Analysis of Film
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Teresa Fitzpatrick Education 651 Dr. Tyler 2/5/09 Analysis of Film
A. Summary of film and Reference Information
a. Reference:
Duncan, P. (Writer), & Herek, S. (Director). (1995). Mr. Holland’s Opus [Motion Picture]. Universal City, CA; Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.
b. Summary:
Mr. Holland’s Opus is film about Glenn Holland, a dedicated musician whose
trials and responsibilities leads him to a teaching career. When Iris, his wife informs
him of her pregnancy, he realizes he needs to drop his dream of composing music and
take a teaching position to support his family. Although he is hesitant in the
beginning, he discovers he can teach students who are passionate about music also.
He dreams of raising a child who will have an appreciation for music as much as he
does, for example, he places headphones on Iris’s stomach to let the baby hear music
early. During a parade a fire truck goes by and makes a very loud noise that causes
everyone to cover their ears and when Iris looks down at her son he sleeps peacefully.
She then realizes that something is wrong. They discover that their son Cole is born
with a 90% hearing loss. Although Iris accepts and decides to deal with her son’s
impairment, Glenn struggles with the knowledge that he feels his son will never learn
to love music. Glenn and his wife deal with their son’s impairment differently.
Glenn’s lack of communication with his son is heart rendering during the film. Cole’s determination to succeed is amazing in this film; he doesn’t let his hearing
impairment hinder him in any accomplishment he wants to succeed at like school
science projects, aspiring to be an astronaut, and working on his father’s car. Even
though he struggles to communicate with his father, he manages to finish college and
become a teacher.
c. Major character description:
Provide a brief description of the major character(s) with a disability, including
your best guess as to the nature of the disability as well as how this disability
manifests itself in the character’s words or actions or affect:
Cole has a hearing impairment. This first becomes evident to his parents during
the parade scene when he doesn’t show an adverse reaction to the noise of the fire
truck. Again, he makes sounds and grunts to communicate with his parents. He
throws fits during a kitchen scene when he is frustrated trying to make his mother
understand what he wants. Several scenes show his frustration with his father
because Cole can’t make his father understand his sign.
A. Educating People with Disabilities
Given what you are learning in class about teaching students with disabilities
and the nature of the characteristics of the PWD as portrayed in the film, think
about the schooling supports and practices that might help that person have
access to the curriculum and succeed in school.
a. What kind of curriculum (what skills and knowledge) seems most
appropriate for the PWD in the film you analyzed? Curriculum such as textbooks, laptops with textbooks available, films with subtitled words, teacher or teacher assistant with knowledge of sign language would be needed for a student with a hearing impairment in my classroom. b. Could the PWD in your film be educated in the general education
classroom for part or all of the day?
Initially, he would need pullout instruction first then Cole could be mainstreamed into a general education classroom all of the day if he could lip read or have an interpreter to work with. c. What kinds of supports would the PWD need to benefit from
attending the general education classroom?
Interpreters, lights flashing for bell change and fire drills would be helpful, location of seating assignment for lip reading a teacher, along with peer support. d. As an adult, could this person hold a job? If so, what kinds of jobs/work
do you imagine this person with disabilities could likely perform?
Cole could work at most jobs except where the ability to hear was a requirement for example like audio sound or if safety was an issue such as hearing a machine or construction. As an adult, Cole already holds a job as a teacher in which listening to his letters to his parents was good fit for him. Some universities have special preference for hearing impaired students. e. Would he/she need support to do this work?
The only support he would need is from the faculty, who understand his
impairment, but I don’t feel he would have many limitations because he adapted very well in the film. If students didn’t understand his speech, he
would need an interpreter. Also he would need visual signals for class
changes, fire drills, and a specialized phone system to talk to the front office.
An audio visual system would be helpful along with smart board.
C. Critique of Film:
1. Describe your emotional, intellectual and behavioral responses to the film.
How did this movie make you feel? What did it make you think? What did
you want to do after viewing the film?
