Mr. Holland's Opus Page #4

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.

Let"s take it again from the top.|One, two. One, two.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa, who, whoa!|Whoa, whoa! Stop, stop. Stop!

Boy, were you saved by the bell! Same|time, same place tomorrow. Thank you.

- Mr Holland? I just want you to know...|- That you"re gonna work hard. I know.

- Thanks, Mr Holland.|- You"re welcome.

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.

Check.

You must be keeping something|so good from me!

- You avoid that question.|- I'm not avoiding anything!

- I know you are.|- I lead a very different life now.

I have a beautiful wife, a gorgeous child -|something you know nothing about.

Check.

- I wanna have kids someday.|- You ought to find a wife first.

I don't want kids that badly.

Checkmate.

All right, all right, all right.

Besides, the kids at school|are like my kids.

I wanna smack "em sometimes, but|mostly I just wanna 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!

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 him.

How can I keep a kid in the band|if he can't play an instrument?

You teach him. Are you telling me|that you cannot teach

a willing kid like Lou Russ|to bang a drum?

- I tried!|- No, you teach him.

- I tried, and I can't.|- Then you"re a lousy teacher.

And I just can't see a chance like this|getting 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.

I was kept off the chess team,|and, well, It's ruined my life.

Do it again.

By Stevie Wonder)

# Baby, everything is all right

# Uptight, outta sight

# Baby, everything is all right

# Uptight, outta sight

# I'm a poor man's son|from across the railroad tracks

# The only shirt I own|is hangin on my back

# But Im the envy of every single guy

# Since I'm the apple of my girl's eye

# When we go out steppin|on the town for a while

# My moneys low|and my suit's out of style

# But its all right

# If my clothes arent new

# Outta sight

# Because my heart is true

# She says 'Baby, everything is all right"'

# 'Uptight, it's clean outta sight"'

# Shes a pearl of a girl|I guess that'ss what you might say

# I guess her folks|brought her up that way

# The right side of the tracks,|she was born and raised

# In a great big, old house|full of butlers and maids

# She said 'Baby, everything is all right"'

Whoa, whoa, whoa!|Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!

Mr Russ.

Congratulations, you found the beat.

Its a wonderful day,|and a terrific parade.

Here comes an original|937 Dodge school bus.

And there is the princess of Spring,|Tammy Monroe.

She is just great.

Hiya. There you go.

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. Back! Back, back. Just relax.

- Let"s go!|- Take a deep breath.

- Let"s go!|- We"re doing the best we can, damn it!

Hold it, hold it.

Ready? Mr Benson.

One, two, three, four.

Now we have a real treat|coming down the road -

the John F Kennedy marching band.

And arent they good?

Their first year in this parade,|led by Glenn Holland.

That's my boy! Hey, Louis! Louis!

Louis!

Louis!

Iris!

Cole!

Was that fun, or what?

There's something wrong with Cole.

- What?|- I don't know. I've tried different things.

Um... sneaking up behind him and|banging pots and screaming his name

and stomping on the floor.

He turned when I did that - big smile.|He thought I was playing a game.

Iris.

I don't think he can hear.

Cole?

Cole?

Cole!

Cole?

Cole has|a 90 per cent hearing loss.

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.

He couldn"t hear.

Of all people.

Not a thing.

And because Beethoven couldn"t hear,

the thought of him conducting, let alone|composing, was pathetic to most people.

And so, to answer them, he composed|and conducted the 7th Symphony.

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|was playing perfectly.

And the orchestra in front of him...|trying desperately just to keep up.

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.

# Its easy if you try

# No hell below us

# Above us only sky

# Imagine all the people

# Livin for today

# Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah

# Imagine theres no countries

# It isnt hard to do

# Nothin to kill or die for

# And no religion, too

# Imagine all the people

# Livin life in peace

A private school?

She said It's the best, and It's way ahead|of any other school in the state.

- It's probably expensive.|- Yeah, but if It's the best...

I'm just worried about where|the money"s coming from, that's all.

It's probably a great place, Iris,|but I worry about the money.

What do you want, honey?|Show me what you want.

You want a dessert? This?

I don't know what you want.

What? Cole!

Dessert? No?

- This? This? I don't know what you want!|- So they were signing, huh?

The school emphasises it,|and she said It's for parents, too.

- What do you want?|- Dr Sorenson said that gestures...

- It's more than gestures!|... gestures meant

he"d never learn how to lip-read or talk!

He can barely talk now!|He can't say two words!

- The guy is a specialist, Iris.|- Oh!

He thinks that deaf people are retarded.|He is not retarded, he's...

Cole!

- Give him what he wants!|- I don't know what he's trying to tell me.

Don't you get it? You go off to school|with your children who are normal.

I can't talk to my son!

I don't know what he wants|or what he thinks!

I can't tell him that I love him!|I can't tell him who I am!

I want to talk to my son.

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