequences of this state of things will be criminal. Lucien, a weak boy in love with showing off and getting experience in life, was moving from school to school, from Massachusetts to Maine and Chicago, always followed by David as his guardian angel ensuring that he can’t be expelled (David is writing school papers for Lucien). Although David is an old family friend, he’s pestering the young boy who finally gets his courage to cut him off. Allen is chosen by the murderer to write his deposition in writing. “The Night in Question”, although fictitious relation of the events, is saving Lucien’s skin by portraying David as a homosexual predator. Allen is choosing to be expelled from Columbia (as previously Jack), but that’s just the beginning of his career.

I love this movie because it has everything what a good movie supposed to have: convincing characters (Dane DeHaan looks like iconic James Dean whom he played in one of his next movies, “Life”), great music (from jazz, swing, and classical music, famous song “Lili Marlene”, Bloc Party in my favourite remix by M83, TV On The Radio, and rare song by The Libertines) and addictive setting. The rest is yours yet to discover!

STUDENTS & TEACHERS

“WONDER BOYS” (2000)

Set in the milieu of the unnamed university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and following professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) – a creative writing teacher – during one frantic weekend at WordFest – annual literary event for prospective writers. Professor’s most talented student James Leer (Tobey Maguire) is keeping him company through this unusual journey involving dead dog, stolen car and Marilyn Monroe’s jacket, unfinished manuscript (nearly 2,611 pages!), and sleeping with the married chancellor of the school (Frances McDormand) who is pregnant with his child. To make matters worse, Grady’s editor Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey Jr.) is coming over to guard his success (professor’s last book was published seven years ago and he’s suffering writer’s block about which he never mentioned). The things eventually get out of control in the comedy-drama style.

Curtis Hanson’s film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Chabon from 1995. It includes many real characters and events. Professor Grady had the beginning in the Chabon’s University of Pittsburgh professor, Chuck Kinder, teaching him in the early 1980s. The infamous book also existed – it was Kinder’s 3,000 pages at one point novel inspired by his friendship with the writer Raymond Carver. It was later published in a shorter version.

Although the movie was a complete commercial catastrophe, I recommend it for its laid-back atmosphere, funny plot, and connections with a creative writing subject. I think it’s the best film really encouraging you to write! Plus, you can find here quite a large scope of classic black-and-white movies (in pictures and words) accompanied with the outstanding music (Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, and John Lennon). Highly recommended!

“GOOD WILL HUNTING” (1997)

The theme of this film is unwanted talent. Matt Damon is playing 20-year-old Will, a janitor at prestigious MIT, who is the only one solving the equation left on blackboard for students by professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård). Will is troubled Southie boy (from South Boston) who likes to spend his time with his friends, drinking, and getting into fights. After one of more brutal accidents, professor Lambeau is saving Will from jail on two conditions: that he will study mathematics with him; and that he will see a shrink to help him with his problems. Will easily agrees to solve math equations impressing and intimidating even the Lambeau, yet his psychotherapy sessions lead to continuous failure. Young boy is outsmarting every single psychoanalyst and professor seeks the only solution he’s desperate to ask – from his old college roommate Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) who teaches psychology at the Bunker Hill Community College. Sean disputes Will’s defence mechanisms allowing him to go through life without any engagement in the human relations. Psychologist’s personal story about his wife is inspiring Will to continue his relationship with Skylar (Minnie Driver), yet he’s lying to her to avoid commitment and eventually breaking up. After learning that Sean and Will were both abused in childhood, the boy seems to understand himself better. He’s refusing the jobs offered by professor Lambeau and pursuing Skylar to California in his 21st birthday car present, astonishing his friends and Sean with his decision at the end.

Original screenplay was written by Matt Damon as his final assignment at Harvard University and later developed with Ben Affleck. It has won Academy Award along with Best Supporting Actor for Robin Williams. Directed by one of the best gay directors – Gus Van Sant. Personally, I love the soundtrack from this movie including mostly sad songs performed by Elliott Smith – another lost boy of the American society.

LOOSING THE WAY

“THE GRADUATE” (1967)

This significant for the American film industry picture was made by Mike Nichols and based on the novel of the same name from 1963 by Charles Webb written after his graduation from Williams College. It was the first major role of Dustin Hoffman who until then was acting only in the theatre. The story presented in the movie is very simple. Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman) is returning to his parents’ home in Pasadena, California from East Coast College. 21-year-old boy is looking for the purpose of his life wandering around as he’s reluctant to take part in the rat race and end up in his father’s law firm. He gets tangled up in the affair with Mrs. Robinson (stunning Anne Bancroft) – the wife of his father’s work partner. Yet after meeting her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) as a result of many insists of his parents, he’s falling in love with her. Ben is revealing the truth about his trysts to the Taft Hotel with Elaine’s mother and the end of the romance, but the girl is returning to the university campus at Berkeley.

