Subtitles from FourPee
[Piano Keys Struck Once]
[Piano]
[Piano Continues]
[Strings Join In]
[Orchestra Joins In]
[Orchestra Continues]
[Man On Radio] At the top of the news this morning...
Senator Barry Goldwater is campaigning in Colorado today.
The Warren Commission, almost a full year after the Kennedy assassination...
said that it's close to releasing...
- Glenn, it's time. - No, no, just a little more.
Come on, if you don't get up right now, I'm gonna cut one of your piano strings.
Oh. Oh. What time is it?
- Quarter to 7:00. - A quarter to 7:00.
- Mm-hmm. - Oh, God.
Does the sun really come out this early?
It was a surprise to me too. I took a picture of it in case it never happens again.
Nobody gets up this early.
Oh, yes, they do.
- Come on, come on, come on. Please, please, please. - No, no, no.
- No, no, no, no, no. This is a stupid idea. - Come on, come on, come on.
Oh! Oh, this is definitely not my scene, Iris.
It's just a gig. If it doesn't work, you can try something else.
- What time am I supposed to be there? - 7:30.
7:30?
What kind of people like to go to work at 7:30 in the morning?
[Music]
One, two, three
Oh, that's how elementary
It's gonna be
Come on Let's fall in love
- It's easy - It's so easy
Like takin' candy from a baby
- A, B, C - A, B, C
Fallin' in love with you was
- Easy for me - Easy for me
And you can do it too
- It's easy - It's so easy
Like takin' candy from a baby
Hi!
I'm Glenn Holland. I'm the new music teacher.
Vice Principal Wolters.
Holy cow.
- Corvair. - Yeah.
I take it you didn't read Ralph Nader's book.
Well, unless Ralph is willing to buy me a new car...
I think I'm gonna have to stick with this one until the wheels fall off.
Well, you may not have to wait that long. [Chuckles]
- Have a nice day. - Thanks.
- It's easy - It's so easy
Like takin' candy from a baby dd
You look lost, Mr. Holland.
Helen Jacobs, remember? I hired you.
Oh! Of course you did. I'm sorry.
No, no, I'm not... It was not that I'm lost.
I was just looking for the... Well, yes, of course I'm lost.
What an auspicious beginning.
This way.
Your first day as a teacher, Mr. Holland. Excited?
[Sighs] Nervous. Boy, I never thought I'd be here.
No? Why not?
Well, like most people, I only got my teaching certificate...
so I'd have something to fall back on.
- And now I have. - This isn't a drive- in, Mr. Claridge. Hands off.
You know, Mr. Holland, I don't think of teaching as a "fall-back" position.
- No, I didn't mean it that way. - I grow nervous around people who do.
- I'm really very happy to be here. Really. - Good.
You'll drop by my office later on. I have a list of students you'll be advising.
"Advising"? Can I ask when I'm supposed to be doing this advising?
That's for you and the student to arrange.
- You meet your orchestra when? - Fifth period.
- Are they any good? - They try hard.
And by the way, I'll need a complete lesson plan from you by Friday.
Right.
- For September and October. - Right.
[Students Chattering]
[Sighing]
[Door Opens]
[Chattering]
[Bell Rings]
[Boy] Let's go sit up in the back.
All right, people, come on, let's, uh...
Let's take our seats a little quicker, please. A little quicker. We're losing time.
Come on in, come on in. Take...
My name is Mr. Holland. This, of course, is a title of courtesy.
And I will extend back to you...
uh, Mister or Miss as the circumstances allow.
Uh, welcome to Music Appreciation.
This is a class in which we will be studying the...
the history of music.
Um, who would like to give me a definition of what music is?
Any music. What do you think?
Music. What do they think that music is in general?
What do they think? Anybody?
Nobody?
Okay, let's, uh, let's go to the text.
And we turn to page...
um, four.
And we read that music is...
"sound in melodic or harmonic combinations...
whether produced by voice or instrument."
Now, questions?
Anybody... at all?
No? Hmm? Good.
All righty, uh, now, I just...
You know, I just want you all to relax.
Have a little fun. You know, we're not here to impress each other.
[Chuckles] Okay. All right, let's get ready.
Everyone. Come on.
You ready?
Okay, here we go.
[Beethoven: "Fifth Symphony"]
[Dissonant]
[Playing Stops]
It was good.
Miss Aronson. Ma'am... Would you stand up, please? Stand up, please.
- Is that skirt regulation length? - Yes.
