Mr. Holland's Opus Page #3

Do me a favour.

Pick up your clarinet... and play with me.

- OK.|- And this time... no music.

- Oh, what...|- Because you already know it.

It's in your head and your fingers|and your heart.

You just don't trust yourself to know that.

OK.

Here we go. Ready?

One, two, three, four...

OK, let"s do it again.

And not so much lip on the mouthpiece.

OK.

One, two, three, four...

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...

Don't stop playing!

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,

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 just...

Two feet off! That's it! Right foot.

One foot, one foot! That's it. Come on.

# Keep on runnin

# Keep on hidin

Now you"re going a little too fast.|A little too fast. A little too erratic.

A little too erratic. Just a little.

Oh!

# Keep on runnin

OK, what have we learned from this?

# One fine day Im gonna be the one|to make you understand

# Oh, yeah, Im gonna be your man

Whoa! That was a stop sign|you went through back there, Mr Holland.

You"re definitely speeding, Mr Holland.

I don't think you"re allowed|to just pass on the right like that either.

Jesus!

- This is a one-way street, Mr Holland.|- Mr Hosta, shut up!

Maternity?

Thank you.

Iris?

Come meet your son...

Coltrane Holland.

- How"re you doin"?|- OK.

Look.

- Can I?|- Sure.

Oh!

He's beautiful.

# 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|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 she swallowed that fly

# Perhaps she"ll die

The kid is a natural.

It's all that music you played|at my stomach while I was pregnant.

Ladies and gentlemen,|Radio City Music Hall is proud to present

Coltrane Gershwin Holland!

Mr Holland, it has come to my attention

that you are teaching|the students rock"n"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.

I'm sorry, what exactly|is your point, Gene?

My point is rock"n"roll, by its very nature,|leads to a breakdown in discipline.

Would you like me|to deny that rock"n"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.

- You are exaggerating.|- How about the Kingston Trio, Gene?

- How about "Sing Along With Mitch"?|- 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.

There are people who believe rock'n'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"n"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 somethin" 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.

I'm sorry.

What do you know|about marching bands?

Pardon me?

Set! Hut!

Get him! Get him down!

That's the way!|That's the way to crash down!

Uh...

drums and sousaphones.

Come on, line up here -|sousaphones on either side, and...

baritones and saxes here. Third line.

Put your shirt-tail in!

This isn't a dance.|It looks like a party dress! Get it in!

Let"s do it a little quicker.|We don't wanna be here till It's dark.

Now, we"re not even, and 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! What are you doing?

- Sorry.|- Are you tryin" to kill me?

Watch my hand, OK?

One, two, three, march!

Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.|Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.

No! No! No!

- Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.|- Hey, John. Let "em take a knee.

No, no, no. You"re clumping up.

No, no, no. People, spread out.

I want you to spread! Spread out! Spread.

And turn. Turn around.|And keep marching!

Keep marching. Left, right. Left, right.|Left, right. Left, right. Left...

Stop! Take a knee.

All right, start runnin"! Hats on!

And don't stop till you hear this whistle.

Glenn. Glenn.

Man! Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man!

I take it you were never in the army.

Now, that's a stupid question!

I was. Man, I marched my keister off.

Well, then help me out.

OK.

You see this kid up in the stands here?|That's Lou Russ.

He was the greatest halfback ever. I had|to toss him off the team cos of his grades.

I'm about to lose him for wrestling.

What are we talking 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 you.

- What instrument does he play?|- He doesn't.

He doesn't play anything.

- 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".

I'm not a coach,|so "Mr Holland" is just fine.

I'm sorry, sir. I mean, Mr Holland.

Don't apologise -|you haven"t done anything yet. Um...

You know how to read music?|Even a little?

- No.|- No. No...

Well, you do realise|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 work hard.|I know how to work hard.

I'm just not a school type of person.

OK.

Well, which instrument|do you think you"d like to play?

Well, I was kinda thinking...|How about electric guitar?

Well, this is a marching band.|The extension cord would kill us.

- How about the tuba?|- Tuba"s are for fat guys with pimples!

Well, given the time constraints,|how do drums strike you?

A drum!

You"re ahead, Mr Russ!

Get on the beat, Mr Russ.

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...

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