The Emperor's Club (2002)

Director Michael Hoffman, (One Fine Day, Restoration, Soapdish) describes the story of The Emperor's Club as being about "a principled teacher who gets in over his head, venturing into a situation more labyrinthian and complex than his vision of the world had prepared him for." One might conclude that Hoffman was inextricably drawn to The Emperor's Club because of his background as a Rhodes scholar, having attended Oxford University where he was a devoted student of the Classics. But it was the unusual nature of the piece that really attracted him from the start.

For Hoffman, the prospect of making a film that "has the audacity to turn the genre on its ear was irresistible. He explains, "Most movies set in school have the student or the teacher saving each other. This challenges that convention. And that is what is so unsettling about it."

Producer Marc Abraham (The Family Man, Bring It On, Spy Game,) agrees. "It doesn’t serve up what you expect," he says. "It revolves around a big idea an idea of how important character is to ones destiny. What makes the movie bold is that it has the courage of its convictions. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture or shy away from being tough and truthful. These days it’s risky to present a story that doesn't tie itself neatly in a bow at the end."

Producer Andrew Karsch (The Prince of Tides, Princess Caraboo, The Rachel Papers) was impressed by the provocative questions raised in Ethan Canin’s short story, "The Palace Thief," which served as the source material for the film. "This story weighs a good life versus a successful life. It was the nature of an examined life, this man’s life, which I found so captivating." Karsch recalls.

Hoffman concurs: "Every one of us, at some point, is confronted with the question of what it means to live an ethical life. It’s not always completely clear.

He continues: "One of the things that drew me to this story is that my own success in life was shaped largely by teachers. While my parents made a point of my having a good education, it was my teachers who had a profound effect on my thinking and therefore, eventually the opportunities that would come my way. I think I was less aware of what impact my behavior, good, bad or otherwise might have had on them. Looking back, my teachers have done every bit as much to form me as my parents did and I saw this as an opportunity to honor them.

Abraham was similarly taken with Canin’s work. "Much of Ethan’s story cuts deep into shared experiences, says Abraham. "The vital role certain teachers have played in our lives, a father’s influence on his son, questioning our own consequence in the scheme of things, the challenges of raising children to do the right thing when they see others taking short cuts."

He continues, "It was first and foremost about ethics, choices that are made in good faith, as well as recklessly, which then color the rest of your life. God knows we’ve all had to make tough decisions that could have gone either way. It is these choices that separate us from others, that distinguish and shape us. We are the sum of our choices and actions. Not your usual big studio film concept.

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