- On your knees, both of you, right now. - I just got this dress.
I thought so. Come with me. You're coming to the principal's office.
We're calling your parents, and you are going home.
- You can come back when you're dressed properly. - Oh, Mr. Wolters.
- But you're not being fair. - I am being fair.
If I allow you to do it, everyone is allowed to do it.
- Hi. - Hi.
Come on. Out of my way.
- Teachers don't wait. - Pardon me?
High school is not a democracy.
Teachers don't wait. Bill Meister, phys. Ed.
- Glenn Holland. Music teacher. - Hi.
There you go.
Oh, my God, what is this?
It's Monday. It's turkey Spam surprise.
You could mortar walls with it.
Word of advice. Always bring a bag lunch.
- Where's yours? - I ate it in second period.
Sylvie, don't tease me. I need extra.
[Meister] So what have you been doin' for the last ten years?
I've been playin' music. Been on the road.
You know, um, clubs and weddings and bar mitzvahs.
- That sort of thing. - Wait a minute.
- I bet you met a ton of chicks in those clubs, huh? - [Chuckles]
So you're in these clubs, there are all these women there...
why'd you become a teacher?
Oh, actually I started teaching because...
I was hoping it would give me some free time to do some composing.
- I'm a composer. That's what I really do. - Uh- huh.
What? What's so funny?
Oh, the free time.
Glenn, I can't remember the last time I had that was free.
[Children Chattering]
[Iris] I've got it all figured out.
With your salary, plus what I take in with the photography...
in four years we should have enough for you to quit...
and do nothing but compose music and become famous and make us rich.
I'll never make it.
- I made us $32 today. - Big deal.
I made 32 kids sleep with their eyes open. Ow!
Right there. Right... Yeah.
Right there. Yeah.
[Sighs, Chuckles]
Iris,
I think this is gonna be a lot rougher gig than I originally thought.
[Sighs]
You know, when I was in high school, I wanted to be someplace else, you know.
Anyplace. It never occurred to me that my teachers would feel the same way.
Well, you can still quit.
Naw, we've been through all that.
I thought the band was getting pretty good actually.
Yeah, yeah, we could play Holiday Inns for the rest of our lives.
- Or Los Angeles. - [Scoffs] I don't want to be a studio musician.
So, it's four years teaching then.
Come here.
When you were in high school...
did you ever wonder if your teachers went home and got it on at night?
When I was in high school, my teachers were all priests and nuns.
I had such a crush on Mr. Griffith.
- He could have taken me home anytime. - Really?
- Mm-hmm. - And who was this Mr. Griffith?
Oh, he was my music teacher.
[Both Laughing]
[Woodwinds: Dissonant]
[Note Cracks]
- Okay, okay, that wasn't bad. - [Playing Stops]
That wasn't bad at all. Um, Miss... I'm sorry.
- Lang. - Pardon me?
- Lang, Gertrude Lang. - Okay, Miss Lang.
Um, would you take it from bar 37, please?
[Shakily]
[Note Cracks]
[Students Snickering]
Okay, okay, good.
- [Bell Rings] - Good, um... That's enough for today.
I'll see you all tomorrow. Very good work.
Miss Lang?
Would you mind hanging for a moment, please?
You seem to be having a little trouble getting through the break.
I know.
- How long have you been playing? - Three years.
Really?
Uh... [Chuckles]
And do you find that you get all the practice time that you need?
I practice constantly. Yeah.
[Sighs]
Well, then I think... I think maybe...
you and I should find some time to work on an individual basis.
- That would be great. - L-I don't have a lot of time.
That's okay. Doesn't matter. Whatever you can give me.
That would be wonderful. I really, really, really want to do good at this.
I bet you do. Um, well, why don't you...
come in about a half hour before first period tomorrow and we'll just start?
Okay. All r... Thank you, thank you very much. Thanks.
[Door Opens]
When a flat precedes a note like this...
it indicates that the note is to be played a half step lower.
A piece based in the F major scale should have a flat sign...
at the beginning of every stave.
These tests are pathetic.
"Name an American composer."
- Miss Swedlin, your answer was? - Bach?
- [Student Giggles] - Johann Sebastian Bach.
Oh, this... This is my favorite one.
"How do you know what key a concerto is in?"
Mr. Mims, your answer was:
"Look on the front page?"
Now, this question mark. Was that because...
you weren't sure or because your English skills...
are on the same level as your musical theory?
These tests are a waste of my time and yours.
No kidding. I'd rather be somewhere else.
