In association with

Mr Holland's Opus [1996]
from MGM Entertainment
starring Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy
directed by Stephen Herek

Features:

• PAL

Editorial Review:

An earnest and sometimes overblown story of a music teacher's impact on those around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is at times a genuinely touching drama in the vein of It's a Wonderful Life. Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) plays an aspiring composer and musician who takes a job teaching music at a local high school to earn money while he composes. But when his wife (Glenne Headley) becomes pregnant, Glenn Holland must put aside his dreams and address the everyday realities of his life, from the melancholy and sometimes tragic fates of his students to the discovery that the son he cherishes is deaf. Building to a highly emotional climax in which the teacher sees the impact he's had on the world around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is a showcase for a fine Oscar-nominated performance by Dreyfuss and an engaging, heartwarming story. --Robert Lane

English
Region 2

The year is 1965, and Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss), a composer convinced he is destined to write an historic opus, takes a job as a music teacher to pay the bills. Unbeknownst to him, it is the next 30 years, spent as an instructor, that will define his life. His passionate teaching motivates and even changes a number of his students. However, Holland suffers a tragedy in his personal life-his young son Cole is deaf, and thus unable to fully appreciate the joys of music. As a result, Holland concentrates more on his students than on his own child. But when Holland finally realizes the extent of his neglect, the teacher must learn to accept his son's handicap and give him the love and guidance he deserves.

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

• Words cant easily describe
  this is one of those films that after watching everything else in your dvd collection or at the cinema, you wish you had watched this 1 first. at first your not sure what to expect but for some reason you cant or dont want to turn it off, but i garuntee if you have the patience to watch this start to finish (odd scenes, but very powerful, meaningful, engrossing storylines) you will watch it again.
  this is definetly a film for anybody with a passion for music, its about 1 mans triumph and persistance... more info

• How can we demand such a sacrifice from a teacher?
  The blasé will say that this is one more film on the life and retirement of a good teacher. One more and nothing else. They would be slightly wrong. This film is a lot more interesting and profound than that. First of all it becomes personal and poignant when his own son is discovered to be 90% deaf at birth. For a musician and music teacher tbis is a tragic blow, even if Beethoven became deaf in his life. Then it shows that a good teacher is not supposed to caress the students in the smooth way of... more info

• Riveting "Over the top" tear jerking formula
  How many "teachers save our youth" movies can you watch? "To Sir with Love", "Blackboard Jungle", "Saving Forester", and so on and so on. Since you ask, At least one more time.
  Mr. Holland wants to write music and believes that teaching will give him the free time to compose. Slowly he gets sucked into the teaching environment and eventually this becomes his focus to the exclusion of his deaf son. Will he see what he is doing? Will he care? Or maybe skip town with a talented singer (Rowena)?more info

• mr holland
  fantastic family film, full of good moral values as well as good music & a fun outlook, truly moving

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