It’s the most trivial plot I have ever encountered in the classic cinema. Things to never do: sleep with the dad associate’s wife and after make advances to her daughter. It’s the most certain that everyone will hate you. But what surely won’t work in life, apparently can make quite a good ending in the movie straight at the altar. Real love is stronger than life, work, and school.

But you should watch this movie definitely not because of the plot, only for its cinematography. The unwanted prestige and the hero’s lost and confused mood is portrayed with long contemplating shots intertwined with the camera close-ups and snapshots in the crucial moments of clashing with the reality as the best explanation of the position of Ben’s character. And also, you should know this movie to be able to recognise the origins of many plots in the cinema (including sitcoms “The Simpsons”, “Family Guy”, and “Roseanne”, to name a few), song ideas (like George Michael’s “Too Funky” for instance), and even inspiration for the car name (Alpha Romeo Spider driven by Benjamin in the movie was sold in US between 1985 and 1990 as “Spider Graduate”). I specially recommend the soundtrack for this movie containing mostly songs by folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel with the famous “Mrs. Robinson” and “The Sound of Silence”. Even if you’re not the fan of that kind of music (like me), it’s worth to notice the unusual unison of the sound and the cinematography.

“IRRATIONAL MAN” (2015)

This Woody Allen’s movie is similar to the previous I’ve mentioned on the subject of romance and loss of the meaning of life. As usual Allen is stimulating us intellectually and physically, but this time in a perfect crime mystery drama style. Joaquin Phoenix is playing philosophy professor Abe Lucas arriving at Braylin College in a state of existential crisis supported by excessive drinking. He gets involved in the romantic relationships, firstly with his fellow teacher Rita Richards (Parker Posey) and later also with his student Jill Pollard (Emma Stone). But none of them is helping him to overcome the burden of life, only the personal act of murder with which he’s infatuated. The same as I treat movies as anaesthetics soothing the pain of existence, depressed professor treats the murder of unknown old judge as his enlightenment moment. Not only for Woody Allen’s fans!

“MONA LISA SMILE” (2003)

In this Mike Newell’s movie, we’re encountering a similar portrait of the off-track teacher. The story is told from the perspective of 30-years-old Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) who’s coming to a famous and real women’s Wellesley College to teach History of Art after graduating from UCLA and Oakland State. The 1953 setting has everything what the girl needs: chintz (flowery fabric), girdles, glamorous dresses, sweet songs, and dreams of getting married. Yet the girls are not saints and everyone who knows only a little about those times must agree on the hypocrisy of it. Unfaithfulness of husbands was silenced by their wives as long as they could keep that state of a perfect home around them. But Betty Warren (Kirsten Dunst) won’t be silent, even though at the beginning of the movie she was against her liberal friend Giselle Levy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), nurse Amanda Armstrong (Juliet Stevenson) illegally distributing contraception on the campus, and Katherine herself. Brave teacher, despite her unstable status at Wellesley, is showing girls not only the greatest new art (including Pollock), but also the new ways of looking at the world where women shouldn’t be necessary married and can achieve whatever they want without following the textbooks for art and life. She won’t change the world at this point, yet girls will always remember her for inculcating courage in their lives. Good for her!

STUDIES & SICKNESS

“IRIS” (2001)

This acclaimed drama film directed by Richard Eyre is based on the memoir “Elegy for Iris” by John Bayley from 1999 and is telling the story of an Irish and British author Iris Murdoch. We meet Iris (Kate Winslet) studying at Somerville College in Oxford as extrovert and dominant person compared to introvert and shy John (Hugh Bonneville). Those happy years are contrasted with the later stage of their relationship and marriage, when Iris (Judi Dench) is suffering Alzheimer’s disease and is nursed by her devoted husband John (Jim Broadbent). Film gained recognition with Jim Broadbent winning Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and nominations for Judi Dench as Best Actress and Kate Winslet as Best Supporting Actress. Judi Dench won BAFTA Award for the Leading Role. The scenes of alluring beach in this movie were filmed at Southwold in Suffolk in England where Iris loved to spend her time. Is almost certain that you will want to reach to the writings of Iris Murdoch (if you don’t know it already) to compensate for this sad movie.

“SYLVIA” (2003)

If you want to see more of the scenic England on the screen (including Cornwall), this is the right movie to watch. Filmed also in Dunedin, New Zealand, this biographical drama directed by Christine Jeffs is telling the story of a renowned poet Sylvia Plath (Gwyneth Paltrow) and her turbulent relationship with another well-known writer Ted Hughes (Daniel Craig). They met at the University of Cambridge in England where Sylvia got her Fulbright Scholarship. The movie is spanned over a couple of years, from their first meeting in 1956 till Sylvia’s suicide in 1963. For all those years Sylvia is living in the shadow of her husband, his fame and unfaithfulness, struggling to be recognised in the world around her. Only after posthumous publication of her poems in a collection “Ariel” she received well-deserved splendour in the literary world. In her semi-autobiographical novel “The Bell Jar”, published just before her death, in a fictionalised form Sylvia is describing her lost battle with a chronic clinical depression. Sylvia’s death sparked feminists’ movements against Hughes as a person who drove his then separated wife to a suicide and vested authority in her legacy.