Mr. Sullivan, why don't you pay a visit to Mr. Wolters?
Right now! Get your books and get outta here!
As for the rest of you, get your textbooks out.
We're gonna go over these answers one by one until you get them right.
[Bell Rings]
[Boy] Aaron, wait up.
[Chattering, Laughing]
[Clarinet]
[Note Cracks]
Give it up, Miss Lang.
[Crying]
[Crying Continues]
I meant for the day.
School's out, Miss Lang. L-I meant give it up for the day.
- I know what you meant. - Then?
- Why are you crying? - I'm terrible. I'm...
I'm terrible, Mr. Holland. I practice 'til my lips swell up.
- Miss Lang, it takes a lot of work... - All I make is noise.
To learn a musical instrument.
I just want to be good at something.
My sister's got a ballet scholarship to go to Juilliard.
And my brother's going to Notre Dame on a football scholarship.
My mother's won the blue ribbon for watercolors at the state fair so many times...
they've retired the category.
My father's got the most beautiful voice. He's...
I'm the only one in my family who's...
I-I just can't...
It doesn't make any difference anyway.
I...
Mr. Holland! Just the man I was looking for.
We're forming a textbook committee for next year's curriculum.
And I would like to have your ideas and suggestions.
- We meet next Tuesday night in the library. - Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Jacobs.
- I'm very busy on Tuesday night. - Uh- huh.
You know, for a good four or five months now, I've been watching you, Mr. Holland.
I've never seen a teacher sprint for the parking lot after last period...
with more speed and enthusiasm than his students.
Perhaps you should be our track coach.
Mrs. Jacobs, I get here on time every morning, don't I?
I'm doing my job the best I can.
A teacher is two jobs. Fill young minds with knowledge, yes.
But more important, give those minds a compass...
so that that knowledge doesn't go to waste.
Now, I don't know what you're doing with the knowledge, Mr. Holland...
but as a compass you're stuck.
I really hate that woman. And I hate teaching, Iris. I hate it.
Nobody could teach these children. Nobody.
I don't know what I'm gonna do.
They just sit there staring up at me.
There's no there there. I've been trying to teach them...
Listen, you've played a lot of tough houses.
- When they didn't listen, did you quit and go home? - Wait a minute.
- Or keep playing? - Wait. Aren't we supposed to be on the same side?
I am. It's just that I...
I...
What?
I'm pregnant.
I wasn't... I wasn't sure if I was.
But I went to the doctor and I...
I am.
We are.
S...
Say something.
Wow.
Iris.
I... I don't know. I knew...
- I knew you wouldn't be, but I just... - Iris.
- Iris, it just took me by surprise. That's all. - I just hoped you...
Let me tell you a story, okay?
When I was 15 years old, I used to hang out at a local record store.
And there was this guy who worked there who...
you know, thought he knew what I liked and he handed me this album one day.
And it was John Coltrane.
So I took it home, and I put it on the machine.
And I hated it. I mean, I really hated it.
I just didn't get it.
So I...
played it again.
I played it again, and I played it again.
And then, I just couldn't stop playin' it.
I kept listening to those notes.
And I realized that...
that's what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
You know?
Make music.
[Sighs]
Tsk. [Sighs]
What am I tryin' to say?
Look, Iris.
Look, you... You tell me that...
we're gonna have a baby.
Well...
that's like falling in love with John Coltrane...
all over again.
If that is a lie...
that is the sweetest lie I ever heard.
- [Bell Rings] - Let's take our seats, please.
Anybody here know the difference between the Ionian and the Dorian scale?
- [Girl] Uh-yeah. - Anybody?
[Chuckles]
I just wanted to confirm the fact that...
I've made absolutely no impact on you in the last five months.
Mr. Sullivan.
Yeah?
What kind of music do you like to listen to?
- Um... - Don't be afraid.
Rock and roll.
- What about you? - Rock and roll.
- You? - Classical.
Brownnoser.
[Students Laughing]
Does anybody here like Johann Sebastian Bach?
Other than you.
I'll bet all of you, whether you know it or not...
already like Johann Sebastian Bach.
Dd
What's this called?
[Together] "Lover's Concerto."
- Who wrote it? - The Toys.
Wrong.
That was "Minuet in G."
And it was written by Johann Sebastian Bach.
You hear it?
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum dd
And he wrote it in 1725.
They are both prime examples of the Ionian scale.
Now, listen, and see if you can hear the connective tissue...
between what I just played and this.
[Rock And Roll]
Dd
[Holland] Whoo!