My emotional response to the film was mixed. Watching this movie again was
like climbing on an emotional roller coaster. You’re up, then down, then up
again. When watching Glen’s responses to his son, I was outraged to think that a
father could react the way he did.
My intellectual response to the film was the realization of how differently
people respond to impairment in their children. Some try to avoid and ignore it,
and others step-up to accept the challenge.
My behavioral response to the film was to email my sister-in-law and brother-
in-law to tell them how much I loved them. They both share hearing impairments
like Cole. Somehow every time I watch this film I realize how difficult it was for
them when they were children. Like Glen, my mother-in-law used some signs
with her children, but was never formally trained.
2. State whether individuals with exceptionalities were portrayed as ordinary
people, as superhuman, or as a stereotype of some kind explain in a few sentences why you have that opinion/what happened in the film to give you
that impression.
Cole was portrayed as an ordinary person with a hearing impairment. Iris put
him in a special school for deaf children, and she took special classes for parents
to converse with their children. After his mother fought to get him into a
specialized school, Cole is portrayed as a child that participates in science fairs,
does projects, and later works on his Dad’s car. During the film, his parents
received several conflicting messages. For example, the doctor discouraged them
not to use gestures, but then the doctor suggests a school for Cole to attend.
Several times during the film, people made comments on trying to understand
Cole.
3. a. What devalued roles did you see portrayed?:
Object of Pity—Pity was observed when Glenn spent most his time ignoring his
son’s impairment and feeling pity for his son on all the things he was missing out
on in his life, as was his own self pity for having a child with an impairment.
Object or Burden of Charity---Charity was observed in the film during the scene
in the kitchen when his mother struggles to understand her son and begs her
husband to find the funds to send Cole to a specialized school. During the film I
observed Glen sighing with frustration, and he didn’t give Cole a chance to learn.
He would do the chore himself rather than take the time to explain it to Cole.
Object of Menace---Not evident in film.
Object of Dread—Dread was portrayed in the film when Glenn avoided trying to understand his son and worked even harder on his music to ignore his son. Glenn
didn’t even want to be taught sign language in order to converse with his son. At
one time in the restaurant scene, Glenn made a comment how he could get more
done there, rather than go home, (When in actually, he was dreading going home
to his family). Glen would sigh when he had to confront or talk to his son is
another example of a sign of dread.
Object of Ridicule—Ridicule wasn’t portrayed in the film, because I felt Cole
was protected by his mother from anything that negative in his life.
Sick---Sickness was not portrayed in the film at any time. Cole was portrayed as
a typical teenager who got into fights and loves his car.
Subhuman— Not evident in film.
Sexual Deviate--- Not evident in film.
Childlike---Although Cole needs to attend a deaf school; he later goes to college
and becomes a teacher. He isn’t portrayed as childlike at any time. b. How did the film maker create these portrayals? (What filming techniques
were used to convey those clues that you picked up on?)
The film-maker created the above images mostly through Glen and his
relationship with his son. The emotionalism in the music choices correlates to the
emotions that Glen, Iris, and Cole experience. He also uses Cole’s facial
expressions to show how he felt in various scenes. Cole’s response to what Glen
says, and how Glen responds to his students versus his son is also very creative to
help you understand Glen’s frustration. 4. Discuss if and how the story line included the six values to be achieved in the
lives of individuals with disabilities. Were they introduced at all? Were they
achieved?:
While viewing Mr. Holland’s Opus, I identified all six affirming values.
Inherent Strengths---Throughout the film Cole’s determination is evident to the
viewer. With the help of a determined role model, his mother instills in him some
inherent strength. She wants everything for her son, and she fought for it.
Great Expectations---Iris, Cole’s mother has great expectations for her son and
wants him to have every opportunity possible to him. She never stops him
from trying to accomplish something, whether it was a science project or repairing
his car. She is always saying, “Let him try.”
Relationships---The film portrays his mother as being very close to the child, and
his father as distant. As you follow his relationship with his father in the film,
you eventually realize that his father is forced to listen to him when he stands up
for himself. Glen realizes he has been doing a great disservice to his son.