The movie is beautifully portraying 1950s with all its music, clothes, and interior decorations from the couple’s flats in London and Devon and Sylvia’s mother (played by Gwyneth Paltrow’s mother Blythe Danner) house in Massachusetts. It’s really worth to see it!

“A BEAUTIFUL MIND” (2001)

This celebrated drama film (four Academy Awards) directed by Ron Howard is telling the story of a real American mathematician John Nash (Russell Crowe) who received Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1994. We’re meeting Nash in 1947 at Princeton University as a graduate student starting his road towards Ph.D. He’s developing signs of paranoid schizophrenia combined with delusional episodes. He’s constantly accompanied by his “prodigal roommate” Charles (Paul Bettany) and his niece, Marcee. Later during his work at Wheeler Laboratory at MIT and his visit to the Pentagon in 1953, where he’s easily breaking the code, to his “life companions” also joins WiIliam Parcher (Ed Harris) who offers him a classified job at the US Department of Defense. Up to this point we believe (as intended by the filmmakers) that everything in Nash’s life is true and so his wife, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). Yet the breakthrough is coming with Nash’s visit at Harvard University where professor is giving a lecture ended up by capturing him by a psychiatrist Dr. Rosen (Christopher Plummer). Doctor explains to Alicia that Nash is suffering schizophrenia and his experiences including Soviet agents are not real.

Film was criticised for changing the course of true events. Although inspired by the bestselling Pulitzer Prize-nominated book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar from 1997, the scriptwriters had gone far beyond for the purpose of finding a visual film language to convey Nash’s experiences. Charles, Marcee, and Parcher were invented as real Nash never had visual hallucinations, yet in his life was a true incident with red ties considered by him as communist conspiracy against him. He even sent letters to the embassy in Washington, D.C. Real Nash never worked for the Pentagon, only for the RAND Corporation in California instead. Wheeler Lab is also fictitious. The film is also changing the facts of emerging of his disease which occurred later in his lifetime, not in graduate school. Also, real character stopped taking his medication at some point of his life, supported by his family and school settings, which fact was changed in the movie to not induce viewers to the false notion that everyone with schizophrenia can stay healthy without them. Nash’s relationship with the nurse, whom he abandoned after learning of her pregnancy, wasn’t mentioned in the movie the same as Alicia’s divorce with Nash. The couple reunited after Nobel Prize ceremony and remarried in 2001.

John Nash made his crucial contributions to game theory, differential geometry, and the study of partial differential equations. His work has the influence on everyday life in finding determinants that rule chance and decision-making in the universe. It’s worth to see how illness combined with a beautiful mind can lead to groundbreaking discoveries.

“THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING” (2014)

In this film directed by James Marsh we’re receiving a similar portrait of the strong woman supporting her world-renowned husband. It’s based on the memoir “Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen” by Jane Hawking. We’re meeting Stephen (Eddie Redmayne, winner of Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Award for this performance) as astrophysics student at the University of Cambridge in England in 1963. He begins a romantic relationship with literature student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones). Soon after Stephen develops motor neurone disease (Lou Gehrig’s disease) when his muscles failing him. He is told by the doctor that his life expectancy is two years and eventually he won’t be able to move at all, yet his brain won’t be affected. Despite knowing about his condition, Jane is deciding to marry Stephen. Stephen writes his doctoral thesis about black holes under supervision of professor Dennis Sciama (David Thewlis) and begins his international career.

Film was criticised (especially by the scientific community who knew Hawking) for the simplification and shallowing Stephen’s achievements. Yet as it’s focusing on a romance with Jane and how the illness affected his work, there’s no question in admitting overcoming of his destiny thanks to great effort of the woman who committed her life to it. Jane was religious, whilst Stephen was an atheist, and he could owe his long life to her beliefs. Eddie Redmayne meticulously prepared for the role with the blessing of the real character he’s playing. If you add the Golden Globe winning soundtrack recorded at Abbey Road Studios and stunning cinematography (I love that imitation of the 1980s photography!), there’s no better recommendation for this movie.

