The Private School Genre

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The Private School Genre

• TAKING DEAD AIM AT THE RICH BOYS

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Bulmans Argument

• Hollywoods overall depiction of the wealthy is
  negative.
• In the private school genre, the issue of social
  class emerges as a central theme.
• Poor, working, and middle class students battle
  with the pompous power elite.

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Collective Identity versus Individualism

• The upper class is held together by a shared
  belief system that extends beyond wealth and
  power.
• The elite private school films condemn the
  privilege of the upper classes (Bulman, 2005).
• Upper class is presented as morally bankrupt.

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Hero of the Private School Film

• The hero is not a part of the elite class.
• Exhibits individuality
• Has Integrity
• Is a well-rounded individual
• Has academic merit

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Prevalent Themes

• Private school films reflect the duality of
  American culture
• Social institutions are shown to be fair and
  meritocratic.
• There is more to life than academics and the
  pursuit of social status.

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Scent of A Woman (1992)

• Martin Brests Scent of a Woman takes Charlie
  and the colonel and places them in a combination
  of two reliable genres. Theres the coming-of-age
  formula, in which an older man teaches a younger
  one the ropes. Its crossed here with the prep
  school movie which has always involved a misfit
  who learns to stand up for what he believes in.
• Roger Ebert

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Summary of Film

• The film revolves around Charlie Simms (Chris
  O'Donnell), a student at a private preparatory
  school, who comes from a poor family. To earn the
  money for his flight home for Christmas, Charlie
  takes a job over Thanksgiving looking after
  retired U.S. Army officer Lieutenant Colonel
  Frank Slade (Al Pacino), a cantankerous
  middle-aged man who is now blind and impossible
  to get along with. Slade decides to visit New
  York City and enlists the help of Charlie Simms
  to lead him on the trip. Whilst Charlie is
  leading Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade through
  New York, he is facing a very big problem at
  school. Fellow students have played a prank on
  the school principal, and only Charlie and George
  Willis Jr. (Philip Seymour Hoffman) know the
  identity of the culprits. After threatening both
  students with expulsion, Headmaster Trask asks
  Willis to exit the office. At this moment, he
  tries to bribe Charlie by assuring him admission
  to Harvard, if he names those who committed the
  prank. Charlie tells him nothing, and Trask warns
  him that he must be honest or suffer the
  consequences (Wikipedia).

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Clip 1 Elites demean working class peer

• Charlies wealthy friends offer him an
  opportunity to vacation with them over
  Thanksgiving knowing that he cannot afford it.

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Clip 2 Charlie meets the Colonel

• Charlie interviews for a Thanksgiving break job
  so that he can earn money to fly home for
  Christmas.
• Family v. Materialism Working class hero wants
  to see his family for the holidays, while the
  elite plan on vacationing at an exotic locale.

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Clip 3 Charlie witnesses prank

• Charlie and a wealthy classmate observe friends
  setting up for the prank.

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Clip 4- Administration attempts to pressure
Charlie

• Hoping that Charlie will sell his classmates out,
  the headmaster tries to scare and then bribe
  Charlie. Elite classmate is treated differently.

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Clip 5 Charlie discloses dilemma to the Colonel

• Their rich, youre poor. Colonel asks Charlie
  if he is trying to be like his rich classmates.

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Clip 6 Two kinds of people

• Colonel tells Charlie that he might need to sell
  out his friends.

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Clip 7 Working class hero saves the Colonel

• Charlie shows his courage that gives the Colonel
  hope.

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Clip 8 The inquisition

• Charlie is threatened and attacked by the
  headmaster, while the elite student sells out his
  friend and hides behind his fathers power.

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Clip 9 Working class character exposed

• The Colonel defends Charlies integrity, while
  admonishing the elite institution and the values
  it instills.

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Discussion/Questions?