Positive Contributions---In the video, I feel that Cole presents a positive role
model to any person with a hearing impairment; he shows that the sky’s the limit
in whatever one chooses to pursue in life. You can observe him creating his own
way of interpreting music by sitting on a speaker. He was mostly an upbeat,
happy teenager other than the one fight he was in.
Full Citizenship---Cole’s interaction in school (science fairs and projects),
attending concerts with his mother, visiting his father at school, and driving his
car to college portray a person with no limits to everyday life. Choices---Cole’s mother gives him every opportunity to have choices
throughout his life. She fought for him to attend a school for hearing impaired.
She fights with Glen to give him for time along with begging Glen to try to
understand and listen to him.
5. What has been discussed in class those ties in to what you saw in the movie
and the comments you’ve made about the portrayal of stereotyping,
devalued roles and/or positive aspects of the PWD’s lives? What was your
personal reaction to the film or connections you made with what you’ve
experienced or learned?
After viewing this film, I realize how hard it is for a parent of children with
disabilities to receive appropriate care. How they need to be aggressive to make
sure their child gets all the services that are available to them. Although I have
distant family members who have a hearing impairment, I realize what a
disservice I have done by taking sign language in college, and then not
following up on continuing it. Throughout the film, Glenn treats Cole as if he is
inept in understanding him; however he eventually came to terms with his sons
hearing impairment.
The endearing song Glen created at the end of the film was such an emotional
scene as his past students played his opus. I was frustrated several times at
Glenn’s ignorance in the video, but I have watched it several times and am
prepared for it. I use this video in my Teachers for Tomorrow class for my
special education segment, so I have critiqued it several times with the students. 6. Do you think people would have a more positive attitude about people with
exceptionalities after viewing this? If so, explain why? What negative
attitudes or beliefs about people with disabilities do you think might be
subtly or not so subtly reinforced?
I think that this is a film that creates a definite positive attitude in to anyone who
views it. Everyone in the film is supportive except for Glenn. Cole’s doctor and
teachers are positive, that with help Cole would adjust to a hearing world. When
Glen tells Cole that he can’t understand about John Lennon’s death, I realized a
lot of us feel it is just too hard to explain, or we just don’t want to take the effort
to explain to a person with a hearing impairment. I loved how in the end Glen
found a way to reach his son and the deaf community with his music being
portrayed with flashing lights, vibrations, an interpreter, and sign language.
7. A). If you knew absolutely nothing about people with the specific disabilities
of the characters in your film, what would you learn about individuals with
that type of exceptionality from watching this film?
I would learn that having a child with a hearing impairment could be very
challenging. As a parent you need to be prepared to have the knowledge of
resources that are available to your child. Also you need to be prepared to be
aggressive enough to get them any services available. I would also gain the
insight to watch my child at an earlier age for hearing problems. Finally, you
can’t have the foresight to know how your spouse is going to accept your child’s
impairment. B). After reflecting on what a person would learn about PWD, what did you
realize about our culture’s way of portraying, reacting to, and/or responding
to people with disabilities from watching this?
Our culture can portray hearing impaired in several different ways, but in this film
there was availability to Cole for a school for hearing impaired which offered
specialized classes and also parent classes. Our cultures I feel sometime ignore
what is going on around them, rather than deal with it. When I have observed a
person using sign language on the bus, I have noticed most people will ignore
him/her or they will stare at them. I like to watch to see if I can catch some of the
signs that I know. They tend to talk very fast so I mostly catch the, “and”, “but”,
and “or” of the conversation.
My family has a large community in Michigan which are hearing impaired.
They have churches, activity center, and a school. When we visited, I knew what
it felt like to be the non-hearing impaired.
8. If you watched this with someone else, what were their names and
relationship to you? What were their perceptions of this portrayal of people
with disabilities?
I viewed this movie alone, because my grandchildren are such a distraction
when I’m working on assignments. When I have observed my family in the past
watching this movie, my husband’s reactions were based on how his brother and
sister were treated in his childhood.