May 28, 2003 11:55 A.M.

Someone�s Been Sleeping In My Swing!

(Says Grandma Bear)

In the park on a sunny day,

I overheard a child at play

Lovingly call out and say, �Grandma!�

I answered the phone and

A tiny hoarse voice with a lilt and a question

Reached over the miles� �Grandma?�

I walked up to the door and opened it wide

To two small arms reaching up at each side

Smiling� �Grandma!�

The most precious word that I catch in my ear,

Bespeaks of someone so very dear.

�Grandma� is that beautiful word,

But the �someone so dear� - is the voice that is heard

Saying �Grandma!�

I am not much of a connoisseur of movie videos or DVDs. There�s nothing wrong with them. I just don�t think of watching them except on rare occasions.

Last week I had an opportunity to view a movie which I had missed when it was in the theatres. At the time, I had been very interested in seeing it. The film seemed to have a very short run, and not much mention was made of it except for a brief flurry of advertising releases.

After seeing the film, I wonder that it didn�t receive more plaudits, and even awards. There were a few minimal reviews; one glowing review by Michael Medved, which I remembered long enough to make me want to see the film even at this late date. I have learned that Michael is a pretty good barometer of what is excellent�or not�.in the movie industry.

And �Excellent� is the word I would use for this film, �The Emperor�s Club�. I think perhaps it had low ticket sales, because far too many people assumed that is was a revised relative of �Dead Poets� Society�. It wasn�t. But if it had been, that would not have been a negative, in my estimation.

But it is very different, in many ways. The main similarity is that it takes place in a down-east boy�s prep school, and the instructor is the main character. The story flow was tight. There were no periods where the viewer feels like drifting off and loses interest. The acting was of superior quality (Kevin kline). But the characteristic which stands like a shadow in one�s mind for hours, if not several days, �is the message.

Maybe your cup of tea is not �message dramas.� I have to admit, mine is. I love films which make me think, hopefully without depressing me.

This movie left you with a silent �WOW� at the end. And the script�s one-liners keep on floating through your thoughts.

Here are a couple to give you a sampling. They were spoken near the beginning of the movie, and if the viewer picks up on them, he will realize that the whole film is an outworking of these concepts in a few persons� lives.

�A man�s character is his fate. The end depends upon the beginning.�

�Great ambition and conquest, without contribution, is without significance.�

(Examples of this in a historical context would be any of the men or women who had great ambition and conquered businesses, people, or nations�only to destroy them and do great damage in the end. Think: Hitler�or more recently�Saddam Hussein.) The film�s storyline followed the lives of several of the boys to display these truths.

As any �message� film worth its salt, this one leaves you pondering its application to your own life. As the instructor asked of the boys at the beginning of the movie, �What will your contribution be?� you find yourself searching for your own contribution. That�s a good thing. It is never too late.

�The unexamined life is not worth living.�

For great summer viewing, go back to this movie if you missed it last year, and see �The Emperor�s Club.� And top it off with a good book to savor while sitting in that swing: �The Guardian�, by Nicholas Sparks. I have read all his books, and this may be his best.

Text � copyright 2003 - 2008 The Homespun Philosopher

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