F-0213

Title:

Mr. Holland's Opus

Category:

S

Produced:

1995

Country:

USA

Released:

Film: Jan 1996 (USA)
DVD: Aug 1999; Nov 2001 (2-DVD)
VHS: Nov 1996; Apr 2002
Soundtrack: Jan 1996 (CD, MC)

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writer:

Patrick Sheane Duncan

Actors:

Richard Dreyfuss (Glenn Holland); Glenne Headly (Iris Holland); Jay Thomas (Bill Meister); Olympia Dukakis (Principal Helen Jacobs); William H. Macy (Vice Principal Gene Wolters - as W.H. Macy); Alicia Witt (Gertrude Lang); Terrence Howard (Louis Russ); Damon Whitaker (Bobby Tidd); Jean Louisa Kelly (Rowena Morgan); Alexandra Boyd (Sarah Olmstead); Nicholas John Renner (Cole at 6 Years Old); Joseph Anderson (Cole at 15 Years Old); Anthony Natale (Cole at 28 Years Old); Joanna Gleason (Gertrude Lang as an adult); Beth Maitland (Deaf School Principal)

Description:

Glenn Holland (Dreyfuss) is a musician and composer who takes a teaching job to pay the rent while, in his 'spare time', he can strive to achieve his true goal - compose one memorable piece of music to leave his mark on the world. As Holland discovers 'Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans' and as the years unfold the joy of sharing his contagious passion for music with his students becomes his new definition of success. (Russell Boyd)

An earnest and at times 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 save money while he composes his music. 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, Amazon.com)

Acclaimed star Richard Dreyfuss gives the performance of a lifetime (1995 Academy Award(R)-nominee, Best Actor -- MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS) in this uplifting hit cheered by audiences everywhere! Glenn Holland (Dreyfuss) is a passionate musician who dreams of composing one truly memorable piece of music. But reality intrudes when he reluctantly accepts a "day job" as a high school music teacher to support his family. In time, however, Mr. Holland realizes that his real passion is teaching, and his legacy is the generations of young people he inspires. Also featuring Glenne Headly (BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS) and Olympia Dukakis (MAFIA!) -- you're sure to find this electrifying motion picture both entertaining ... and unforgettable! (Amazon.com)

Language:

English, American Sign Language

TT:

143 min / 272 min (2-DVD)

J.S. Bach's Music:

Minuet in G major

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Sleepers Wake)

Format:

Film: Color (Technicolor), Dolby Digital
DVD: (Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC, Region 1) | (PAL, Region 2) | (PAL, German, Region 2)
2-DVD: (Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Region 1)
VHS: (Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, HiFi Sound, NTSC) | (Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC) | (PAL, German) | (NTSC)
Soundtrack: CD; MC

Company:

Film: Hollywood Pictures; Interscope Communications; Polygram Filmed; Entertainment; The Charlie Mopic Company
DVD: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Hollywood Pictures
2-DVD: Walt Disney Video
VHS: Walt Disney Video
Soundtrack: Polydor / Umgd [CD]; Polygram Records [MC]; Decca [CD, MC]; London/BMG [CD]

Comments:

2-DVD Set includes: Dead Poets Society/Mr. Holland's Opus

Watch selections:

Buy movie at:

DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.com [Region 2] | Amazon.com [Region] | Amazon.com [Region 2]
2-DVD: Amazon.com
VHS: Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com [PAL] | Amazon.com
Soundtrack: Amazon.com [CD] | Amazon.com [MC] | Amazon.com [CD] | Amazon.com [MC] | Amazon.com [CD]

Source/Links: IMDB
Contributor: Aryeh Oron (November 2007)