STUDIES & WAR

“TESTAMENT OF YOUTH” (2014)

Another story described from the woman’s point of view is this James Kent’s movie based on the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain. We’re coming back to the Sommerville College in Oxford in 1914 to observe passing the entrance examination by Vera (Alicia Vikander) who is in love with poetry, writing, and Roland (Kit Harington). He, among Vera’s brother Edward and another friend Victor, is signing up to fight on the front of just arising war. After hearing and reading about atrocities of the war, Vera decides to leave university (even though she has a rare chance to study there) and becomes a war nurse as she’s convinced about its more useful role than being a student. She also believes that in this way she can be closer to her brother, fiancé, and friends. As Roland is about to return from the front to marry her, the tragic accident occurs and he dies wounded.

After the war Vera returned to Oxford in 1918, having lost her closest men during the war, including her brother and Victor. Chased by the ghosts of the past, she sees salvation in the arms of friendship with Winifred Holtby.

The film was shot on locations in London, Oxford, Yorkshire (including North York Moors), Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire. It’s mostly true to the original story thanks to Shirley Williams, daughter of Vera Brittain, and Vera’s biographer Mark Bostridge who was acting as a consultant on this film. Scenic England again. Truly recommended.

“SOPHIE SCHOLL” (2005)

Although this movie is far from presenting school life in its substance, I want to mention it to underline the importance of anti-Nazi student resistance during the Second World War. 21-year-old Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch), among her brother and other students, is a member of non-violent organisation called the White Rose fighting with German regime with words. They’re distributing leaflets and letters across the Germany using other committed students as their contacts. On one day Sophie is helping her brother Hans in administration of extra leaflets at Munich University during classes session. When they’re about to leave, Sophie is purposely pushing the papers from the atrium on the second floor causing the arrest by the Gestapo.

During the interrogation by Nazi officer Robert Mohr (Alexander Held), Sophie is protecting her friends until some point. She breaks down pressured by Mohr, exposing hypocrisy and lack of freedom coming from the government he’s serving. She’s highlighting the extermination of Jews in camps in Eastern Europe as the acts of the insane Hitler who’s leading the country to a heavy defeat. Soon after Sophie and her friends are sentenced to death by so-called People’s Court. Although unable to save their lives, their idea will survive in millions of copies of “The German Leaflet, Manifesto of the Students of Munich” dropped by Allied planes over Germany in 1943.

Marc Rothemund’s movie is based on historical transcripts saved from the Sophie Scholl’s interrogation. It won Silver Bear Award for Best Director and Best Actress (Julia Jentsch) and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Difficult, but must see.

“THE READER” (2008)

This movie is also dealing with the Nazi German history, yet from a different point of view. We’re observing Michael Berg (David Kross) as 15-years-old boy having an affair with the older woman Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet) over the course of one summer in 1958. She likes being read to by Michael who’s studying the play. In 1966 Michael is a law student at Heidelberg University and as a part of his seminar he’s a rare chance to watch a trial of Auschwitz female guards accused of extermination of 300 Jewish women during death march in 1944. Hanna appears to be one of the defendants. Although Michael is crushed, he’s ready to help her learning of her secret: she was illiterate for her whole life, but never admitted that to anyone. Because she’s stubborn in concealing this shameful fact, she’s facing the highest penalty in court: life sentence, whilst each of the defendants is sentenced only to four years and three months. Michael’s deciding to see Hanna in prison to talk to her, yet he’s leaving without seeing her.

After finishing school Michael (Ralph Fiennes) is a successful yet introvert lawyer, has a daughter, but he’s divorced and living alone. During one of his reminiscences of the past, he’s retrieving books he was reading to Hanna. He starts to read them aloud and send tapes to prison to her. She gradually learns to read and write and Michael is supporting her earlier release from prison for good behaviour. On the big day in 1988 a prison official is informing Michael about Hanna’s suicide. He’s taking her tea tin with saved money to New York City to meet Ilana Mather (Lena Olin) who was testifying against Hanna in a court as the Holocaust survivor. She’s keeping the tin only advising him to find the Jewish organisation with the literacy mission to support his idea.

Directed by Stephen Daldry (known from unforgettable “Billy Elliot” and “The Hours”) film is full of flashbacks jumping through different times what makes the story more interesting. It’s based on the international bestseller of the same name by Bernard Schlink first published in 1995. The performance of Kate Winslet brought her Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Award. It’s one of those famous yet important movies you have to see.

Closure

Whilst in real life school can be associated with the obligatory experience without any special meaning attached to it, the above movies consequently contradicting this statement. A forge of young talents on the screen is blossoming with inspirations of any kind.

Very often student life has been portrayed in the cinema to show how breaking the rules is resulting in the birth of great scholars. Influence of great disturbance is changing the boredom of the school’s life forever. Many times, the influence of a sick mind or body is the motor for action. John Nash admitted for instance that he wouldn’t be able to achieve much, if his thoughts were normal. Bear that in mind, if you’re planning world discoveries. I’m leaving you with the thought that entertainment should be combined with gaining some knowledge to make the time spent in front of the screen worthwhile. HAPPY WATCHING!!!

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Thank you for reading!