Dd
And their hands were up in the air and they were answering questions.
And it was so much fun. It was rowdy, you know.
It was... It was just great.
Hey, hey, hey. Let... What do we think, huh?
And it only took two tries and three hours.
Well, you didn't realize you'd married such a handy man, did ya?
But now we really don't have any space.
Oh.
Well, how would you feel if we moved into a house?
You're kidding.
No.
But we can't afford that.
If we used our savings account we could...
and I taught driver's ed during the summer.
- You were gonna only compose this summer. - Well, we could make it work.
That'd mean taking the crib apart again.
Never. [Laughs]
I'll tear a wall down first.
It's up to you.
- I think we should do it. - Really!
Play the song you wrote that made me fall in love with you.
- The song that made you fall in love with me? - Mm-hmm.
The song that made you... Oh! Yes, the song.
- D Give me some men who are stouthearted... - No! No!
- No? - No. Come on.
Dd
- Mr. Holland? - You're late.
And you left your clarinet here the other day.
Yeah, um, if you know anyone who wants it...
I'm giving up the clarinet.
I'm just... I'm just goofing everybody else up anyway.
So, um, I just wanted to say thanks.
Thanks for trying.
Is it any fun?
I wanted it to be.
You know what we've been doing wrong, Miss Lang?
We've been playing the notes on the page.
[Machine Clicks]
Well, what else is there to play?
Well, there's a lot more to music than notes on a page.
[The Kingsmen: "Louie, Louie"]
These guys, for example.
Now, they can't sing.
And they have absolutely no harmonic sense.
And they're playing the same three chords over and over again.
And I love it.
- Do you? - Yeah.
[Chuckles] Yeah. Why?
[Record Continues]
I don't know.
- Yeah, ya do. - Because it's fun?
That's right. Because playing music...
is supposed to be fun.
It's about heart.
It's about feelings and moving people...
and something beautiful in being alive.
And it's not about notes on a page. I could teach you notes on a page.
I can't teach you that other stuff.
- [Record Continues] - Do me a favor.
- Pick up your clarinet and play with me. - Okay.
- And this time no music, - Oh!
Because you already know it.
It's already in your head and your fingers and your heart.
You just don't trust yourself to know that.
Okay, here we go.
Ready?
One, two, three, four.
[Music]
- [Note Cracks] - Ah! - Okay.
Let's do it again, and this time not so much lip on the mouthpiece.
- Okay. - One, two, three, four.
[Music]
- [Note Cracks] - Oh!
All right. No, no, don't do that.
- Let me ask you a question. - What?
When you look in the mirror...
what do you like best about yourself?
My hair.
Why?
Well, my father always says that it reminds him of a sunset.
Play the sunset.
Close your eyes.
One, two, three, four.
Dd
[Laughing] Don't stop playing.
[Piano Stops, Clarinet Continues]
[Clarinet Continues]
Dd
dd
[Lyndon Johnson] I do not find it easy...
to send the flower of our youth...
our finest young men, into battle.
But as long as there are men who hate and destroy...
- [Helicopter Whirring] - We must have the courage to resist.
We will stand...
in Vietnam.
Just relax. Try to use one foot.
Try to use one foot!
Try to get two feet off! That's it! Right! Right!
One foot! One foot! That's it!
Keep on runnin'
Keep on hidin'
Uh, you're goin' a little too fast.
A little too fast. A little too erratically.
Just a little to the right... Oh!
Keep on runnin'
Okay, what have we learned from this?
Runnin' from my arms
One fine day I'm gonna be the one
To make you understand
Oh, yeah I'm gonna be your man
[Classical]
[Horn Honking]
Whoa. That was a... That was a stop sign you went through back there, Mr. Holland.
- You're definitely speeding, Mr. Holland. - Yeah.
- [Tires Screeching] - [Laughing]
[Horn Honking]
I don't think you're just allowed to just pass on the right like that either.
- [Tires Screeching] - [Horns Honking]
- Geez! - [Front Seat Student Gasps]
This is a one-way street, Mr. Holland.
- Mr. Hosta! Shut up! - [Horns Honking]
[Whimpers]
[Panting] Um, um, Maternity. Thank you.
[Babies Crying]
[Mouthing Words]
[Knocking]
Iris.
Come meet your son.
Coltrane Holland.
- How you doin'? - Okay.
[Whispering] Look.
- [Cooing] - Can I?
Sure.
Oh!
He's beautiful.
- [Yawning] - [Laughing]
[Sputtering]
[Coughing]
[Piano]
I know an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don't know why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she'll die
- I know an old lady - [Chuckling]
Who swallowed a spider
That wiggled and jiggled
And tickled inside her
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly
I don't know why
- [Laughing] - She swallowed that fly
Perhaps she'll die The kid is a natural.
It must have been all that music you played at my stomach while I was pregnant.
[Upbeat Jazz]
Ladies and gentlemen, Radio City Music Hall...
is proud to present Coltrane Gershwin Holland.
Dd
Mr. Holland, it has come to my attention...
that you are teaching the students rock and roll.
- Is this a problem? - "Is this a problem?" Yes, I think so.
Our only job is to teach.
We cannot teach and the students cannot learn if there is no discipline.
Uh, I'm sorry, uh, what exactly is your point, Gene?
My point is, rock and roll by its very nature leads to a breakdown in discipline.
What would you like me to do? Deny that rock and roll exists?
What I am... What we are saying is that you should be pushing the classics.
Brahms, Mozart, Stravinsky.
Stravinsky was the music of the Russian Revolution...
if you want to talk about a breakdown in discipline.
- You are deliberately exaggerating. - How about the Kingston Trio?
- How about Sing Along With Mitch? - Oh, please!
Just a minute, gentlemen.
Mr. Holland, I do not want to interfere in the curriculum of any teacher.
But next week I have a meeting with the school board.
And there are people in this community who believe...
that rock and roll is a message sent from the devil himself.
Now when that issue comes up, what can I tell them?
Mrs. Jacobs, you tell them...
that I am teaching music...
and that I will use anything...
from Beethoven to Billie Holiday to rock and roll...
if I think it'll help me teach a student... to love music.
That's...
a reasonable answer, Mr. Holland.
I can tell them that.
Was there something else?
Yes, um, have you been...
to any of the football games this season, Mr. Holland?
I can't say that I have. No.
Well, Mrs. Jacobs and I feel that there's something missing.
Touchdowns. [Laughing]
I'm sorry. [Laughing]
What do you know about marching bands?
Pardon me?
Blue, 32! Set, hut!
[Grunting]
Get him! Get him down! [Whistle Blows]
[Coach Meister] That's the way.
- [Mr. Holland] Hey, hey, hey. - That's the way to crash down.
Uh, drums and sousaphones.
Come on, line up here. Sousaphones on either side.
And, baritones, and, and saxes.
Here. Third line.
Put your shirttail in! This isn't a dance.
It looks like a party dress. Get it in!
Let's do it a little quicker. You know, we don't wanna be here 'til it's dark.
Now, we're not... We're not even.
I'd like to make some attempt to, um...
Can you even up here? Can you, like, even this...
Do you understand what I'm saying when I say "even up"?
Line up. There you go.
All right, all right. Take care of even some... next time.
- Get over here! - All right.
They're over there. You're over here. What are you doing?
- Sorry, Coach. - Are you trying to kill me?
Watch my hand, okay?
One, two, three, march.
Left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right.
- Left, right, left, right. - [Boy Murmuring] This is stupid.
No, no, no. Left, right, left, right.
- Left, right, left, right. - Hey, John, let 'em take a knee.
No, no, no. We're clumping. You're clumping up.
No, no, no, people. Spread out. I want you to spread!
- [Boy] He said "spread." - Spread out. Spread.
And turn. Turn around and keep marching.
Keep marching. Left, right, left, right.
Left, right, left, right. Left...
[Sighs]
[Whistle Blowing] Stop! Take a knee.
- [Football Players Laughing] - All right, start runnin'.
Hats on! And don't stop 'til you hear this whistle.
Glenn. Glenn.
Man, oh, man, oh, man. Oh, man!
I take it you were never in the army.
[Both Laugh]
Now, that's a stupid question.
I was. Man, I marched my keister off.
Well, then, help me out.
Okay. You see this kid up in the stands here?
That's Lou Russ. He was the greatest halfback this school ever had.
I had to toss him off the team because of his grades.
Now I'm about to lose him for wrestling if I don't get 'em up.
Bill, what are we talkin' about? What do you want me to do? Take his tests for him?
No, but I bet if he played in your band...
I could talk Jacobs into giving him an academic credit...
and then I'll help ya out here.
- What instrument does he play? - He doesn't.
- He doesn't play anything. - [Laughing]
What? Are you kidding?
No, he'll fit right in.
Glenn, listen, you get him to play anything...
and I'll get them to march.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Coach Meister...
your marching buddy.
- You know anything at all about music, Mr. Russ? - No, sir, coach.
You don't have to say "sir," and I'm not a coach.
So Mr. Holland is just fine.
Sorry, sir... I mean, Mr. Holland.
Don't apologize. You haven't done anything yet.
Um, you know how to read music even a little?
- No. - No.
No.
Well, you do realize that you're gonna have to learn...
at least some of the fundamentals of music...
before you can get into the band.
Listen, Mr. Holland. I'll work hard.
I know how to work hard. I'm just not a school type of person.
Okay.
Well, which instrument do you think you'd like to play?
Well, I was kind of thinkin' like... How about electric guitar?
Well, this is a marching band. The extension cord would kill us.
How about the tuba?
Tubas are for fat guys with pimples.
Well, given the time constraints, how do drums strike you?
A drum!
["The Stars And Stripes Forever"]
[Humming Along]
- You're ahead, Mr. Russ! - [Beating Out Of Rhythm]
Get on the beat, Mr. Russ.
Bum, ba, bum, ba... Whoa, whoa, stop, stop.
Stop, stop, stop, stop. What happened? Where did you go?
I keep losin' my place.
Well, why don't you find it?
Enough of us here already think that time is a magazine.
And I don't want you confusing us any further. And by the way...
Mr. Barr, it is not...
as they say, considered couth...
to empty your spit valve in the middle of the performance...
especially not on the foot of the person sitting next to you.
Okay, let's, uh, take it again from the top.
One, two, one, two.
Bum-bum-bum
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop, stop, stop.
[Bell Rings]
Boy, were you saved by the bell. All right, same time...
same place tomorrow.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Holland, look, I just want you to know that...
That you're gonna work very hard. I know, Louis. Thank you.
- Thanks, Mr. Holland. - You're welcome.
Will you tell me some stories about the chicks you met when you were on the road?
- That was a different time. I was a very different guy. - Mm-hmm.
- Check. - [Exhales]
Oh, you must be keepin' something so good for me...
because you're always avoiding this line of questioning.
- [Laughs] I'm not avoiding anything. - I know you are.
- It's just, I lead a very different life now. - Uh-huh.
I have a beautiful wife, a gorgeous child. Something you know nothing about. Check.
- I want to have kids someday. - You ought to find a wife first.
- I don't want kids that badly. - [Laughs]
Checkmate.
[Sighs] All right, all right, all right.
Besides, the kids at school are like my kids.
I wanna smack 'em sometimes, but mostly I just want to see 'em do good.
So, Lou Russ. He gonna make it?
Is he gonna make it?
I don't think so.
Glenn, come on. I need him!
[Chuckles] A kid doesn't wrestle, it's not the end of the world.
For him, it is. If he doesn't wrestle, he doesn't have anything else.
It's not about wrestling. I care about the kid.
Bill, how am I supposed to keep a kid in the band if he can't play an instrument?
You teach him. You're telling me that you cannot teach a willing kid like Lou Russ...
- to bang a drum or something? - I tried!
- No, no, you teach him. - I tried and I can't.
Well, then, you're a lousy teacher.
And I just can't see a chance like this gettin' away from him if I can stop it.
Look, I was a kid just like him.
And if someone hadn't given me a chance to excel in the one thing I was good at...
I never would have become the brilliant gum-chewing coach that I am.
[Chuckles]
I was kept off the chess team, and, well, it's ruined my life.
[Laughs]
Do it again. Come on.
[Stevie Wonder]
Baby, everything is all right
Uptight Outta sight
Baby, everything is all right
Uptight Outta sight
A poor man's son from across the railroad track
Only shirt I own is here on my back
But I'm the envy of every single guy
Since I'm the apple of my girl's eye
When we do our stuff go downtown for a while
Money's goin' My suits aren't in style
But it's all right if my clothes aren't new
Out of sight Because my heart is true
She says, baby everything is all right
Uptight Clean outta sight
She's a pearl of a girl I guess that's what you might say
I guess her folks brought her up that way
On the right side of the tracks she was born and raised
In a great big old house full of brothers
And then she says, baby everything is all right
["The Stars And Stripes Forever"]
Da-da-da, da-da-da
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.
- Mr. Russ. - [Groans]
Congratulations, you found the beat.
[Applauding, Cheering, Blowing Instruments]
[Announcer] It's a wonderful day and a terrific parade.
And here comes an original 1937 Dodge school bus.
And there is the princess of spring, Tammy Monroe.
She is just great.
- Hiya! Here you go. - [Announcer] Kisses, kisses, kisses to blow all around!
Isn't this a great way to spend a weekend?
Oh, here comes my favorite: The Fort Vancouver High School Marching Band...
led by my friend Jim; over 100 instruments.
[Band Playing, Crowd Cheering]
Don't forget I want you to keep your eyes on the shoes of the person in front of you.
All right. Have a good time. Ready?
No, no! No, no, no, no, no! Back.
- [Official] Kennedy High, get in there. - Back, back, back. Just relax.
- Let's go! - Just take a deep breath. We're gonna have fun.
- Let's go, Kennedy! - We're doing the best we can, damn it!
Hold it. Hold it.
Ready? Mr. Benson.
- One, two, three, four! - [Drums Beating Cadence]
[Whistle Blowing]
[Cheering]
[Whistle Blowing]
["Louie, Louie"]
[Announcer] Now we have a real treat coming down the road:
The John F. Kennedy Marching Band.
- [Cheering] - And aren't they good!
Their first year in this parade, led by Glenn Holland.
Yea!
- [Laughing] - Hey!
That's my boy! That's my boy!
Hey, Louis! Louis! Louis!
[Laughs]
- Hey! - Yeah!
[Fire Truck Horn Blasting]
[Baby Crying]
Iris. Cole.
[Exhales] Was that fun or what?
There's something wrong with Cole.
- What? - I don't know, but I've... I've tried different things.
Um, sneaking up behind him and...
banging pots and screaming his name and stomping on the floor.
He... He turned when I did that. Big smile.
- He thought I was playing a game. - Iris.
I don't think he can hear.
Cole?
[Clapping] Cole?
Cole! [Clapping]
Cole? [Clapping]
Cole has a 90% hearing loss.
Now, with training he will learn to use what hearing he has left.
Treat him as if he's normal. Talk to him as if he can hear you.
I notice Cole uses gestures to help himself be understood.
Let me caution you, don't use them back.
Gestures won't help him find his place in a hearing world.
When he's older, there are schools that will help him and you to find his voice.
[Beethoven: "Symphony No. 7 In A Major"]
He couldn't hear.
Of all people.
Not a thing.
And because Beethoven couldn't hear, the thought of him conducting...
or let alone composing... was pathetic to most people.
And so to answer them, he composed and conducted the "Seventh Symphony."
[Continues]
Just try to imagine...
Beethoven standing on that podium...
holding his baton...
his hands waving gracefully through the air...
and the orchestra in his mind...
is playing perfectly.
And the orchestra in front of him...
trying desperately just to keep up.
[Clicks Tongue] There is a story...
that in order to write his music...
Beethoven literally sawed the legs off his piano...
so that he could lay the body flat on the ground.
And then...
he would lay down on the ground next to the piano...
with his ear pressed to the floor.
And he would pound the keys with his fingers...
in order to hear his music through the vibrations...
of the floor.
Mr. Holland? Mr. Holland?
If he couldn't hear, how would he even know what the notes were?
Like, if he never heard a "C..."
how'd he know that's what he wanted played?
Well...
Beethoven wasn't born deaf.
[Helicopter Whirring]
- [John Lennon] Imagine there's no heaven - [Gunfire]
[Marchers] We want freedom!
- It's easy if you try - [King] Let us try to feed the hungry.
[King's Speech Continues]
- No hell below us - [Bobby Kennedy] I want the Democratic Party...
- [NASA Official] We have liftoff. - Above us only sky
[Neil Armstrong] One small step for man...
Imagine all the people
Livin' for today
Ahh
Imagine there's no country
It isn't hard to do
Nothin' to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Livin' life in peace
[Bach: "Sleepers Wake"]
[Mouthing Words]
[Music Stops]
[Glenn] A private school?
She said it's the best, and it's way ahead of any other school in the state.
- It's probably the most expensive place in the state. - Yeah, but if it's the best!
- I'm just a little worried about where the money's coming from, that's all. - Ohhh.
It's probably a great place, Iris...
- but I... I worry about the money, okay? - What do you want, honey?
Show me. Show me what you want. Want a dessert? This?
- [Trying To Speak] - I don't... I don't know what you want.
- [Whining] - What? Cole.
- [Whining Continues] - Dessert? No?
- This? This? I don't know what you want! - So they were signing, huh?
The school emphasizes it, and she said it's for parents too. What? What do you want?
- Dr. Sorenson said that gestures meant... - It's way more than gestures!
That gestures meant that Cole would never learn how to lip-read or to talk!
He can barely talk now! He can't say two or three words!
The guy is a specialist, Iris!
- [Wailing] - Oh, he's a specialist who thinks that deaf people are retarded...
- and he is not retarded; he's... Cole! - [Door Banging, Cole Wailing]
- What does he... Give him what he wants! - I don't know what he wants!
I don't understand what he's trying to tell me! Don't you get it?
You go off to school every day with all of your children who are normal.
I can't talk to my son! I don't know what he wants...
or what he thinks or what he feels; I can't tell him that I love him.
I can't tell him who I am!
I want to talk to my son!
I don't care what it costs; I don't care what the stupid doctor says is right or wrong!
I want to talk to my son! [Sobbing]
Oh, Cole. Oh, Cole.
Okay, now we'll talk about what is today.
Can you tell me what's today? Tuesday. Good.
Can you spell it for me? T-U...
E-S-D-A-Y.
[Teacher] Wonderful! Now, can you tell me what is tomorrow?
[Woman] We encourage talking and signing at the same time. And, as you can see...
today, the class is learning the days of the week and the months of the year.
Would you care to step out for just a moment? Shall we?
Wednesday. Great. What is yesterday?
- [Glenn] Can we talk about tuition? - Yes.
- Is there any chance of government subsidy? - I'm afraid not.
[Iris] Well, we can handle it.
Uh, so... so how long would it be before he learns how to sign?
Well, not as long as it'll take the two of you.
You see, children learn very quickly, but adults...
- Well, so much depends on how much you put into it. - Mm-hmm.
- And... when would we begin? - Well, our next intensive program...
the one that we gear toward parents, starts in June.
It's three months, three hours every day.
The most important teacher your child will ever have is you.
[Bach: "Minuet In G Major"]
So, who was Bach writing all this for?
[Continues]
Mr. Tidd, care to join us?
- Uh, Lurch in the Addams Family? - [Students Laughing]
[Softly] You're the Lurch, you dipstick.
How 'bout I shut your smart mouth, man?
- Anytime you wanna try. - [Glenn] Tidd!
You take one more step and you'll think you were born in detention.
Get back to your seat. Stadler.
Sometimes the best way to deal with a pest is to ignore them.
- [Bell Rings] - Okay.
Don't forget pages 280 to 314 for tomorrow. Stadler.
- [Students Chattering] - [Sighs]
- You stoned again, Stadler? - I don't need to stay straight for this class.
I know this stuff. I can give you all the names and dates you want.
I know all the scales, the modes, counterpoint...
So what?
The name of this class is Music Appreciation. I don't see you appreciating anything.
- This is such lame bullshit. - Sit down.
You are this close from being suspended, pal.
[Stadler Exhales]
[Chuckles] You think you are real smart, don't you?
Okay. Prove it.
I want a paper on my desk by the end of term.
I want it to be single-spaced; I want it to be annotated.
I want the name of this report to be "Music: The Language of Emotion."
- You can't make me do that. - Watch me!
This is not extra credit. You don't do it, you flunk.
This isn't fair, Mr. Holland.
- Life is not fair, pal. - [Door Opens]
Mr. Holland?
Yeah.
- You can tell Mrs. Jacobs I'll take care of it. - Okay.
- Am I released yet? - No.
I want you to meet me here Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m.
- Why? - Research.
We are honored and we are proud that we have known him.
And our lives are forever changed.
Louis's gifts live in each of us.
Let us burn bright his spirit...
his courage, his love.
- Amen. - [All] Amen.
"In Flanders fields the poppies blow...
between the crosses, row on row...
that mark our place.
And in the sky, the larks, still bravely singing, fly...
[Speaking With Difficulty] Scarce heard among the guns below."
So, uh, who's the... who's the one, uh...
You know.
Just some kid I taught to bang a drum, named Louie Russ.
[Poem Continues Nearby]
He made the...
state wrestling finals three years running.
He was never as smart as you are.
He had to work real hard even to graduate.
Maybe that's why it meant so much to him.
[Gunshot]
Aim. Fire.
- [Gunshot] - Aim. Fire.
[Gunshot]
Present... arms.
[Trumpet: "Day Is Done"]
On behalf of the president of the United States and a grateful nation...
I present this flag in recognition of your son, Corporal Louis Russ...
- for his long and faithful service to his country. - [Weeping]
About face. Forward.
You can go home now.